Page 13 of A Touch of Fate

I approached Danilo, who was immersed in his work as usual. “I want to walk down the aisle.”

The idea first crossed my mind shortly after Samuel’s visit and had festered ever since.

Danilo looked up from the papers, confused at first and then concerned.

“Emma—” He began as if he was trying to explain to a little kid that her legs didn’t work.

I narrowed my eyes. “I know my body and what it’s capable of.

I don’t want to walk down the entire length, just the last few steps from the first row of pews to Samuel.

I want to meet him at eye level.” He would still be a head taller, but I had always imagined walking down the aisle, and while that wasn’t possible, I wanted to do what my body was capable of.

I’d spent endless hours in physical therapy, strapped into a harness that kept me upright as my feet barely dragged over the treadmill.

I’d cried tears of frustration over my body’s inability to heal completely and tears of gratitude for how far it had come from my almost entirely immobile state after the car accident.

But I knew with absolute certainty that my body couldn’t do more than what it was capable of now.

I’d made peace with it and didn’t hope for a miracle to carry me down the aisle to Samuel.

My iron will would do that, at least a few steps. I knew it would be impossible to walk all the way down the aisle, but I wanted to stand before the altar for a few seconds. This was my wedding, and I wanted to make this the day I imagined.

Danilo looked doubtful.

“I did some research.” While in our world, my marriage to Samuel was pretty much a novel thing as most disabled women so far had remained spinsters, the outside world was more progressive, and I’d watched countless weddings with a disabled bride or groom to see options.

It has given me renewed hope, not just for the festivities but also for my marriage.

“I could wear leg braces,” I said.

“You had them before and hated them.”

He was right. In the beginning, Mom had insisted I wear them.

She found them less obvious than the wheelchair, but I’d never liked them.

They’d been more hindrance than help, and I didn’t mind sitting in my wheelchair most of the time as it allowed me to reach most places quickly.

“I don’t want to wear them daily. I’m just thinking about wearing them in church so I can walk the few steps. ”

It was only a small gesture, a tiny moment in time, but I hoped it would show Samuel that we could be partners at eye level.

In our world, so many people had trouble seeing me as an independent grown-up woman for the simple fact that I had a disability.

And the little girl who dreamed of being a princess wanted to stand in her wedding dress for a moment.

The dreamer and the realist in me wanted the same thing for once, which showed me how important it was for me.

I was used to compromise, but I didn’t want to concede on this.

Danilo got up and leaned against the edge of the desk to be closer to me. “Emma, even with leg braces, you can hardly walk. You’d need something to hold on to.”

“I could use a walker or maybe even a cane.”

“A walker could work, but even those few steps could be strenuous in a heavy dress, and it would take a long time.”

I swallowed. Danilo wasn’t trying to hurt me or be unkind. He was simply analyzing the situation in his usual manner. “I still have six weeks. I could train daily with an evening gown to simulate my wedding dress.”

Danilo sighed. “We need to talk to Mom first. She’s planned every second of that day in detail. Your plans will change the timing.”

I stifled a smile. Of course, Danilo wanted to be as accurate as possible. His expression remained stern and worried.

“Can you ask her to come over for dinner today?”

Danilo sighed but picked up his phone. I gave him a big smile.

“Don’t get excited yet. You know Mom.”

Danilo was proven right when I told Mom about my plan.

Her eyes widened as if I’d suggested walking naked into church. “A walking frame would ruin your outfit.”

“If a wheelchair doesn’t ruin my outfit, I doubt a walker does,” I said teasingly, but Mom wasn’t in the mood for jokes. Not that she was ever in the mood to joke about my wheelchair. For her, it was always dead serious.

“We could wrap the walker in white silk and decorate it with flowers,” I added.

Mom pursed her lips. “That could work.” She paused, and I knew I wouldn’t like her next words.

“But Emma. You have two minutes for the walk down the aisle. That’s the length of the music piece I’ve picked for your entry.

With your wheelchair, you can easily stay within the timeframe, but if you try to walk? ”

“It’ll take longer, yes. But I’ll only walk a few steps. That takes maybe two minutes longer.”

Mom shook her head. “Getting out of your wheelchair, smoothing your dress, taking the walking frame and then walking a few steps…that could take three to five minutes.”

I looked down at my hands. “I know.”

