Chapter 22: New Beginnings

           "So is it weird living with your best friend?" Prince asked as he prepared a smoothie for me.

           "You're my best friend too," I countered. "But no, not really. I'm just shocked is all."

           Becky had been just as surprised to see me. We had lost touch (my fault) because Becky didn't know where I lived (my fault) even when she asked my steps (their fault). She said she hadn't recognized me at my wedding, and King had never referred to me by name, only by 'daughter-in-law', 'Prince's wife', and 'my son's wife.' I laughed at this bit of news, and admitted that King had once said her name, I just hadn't heard it. We caught up with latest news and gossip, shopping, showing off new things, talking about the ball...

           All in all, we were elated to see each other. 

           "So, Becky, admit it," I whispered to her as we sipped coffee, the boys out and about golfing. "Did you marry King, a man old enough to be your grandfather, for the money?"

           Becky sighed. "It's complicated. But," she said as I protested, "I married him mainly for love. When I first saw him, I latched on because he was the king. However, he's such a kind, funny man and I really love him. I don't think I love him physically, but certainly as a friend."

           "I suppose that's a relief." I said. I shifted in my seat, suddenly feeling sick.

           "Nausea again?" Becky guessed.

           I nodded. "And my period's a few days late as well!" I grumbled a bit more about how it sucks to be a woman when Becky started chuckling. "What?"

           Becky laughed, smiling. "Oh, Cindy. Don't you see?" I rolled my eyes. "You're going to be a mother! You're pregnant!'

           I gasped. "No way," I said, worried. But the feeling crept up on me quickly. It was true, it made sense...

           "Think about it," Becky said smugly, setting her coffee cup down to tick her fingers off, like a list, "You and Prince first made love about a month ago. Unprotected, I'm assuming?"

           "Yeah," I muttered.

           Another smug grin. "Morning sickness. No period. You're pregnant."

           "Aw, man! Do I have to take a pregnancy test?"

           "Already got that covered," Becky said, dashing out of the room. I took the opportunity to put our coffee mugs away. Becky came back holding a white bag. "Two tests. Just to make sure. I picked them up last night-thought you might need them." 

           It wasn't until late at night, when Prince was asleep next to me and I was fretting away that I built my courage to take the tests. Two pluses later, I was sure. I crept back to bed and rubbed my tummy lightly. I was going to be a mommy!

           Being the knowing person she was, Becky had purchased maternity clothing on our shopping spree. They were made to stretch, which was good. When Prince had questioned me on my new clothing (having noticed my nightgown then my green t-shirt), I pulled him into the washroom, nervous for his reaction. "Prince, honey," I said nervously, fiddling around in drawers, refusing to meet his eyes. "I'm pregnant." I turned to him, scared of his reaction.

           His magnificent grin was unlike any I had ever experienced before. "Oh my god." He wrapped me in a tight hug, engulfing me with his arms and lips. After a moment of suffocation and pleasure, my husband released me, looking like a very proud father. He lowered his head to my belly, pressing his ear into my stomach. "Hey there, little guy!"

           I laughed, realizing the implications of this. I had another human being growing in my body! "How do you know it won't be a girl?" I said with a laugh.

           "Oh, I just have a feeling it'll be a boy! A handsome boy, too," Prince said, his eyes twinkling.

           "Oh, Prince, what'll we do! Are we ready for a child?" I said, joyful, yet slightly worried.

           Prince took me into his arms again, patting my hair. "We certainly are financially. And I think we can make time to take care of our child."

           "Should we tell anyone yet? Becky already knows."

           "My dad, for sure. But no one else. Not yet. Not until we're sure."

            I knew what he meant. Not until we were sure the baby was going to stay.

           Seven and a half months later, the baby was close to popping out. King and I were having our morning food-him, coffee, toast, and eggs, while I was on my baby diet and craving menu with pasteurized milk and a bagel with mayonnaise on it (stupid cravings). "So, I was meeting up with one of my work buddies, when he introduces me to one of his clients and rushes off!" King said between mouthfuls of egg.

           "No!" I cried, laughing, "What'd you do!"

           "Well, what could I do? I stayed and chatted with him," King said, exasperated but chuckling nonetheless. "He was very touchy, and had an earring in one of his ears, so he might be gay..."

           "Which ear?"

           "Right, I think. I saw it when we hugged."

           "You hugged?"

           "I was taken on by surprise myself!" King chortled, shaking his head.

           "Well, the right ear is the 'gay' ear," I confirmed, searching through Yahoo answers on my phone.

           "Actually, I don't think he had it on while we skinny dipped, though."

           "You SKINNY DIPPED?!"

           King turned pink. "The client held major deals for which political party he would donate towards, and I wanted him to sway a certain way! He's the one who suggested the whole thing, not me."

            "Did you burst out laughing when he suggested it?"

           "I was shocked more than anything. He asked me if I had brought my swim suit. I said that I hadn't. He said he didn't, either. Then he asked if I saw any signs saying no skinny dipping, but then he looked at me and went, 'You're the king, though! You make the rules!' And he pulled off his clothes and dived in! I was feeling a little reckless, and no one saw us, so it's fine." King's face was positively tomato.

           "Did you settle the deal?"

           "Yes, thankfully," King said, running his hand through the patches of hair on the sides of his head. "I'd rather not go through another ordeal like that where I have to show a client of all people my wrinkly old man-"

           "That's enough, thanks," I cut him off.

           "-body parts. Cinderella."

           "I'd better go wake sleepy bones if we want to get to the party on time," I said, reluctantly getting up and putting my dishes away. I took my time getting up the stairs, not wanting to hurt my child inside. I caressed my belly, enjoying the motherly instinct I had already adopted. I already knew things about my child, things that my baby liked, and things it didn't. For example-when Prince talked to my belly, I could feel the life growing inside of me giving a tiny, soft kick. That was a good kick. But if people started to fight, like sometimes Prince and King did, my baby would kick hard and fidget. My baby also enjoyed spaghetti (especially with veggie sauce), songwriter music, and laughter. My baby didn't enjoy the sounds of the television, dogs barking, or the doorbell. Of course, there was no way I would know for sure until my child grew up. 

           I kissed Prince long and hard as means of getting up. Once he had properly awakened, he kissed me back gently before bolting up and saying, "Morning breath!"

           I laughed. "I didn't mind, honestly." Prince let out a moan and clenched his perfect stomach. "I'm the one pregnant, not you sweetie," I said, running my hand along his back.

            "Hungry is all," he chimed cheerfully, then knelt down on one knee, took my hand and kissed it, said, "I'll be off, then, my lady," and ran downstairs. I had a case of the giggles all the way downstairs.

           I hobbled into the washroom, glancing at my expanded stomach warily. Not much longer. I crouched onto the toilet, barely able to hold myself up. When I finished, I toddled into the bathtub I had been filling up. While I soaked, I mused about the intentions behind Anastasia's invite to see Prince, King and I at their house. She claimed that everyone wanted to see the two of us (Prince and I), especially because I was pregnant, but I was sure that Anastasia was merely greedy for gossip. However, I too was interested to see how my step-sister's love lives had been, which is why I accepted the invite. 

            When we arrived at the party, I found Anastasia standing in her ball gown, all dressed up, even though she had told me not to bother. I had brought my nice clothes in my purse just in case. There were a few other party guests, but none of them were that dressy. Simon Hodges was there. I wondered if he just lived with step-mother or something. 

           I ducked into the washroom to get changed, passing by Simon, who was dressed in a white muscle shirt and green shorts, his thick chest hairs splayed out over his chest. I tried not to gag as I passed by him. After all, he was the leader of what King was trying to prevent. I didn't want to betray anyone by telling King that Simon was the man he was looking for. Becky was at the party as well. She said that it was all good and well for her, too, because it was her birthday, and she was probably going to age up. I knew that this meant Becky was reaching her middle age, even though she wasn't that much older than me. Which meant it wouldn't be that much longer till I reached my middle age. Or Prince for that matter. I had found out that Prince was several years older than me, and had gone to a private boarding school, which is why people didn't see much of him until he came back for the ball. 

           When I got back, I found Becky shouting excitedly, and King waving a party clapper in the air. It was time for my best friend's age up. 

           I patted her on the back then went to join the rest of the crowd. "DID YOU BLOW OUT CANDLES ON A CAKE?" I shouted over the roar of the guests.
           "Yeah!" Becky yelled back, already glowing light that was so warm and luminescent that I received part of the impact. Even standing a few meters away, I could feel her glow. My skin loosened and it felt like little butterflies walking on my arms. Then I heard a very tiny 'pop!' A pop? Was that normal? I hadn't had a pop when I had aged up. How strange.