“You can’t make people wait. They’ll be bored, and it’ll be awkward for them. You know how it is.”

“I know,” I muttered. “We don’t want to bother them with the sight of my disabled body for too long lest they feel uncomfortable.”

Mom glanced at Danilo as if she hoped he’d come to her help, but he was watching me closely.

My face probably gave away how close to tears I was.

I had grown used to my wheelchair. I could do almost anything I wanted with it, but for my wedding day?

I just wished I could walk down a small part of the aisle, even if it was at a snail’s pace.

“Emma,” Mom said softly. “Think about Samuel.”

I pressed my lips together. “You’re right. He’s the groom. It matters what he thinks. But it should matter what the bride wants too.” My voice cracked at the end.

“I’ll talk to Samuel,” Danilo said.

I shook my head. “I want to be present. Call him and put him on speakerphone.” I didn’t want Danilo to blackmail Samuel.

Danilo looked reluctant, but he dialed Samuel’s number.

“Yes?” Samuel asked in a clipped voice.

“Evening, Samuel. I’m here with my mother and Emma, and we want to discuss the wedding with you.”

“All right,” Samuel said slowly. I could hear the rustling of papers in the background. He was probably busy. “What is it?”

“I would like to walk down the last part of the aisle with the help of a walker,” I said quickly before Danilo or Mom could talk for me. “And I wanted to make sure you are aware of my plans.”

“Is that possible?” Samuel asked with a hint of surprise.

“I can’t walk without support,” I said. “I’m very slow and would need a walker, like I said.”

“It could very well take five minutes. People would have to wait a long time,” Mom butted in. “We understand if you don’t want that.”

Silence. Anger and frustration swelled in me. Mom always worried so much about what other people thought, but she rarely stopped to think what I wanted.

“They can wait for the bride on her wedding day. I don’t see a problem. We can cut short the congratulations afterward. They are a drag anyway,” Samuel said as if it wasn’t a big deal, when it meant the world to me.

I bit my lip to stifle a smile at Mom’s stunned expression.

“That’s it?” Samuel asked after a moment, sounding as if he was already busy with something else.

His curt manner didn’t even bother me today. I was just happy that his reaction showed Mom that my wishes were relevant.

It was only three days until the wedding.

Giorgia sat in the first row of the church to time me.

I was grateful that she took the time to help me.

In the beginning, Mom had been there as well, but her presence had been more discouraging than anything else.

Now that Danilo was married to Sofia, I spent every day with Mom, and it made me anxious.

“You did it. Faster than last time.”

I nodded and smiled proudly as I sank down on the wheelchair. “I’m getting used to the dress.” I was grateful for what my body had done today. I had ditched the leg braces very early on in our practice and only used a walker.

“Maybe Danilo could even lead you a few steps, then you wouldn’t have to use the walker?”

“I don’t think that would work. He’d have to support most of my weight.”

Giorgia stepped to my left side and held out her arm. “Let’s try it.”

I held on to it and pulled myself into a standing position.

My body ached. I wouldn’t be able to practice much more today, but I channeled all of my remaining power so we could practice a few more times without the walker.

Danilo was much stronger than Giorgia, so the chances were high that he could steady me even more.

Giorgia spent the night with us. Her brother had work to do, and her mother lived most of the year in Italy, having abandoned Giorgia with her brother and his wife.

“Are you excited?” Giorgia asked as we settled on my bed after dinner to watch a movie.

“Nervous,” I admitted.

Giorgia tilted her head. “Because he’s an ice prince?”

I shrugged. “Because I hardly know him, and I still don’t believe that Danilo didn’t force Samuel in some way. It doesn’t make sense to establish a second bond between our families. It doesn’t accomplish anything.”

“Maybe you should just leave it be. Even if there was some deal between your brother and Samuel, that doesn’t mean your marriage can’t be real.

I mean, it could be worse. He’s hot at least. The bachelors Mom suggested so far are at least twice my age, divorced or widowed, and live in Italy.

I don’t want to move, and I don’t want to settle.

Mom wants someone who can finance her luxurious lifestyle, and apparently, only old fools are willing to do that for me. ”

I huffed. “You are beautiful inside and out. She’s not looking in the right places. Your curves are spectacular.”

Giorgia jiggled her boobs. “Mom says men only like jiggle in certain places.”