                    
           Becky looked the same, pretty much, besides a few small wrinkles. King gave her a big long kiss in the corner, so I turned away. As I did, I felt something wet in my crotch. Then something dribbled down my leggings. I tried to bend over to look down, but it was no use with such a big belly.

         
           I grabbed King's arm. "It's time," I said, pulling him away. I found Prince and took his arm as well. "I broke my water," I said hurriedly, but had to stop, for in the next moment there was an even bigger surge of water. Gross.

           "What are we going in?" Prince said, freaking out. 
           King huffed about, then said, "We can go in the Ferrari that Becky and I came in." King pulled Prince and I outside. "It'll have to do." He glanced back. "No point bothering Becky. You can just text her," King said, nodding at Prince. King ran away to get the car from around the corner. 
           "Ooh," I said, grimacing in pain as I felt a cramp like pain in my lower section. 
           "Don't push yet!" Prince cried in exasperation, "Just wait until we get to the hospital!"
           I started laughing, but it made things worse. Prince was evidently freaking out, despite the months of prepared parents courses we had taken. You'd think after three sessions of holding my hand while I huffed and breathed would get Prince to at least recognize signs of contractions. 

           "Okay kids, pile in!" King called, speeding towards us before screeching to a stop. I hoped dearly he wouldn't drive too wildly on the way to the hospital. Prince and I squeezed into the very small back of the car. King's car was older, so the interior wasn't that great, and to get to the passenger seat, one had to clamber over the car. I wasn't about to do any climbing with my belly. Prince held my hand in the back for support. He looked way more worried than I felt. I got another uncomfortable twist in my lower region and groaned again. "Seconds between contractions?" King asked. 
           "Only gotten two so far, a few minutes," I blurted out in one breath, struggling.
           "Okay, then we should have a nice, smooth ride," King said calmly. He noticed my look of surprise. "Trust me, I was like Princey boy here, too, the first time 'round," King said as we cruised calmly through the silent streets.
           "I didn't know Prince had siblings," I said in surprise, glancing over at my husband.
           King and Prince were silent for a moment, and I realized I must have touched on a sour spot. "I used to have siblings..." Prince said finally, though I could barely hear him because of the wind buzzing past my ears. "Mom had twins. Premature. Too premature. They both died."
           "Oh my god, I'm so sorry," I said, and I was. What a bad time to talk about this. Right before I was about to give birth. I noted that my child was premature, as well, by a few weeks.
           "It's all right," King said, and his voice was gruff and held a lot of emotion. "But Prince's mother gave birth another time. Before Prince."
           Prince gave my hand an extra squeeze.
           "He was perfectly healthy. A perfectly growing boy. He was three years older than Prince. They were close when they were younger. Then, one day, when Prince was thirteen and his brother was sixteen, a drunk driver hit him. He was walking home from a party, late at night, and this irresponsible driver hit my boy before running into a tree. The tree fell on the car. Both of them died," King said, and I knew he was crying now. I sat in awed silence, feeling warm tears coming down my own cheek.
           We stayed silent for the rest of the car ride.

           After six long hours, my baby was born. I held him in my arms. He was so beautiful. King had gone home long ago, and Prince had called a cab for us. We were both exhausted, but I smiled. My baby was born. I had a baby. He was beautiful. I cuddled him on the way back. 
           "Can I hold him?" Prince asked politely. I handed our son over. Prince smiled at his son and kissed his forehead. 
           "How old were you when your mom died?" I asked.
           Prince didn't look very surprised when I asked this. He cradled our son protectively. "My brother was killed when I was thirteen. Then my parents tried to have kids again. When I was fifteen, my mother gave birth to premature twins that died. It was too much for her. I think the shock of it all killed her. She died a few weeks before my sixteenth birthday."

           "I love you," I said as we got out of the taxi. I held our boy in our hands. "I hope you know that. And don't ever forget it."
           "I love you too," Prince said. "And I love our boy."
           I loved our son, too. "What was your brother's name?"
           "Andy."
           I tried not to gasp.

          We had named our son Andy.

Chapter 21: Walking the Aisle Alone

Months later, Prince and I got to know each other much better. We learned each other's habits, what each other liked, and what we didn't like. We got into rituals and habits, such as night time kisses, and late morning kisses (Prince was affected with morning breath). We had gotten to the point where we had seen each other naked, but hadn't done anything.

           I had been planning our wedding from the first week I arrived at Charming manor. Prince had begged me to recreate the dress I had worn at the ball, but white. I thought that the request was very touching, so I had called forth my fairy godmother. I talked with her occasionally, but she was very busy so I didn't bother her too often. My outfit consisted of a white dress, white gloves, white bow, silver shoes, and dangling earrings. 

           It was going to be a beach wedding, the one nearby. Prince and King were going to be wearing their formal outfits that they had worn the day of the ball (apparently King's was practically identical to his son's).

           So I was giddy with joy when the morning of my wedding arrived.

           Well, nearly giddy.

           After all, I still had to fix the toilet.

           Then I traveled to the kitchen where I washed my hands I began my normal morning ritual of preparing a smoothie. Strawberry this time. I smelt my B.O. emanating from me.

           King was seated at the counter with his cup of coffee, trying to tell me about his previous date over the sound of the smoothie maker. Ever since his wife had died, Prince had set King up with tons of women, but occasionally King made a few of his own dates, being a charismatic fellow. 

           "She's quite a bit younger than me," King explained loudly as the smoothie maker whirred. "Her name is-" but he was cut short by a specifically loud roar. "I actually met her a while back," King considered, "But I've only recently considered pursuing her."

           I made a face, pouring the sludge into a cup. "Dad, seriously now. How much younger is she than you?"

           "Oh, about your age I'd say. But love is love, Cinderella," King said.

           "Dad!"

           "What! It's true! Aren't you at least going to ask me how my date was?" King asked. 

           I rolled my eyes. "How was your date?"

           "Well," he said happily, taking a big sip of his coffee, "I finally went over to her place. She has a bed with green sheets and pink leopard spots. She had celebrity posters, magazines, an alarm clock, and a lamp. Unfortunately, her bed was only big enough for one."

           "Father-in-law!" Saying that was the equivalent of saying King's full name.

           "She returns my feelings, though! Because I suggested that she try a bigger bed, maybe mine, and she responded with-"

           "TMI!" I said, laughing. "Way too much info, thanks!" I checked the time. "Anyway, we both better prepare for the wedding!" I gulped down the remainder of my smoothie and King slurped the last bit of his coffee.

           A few hours later, I had showered, shaved, plucked, groomed, applied makeup, and did my hair, and was properly suited up. Prince and I walked over to the beach. We had wanted a very private, low-key wedding, without paparazzi, so we had hired very few services. Prince's only family was his father, and I felt that I needed to invite my step-mother and step-sisters, so I did. Prince and I arrived early, and ate before the wedding. I wasn't sure why, but apparently that was part of Prince's family's traditions. There was a little table set up with cookies, sushi, flowers, plates, and sauces. Prince had asked a family friend to do these preparations. 

           I grabbed a cookie and sat next to Prince, where we both enjoyed this strange wedding food. I was wearing my engagement ring. I was to wear it until the time where we exchanged proper wedding bands. Prince and I had gone shopping for the perfect wedding rings. 

           "Should the others be joining us?" I asked Price, feeling a little creeped out. This wasn't my ideal wedding plan. 

           Prince looked up in surprise. "Could you phone my dad? He's supposed to alert everyone else when to come."

           So I whipped out my cell phone (that Prince had bought me) and telephoned King.

           While we waited for the other guests to arrive, Prince and I lit a fire (we made sure to keep a bucket of water nearby) and made s'mores. I caught my fiancé warming his bum to the fire, and I couldn't help laughing at his silliness. 

           Anastasia and Drizella arrived in the gowns I had made for them for the ball. Other people seemed to be sporting Asian apparel, strangely enough. Once all of our guests arrived (only about twenty), we began to eat dinner. People had brought their own food, probably expecting that we wouldn't have much to provide. We ended up having a feast of roast beef, gravy, potatoes, beans, salad, soup, tofu, and lots of other sides. People brought wine, water, milk and beer, but no soda, thank goodness. For desert, we ate chocolate mousse cake, cookies, and vodka chocolate. We were all feeling a bit tipsy by the time the ceremony started.

           Just before Prince and I walked over to the heart-shaped arch, I noticed step-mother had aged. She looked a lot less sharp, more tired and weak than anything else. She was dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt, even though it was relatively warm out. She, like many of the other elders, was clutching a cane as she hobbled along.

           "What happened?" I asked Anastasia incredulously.

           "After you left, someone had to do all the housework, right?" Anastasia said, her voice brittle and unfeeling.

           "How come you guys didn't help?"

           "We did. But I guess even the little bit she did was too much for step-mother," Anastasia said sulkily before sauntering off.

           It wasn't my problem. I was tired of being the pack horse.

           "Hon," Prince called, and I made my way towards the arch. I had no father to give me away, and I had decided that I would prefer to walk down the aisle alone to honour him than have someone else give me away. I remember my dad telling me when I was a kid how he would be sad yet proud to give me away. I felt it best to walk alone. 

           Prince and I stood facing each other, waiting for the minister to step forward to read to us. I caught sight of Girbits in the crowd. He waved at me and I smiled back. Lots of people were roaming about because of a lack of chairs. I ignored this negative factor.

           The minister arrived in the nick of time. Any longer and I would've said the vows without him!

           After reading from his book, the minister looked up at us, and I knew I had to pay proper attention. I had been lost in Prince's sea of chocolate brown eyes. 

           "Prince Charming," the minister croaked, "will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to love her, comfort her, and honour her, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?"

           Prince nodded. "I will."

           He repeated the same process with me. Then it was a repeat-after-me type thing. Prince went first. Then me. "I, Cinderella Casmin, take you, Prince Charming, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, through thick and thin, to love and cherish, from this day forward."

           The priest smiled at us happily. "Ring-bearer?"

           An elder man who was apparently Prince's distant cousin stepped forward holding a cushy red pillow with the rings laid out on them. We took our rings in unison.

           "Place the ring on the bride's finger, and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

           Prince slid the ring onto my fourth finger on my left hand. "With this ring, I thee wed."

           The priest nodded to me. "Place the ring on the groom's finger and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

           My fingers fumbled with the ring for a moment, but then I took Prince's left hand in mine and slid on the ring. "With this ring, I thee wed."

           "Let these rings be given and received with as a token of your affection, sincerity and fidelity to one another," the minister continued. 

           King, who was standing close by, clenched his hands together in praise. He was smiling happily.

           "In as much as Prince Charming and Cinderella Casmin have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and pledged their vows to each other, by the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

           "You may now kiss the bride."

           And he did. We had lots of practice beforehand. 

           There were cheers of celebration, and lots of tears shed. Prince swept me up in his arms and spun me around. I was crying, but tears of joy, for once. I noticed King hugging someone. As Prince set me down, I whispered into his ear, "Do you see that?"

           He nodded. "But it doesn't matter. I need to take care of urgent business."

           "What's that?" I said in surprise.

           "I need to have a little fun with my wife," he growled. I giggled and kicked off my high heels. Prince and I held hands while running down the beach, right alongside the water. We heard cheers and whistles from various crowd guests.

           We made good use of our 'fun time'. Afterwards, lying in bed, virginity free, we talked about it. It. Then we went on to more matters-King, our lives ahead, I was now a princess, etc. It was all so normal, and all so perfect.

           "I love you, Mrs. C," Prince said.

           He said it with so much sincerity that I wanted to swoon. "I love you, Mr. C," I said.

           The next few weeks as newlyweds was amazing. We made love all the time, spontaneously, too. We tried new ways in new places. King volunteered to stay with his girlfriend. He said it was true love. Occasionally he would drop by when he missed us, though. 

           Prince was very hands on. He enjoyed doing physical labour, and didn't mind chores that much, either. He was a welcome change from my steps, for sure. One time I walked in on him cleaning the toilet in his underwear, and I was just so overwhelmed that I turned him around, pulled his boxers down and made love to him right there and then.

           This morning, three weeks after our first time, Prince prepared waffles for me. While I waited for him to finish cooking them, I went to find King, who had stayed over for the night. I found him in the washroom, talking to himself. 

           "You okay, dad?" I asked with concern.

           He looked up, startled. "Sorry, my dear. I'm just practicing a speech I have. Not only do I need to write and memorize the speeches, I need to put real emotion in the proper places, so that I'm not just saying words," he explained.

           I nodded. Then, with a pause, I said, tentatively, "Will Prince have to do that... eventually?"

           King nodded. "Once I pass away-which could happen anytime soon, quite frankly-Prince will become a king and take my place. He's been trained for this his entire life. And you'll be the Queen, so you'll have to make speeches as well."

           "Yes," I said slowly, "I was aware of this when I accepted Prince's proposal, I think. It's crucial to the survival of the country."

           King smiled. "I'm glad to know you know of its importance. Now, I think I can smell Prince's cooking. Let's go down and help him-eat it!"

           I munched on Prince's waffles. They were tasty, but I didn't want to hurt Prince's feelings by telling him that next time, I would make them. Honestly, I thought that I could make better waffles. They were still yummy though.

           As I sat in my nightie, eating waffles prepared by my husband, I realized that it was time to start something with my life. I hadn't heard back from my singing agency, but they had sent me a ten dollar paycheck, no note or anything. I had cashed it in, disappointed. I had obviously done a poor job. 

           After I finished up my waffles, I emptied the dishwasher, then put the dirty dishes away. While I was putting a dish away, I suddenly felt quite nauseous. I ignored it at first, but then my stomach burbled and I could tell I was about to vomit. I dropped the dish I was holding onto the counter and raced towards the toilet. Thankfully, the lid was up, and I opened my mouth just as the projectile vomit came out. I leaned down over the toilet and heaved some more. It was green and slimy and chunky and I threw up again looking at it. I started crying, as well, because when you vomit you cry. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't see my upchuck, and held my hair back with one hand so I wouldn't dirty it. I held myself up with the other hand because I was so weak I wouldn't have been able to other wise. I proceeded to spit up a bunch, trying to get the taste out of my mouth.

           "Is something wrong?!" Prince cried, bursting into the bathroom.

           I looked up at him. My hair and face probably had vomit on it, I was crying and just felt horrible. But instead of looking disgusted, Prince looked sad and compassionate. "Cinderella! Oh, no," he said, and knelt next to me. I sat on my bum and he held me from the back, rocking me and smoothing my hair. He kissed my head and soothed me until I stopped crying.

           "Do you think it was from the waffles?" I asked, finally getting up and flushing the toilet. I didn't feel like throwing up, but I still felt weak and a bit queasy. 

           "It's possible, but my dad and I haven't gotten sick, so maybe not," he said, worriedly. "Are you okay now?"

           "I think so," I said sadly.

           "Go up and have a shower," Prince said firmly, "That should make you feel better. I'll clean out the toilet, all right?"

           Too tired to fight back, I trudged upstairs, pulled off my clothes and stood in the shower. How did I even deserve such a sweet man?

           After my shower, I slipped back into my pajamas and went back to bed. When I woke up hours later, I felt totally recovered and ready to face the day. In order to repay my kind husband for his care, I fixed up the toilet, which was broken somehow. Mid-way through, I felt a tiniest bit queasy, but just passed it off. It was nothing I couldn't handle.

           While looking through drawers later, I came across some of my pads and tampons and realized that my period was due in two days, which would probably account for my nausea. I explained it to Prince.

           He was relieved that I hadn't gotten anything contagious, and laughed with me about it. Prince said that he marveled at the fact that I PMSed very rarely. I told him that there was nothing to be crabby about anymore, regardless of hormone swings. 

           "Even so, we've neglected something, Cind," Prince said brightly, "We haven't bought you new clothes!"

           And so Prince and I traveled to the mall. Lots of people stared at us, and even a few spoke up and told Prince how they were so very respectful of him and his father and so forth. Quite a few girls gave me the death stare. This didn't go unnoticed by Prince, and he said, "Maybe it'd be better for you to shop on your own and I'll pick up lunch. I have a horrid sense of style anyway." I laughed, since it was true that some of the things he wore were really ridiculous.

           Once I had picked up new purchases, I met Prince and we dined in the mall cafeteria, laughing and tossing french fries at each other. Once we got home, he requested that I show off at least one of my new outfits for him, so I did.

           Black wedge heels, nylon socks, tight jeans, and a simple gray t-shirt with a cardigan over top. I also wore two silver bracelets, and a necklace Prince had given to me a while back. I wore earrings Prince had also given to me, a dash of makeup, and had let my hair down and put a braid over it. Comfortable, yet stylish. Prince whistled as I walked out, so I rewarded him with a big fat kiss.

           King told us that he was going to propose to the girl he loved. Prince and I were so startled. We hadn't even met the girl! Nevertheless, King said he was going to do it tomorrow, in the garden in front of our house. 

           "Isn't that a bit unromantic?" I said dryly.

           "Nonsense! She told me that her favourite place to be is in our front garden, because she loves gardens and she loves to be near me!" 

           I shrugged, before saying, just to make sure, "And you're sure she's not after your money, dad?"

           "I can never be sure. How could Prince be sure that you weren't after his money?" 

           I blushed. "Okay, I see your point. Good luck, then! I'll be spying on you from the upstairs window!"

           "Take pictures, if you must!" King said with a laugh.

           The first thing I saw happen the next night was King kissing the young woman. She was wearing the same clothes she did at our wedding. I looked away as they kissed. I didn't want to miss anything, but I didn't want to invade their privacy. 

           By the time I looked back, King was already knelt down on one knee, the open box held before him. His girlfriend let out a high-pitched shriek and screamed "Yes!" very excitedly. I opened the window I was peering out of slightly so that I would be aware of what was going on.

           King slid the ring onto his girl's finger, then they stood up and embraced. "My dearest," King said, slowly, "Do you want to get married right here? Right now?"

           "What do you mean?" she replied. I noticed something vaguely familiar about her voice.

           "I can figure out the paperwork later, but we don't need a priest. We can say the vows and exchange rings right now," King said,

           "Don't we need a witness?" The woman said.

           "My daughter-in-law will be our witness. She's watching us now, if I'm not mistaken."

           "What?!" The woman cried, astonished.

           King's face grew pink. "Don't worry, I asked her too! Not to be creepy, but if you agreed and we needed a witness..."

           King and I waited, nervous for her reply.

           "Of course I agree, silly!" She said, and he grew pink with pleasure.

           I noticed Prince come up behind me as King extracted two more rings out of his pocket. Prince put his arm around me and kissed me. "I love you," he said, obviously reminded of our wedding.

           The two of them traded vows that King had evidently learned by heart. Maybe that was what he had really been practicing in the bathroom. They traded rings. Prince held my hand, fingering the ring on my hand, as King slid a ring onto his fiance's hand.

           The woman did the same for  King. They embraced, now married, then started kissing passionately. I turned away, into Prince to give them their alone time. A single tear emerged from Prince's eye. I kissed it away. He looked down at me. I kissed him gently, then we held hands and went downstairs to congratulate the happy couple.

           "Congratulations, dad!" I said, hugging King. I looked around. "Where's your wife?"

           "She just went to the washroom to change," King said, his eyes sparkly.

           I knocked on the door. "Come in!" The woman trilled. The voice was nagging at me, the familiarity... I walked into the washroom to find her admiring her new wedding ring. I gasped as my eyes made their way to her face.

"Becky?"

Chapter 20: Not Another One!

           Step-mother ran in right as I had my epiphany. "Girls! Latest news! The prince is announcing a marriage!"

           My step-sisters groaned. What? A marriage to who? This was terrible! My heart weakened. I thought that he had liked me.

           "Wait, that's not all," step-mother said, "Last night, at the ball, a girl lost her glass slipper. He says he's madly in love with her and will search the city to find her! Whichever girl's foot fits in the glass slipper will be the prince's bride!"

           My step-sisters cheered. My heart gave a gigantic loop-de-loop. He said he's madly in love with me? I knew I was in love with him. My tummy twisted around in little loops. Marriage? Was I ready for this? Who was I kidding, it was all I could have ever hoped for!

           "Girls," step-mother said, facing her daughters, "You will make the glass slipper fit, understand?"

           My step-sisters nodded. What? They couldn't do that. I went into sudden panic. What if some other girl's foot fit into the glass slipper? What then? My foot was a six and a half, very narrow with high arches, though. There couldn't be that many girls with a foot of that size.

           At that precise moment, the doorbell rang. "CINDERELLA!" step-mother screeched, "TO YOUR BEDROOM!"

           "I'm Prince Charming," the prince announced, as if scared of the voices he heard.

           I tried to protest against step-mother's cruel wishes, but step-mother grabbed me with force, threw me in my bedroom and locked my door. I heard the prince coming into the house, welcomed by step-mother, Anastasia and Drizella. There was no time to waste. It was possible that he could leave without seeing me. That would be terrible. I ran to the door leading to the bathroom, but no luck. That was locked as well. Step-mother must have been planning this for a while.

           "Sorry, but your daughters are not blond," I heard the prince saying, though his voice was muffled.

           "Why does it matter," step-mother's crisp voice pierced the wood.

           "Because not only was the girl I danced with blond, but she looked like neither of your two daughters. Is there any other eligible lady in the household?" the prince asked.

           "ME!" I shouted, unable to hold myself in any long.

           "What was that?" 

           "Oh, nothing, nothing, just the television I'm sure," step-mother said, and I could see her shadow pass by the door.

           "PRINCE! PRINCE CHARMING! I'M BEHIND THIS DOOR!" I yelled, terrified.

           Footsteps came closer and closer, until someone tried the doorknob. "Key, please," the prince said, obviously not in the mood.

           Step-mother obviously handed over the keys, because a second later the prince opened the door and swept me into his arms, twirling me about in a circle. He must have recognized me, despite my altered appearance.

           As I hugged him back, all I could think about was how my dreams of being a famous singer would finally come true. It would happen.

           "Will you tell me your name?" he asked, finally setting me down. He stroked my cheek, "Or are you known as the most beautiful lady of all time?"

           I giggled a wee bit, and pressed my hand against his. He was so cute. He was wearing a v-neck t-shirt that had mustaches on it, as well as simple semi-length pants and running shoes. Cutie. "Cinderella Casmin," I whispered softly.

           He pulled me into an embrace. I cupped his head in my hands. "That's a cool name," he said, and just when I couldn't stand waiting anymore, he extended his head and planted a juicy kiss on my lips. My first kiss. I didn't want him to stop, so I cradled his head closer to mine. Our lips worked around each other's, closed, but lovingly. 

            "You don't know if she's the girl you danced with at the ball," step-mother's voice cawed out, her voice dripping with hatred.
           Prince scooped me up in his arms, and carried me out to the the entrance hall. "We'd better try on that glass slipper, then!"
           I removed my flats and extended my foot for him. Prince picked up the high heel and gingerly lifted my foot. He slowly slipped it into the high heel... It fit like a glove. Or a glass slipper, in this case.
           It was perfect.

           "I'll go get the other one," I said, and went back to my room, where I slipped on the beautiful glass slipper.

           When I returned, Prince was knelt on one knee. My hand went to my chest.

           "Cinderella Casmin," Prince said, reaching behind him and pulling out a little box.

           Yes, yes, yes...

           "Will you do me the honors," he continued, extending the box towards me.

           Yes, yes, yes...

           "Of being my beautiful wife?"

           It was a shining diamond ring.

           "Yes, yes, yes!" I screamed, tears of happiness leaking from my eyes. 

           He slid the ring on my finger. If felt so right, so natural. I admired it. He got up and I hugged him tightly. I looked up into his eyes. "Can I come live with you?"

           He looked surprised. His face softened. "You want to get away, huh?" he whispered into my ear. His breath tickled me.

           "Yeah. Normally I would want to wait until we're married, but I just want to stay with you and live with you and love you," I said happily.

           "Lets go, then," he said, taking my hand in his.

           I packed my few belongings quickly. I hugged Anastasia, Drizella, and even step-mother good-bye. I slipped Gus and Jack into my pockets and opened Pino's cage door. Then Lucifer came up to me and rubbed his head into my leg. Tears welled up in my eyes. I knew I wouldn't miss Drizella or step-mother, or the house or my bed or anything like that. I might miss Anastasia. But I would definitively miss Lucifer. I pulled him tight to me, kissing his fur. He mewed little cries of good-bye.

           "Take care, darling Lucifer," I whispered, tears leaking into his fur. I set him down, took one last walk around the house, then got into Prince's awaiting car with my belongings. I turned my face away so he wouldn't see my tears.

           It was all happening so quickly.

           "Well, here it is," Prince announced once we had arrived at his house. Mansion, more like it. Prince carried my things in while I let Gus and Jack out into the grass. The three story Victorian style house was absolutely breathtaking, and I admired the little children's play-set in the yard. I suddenly wondered if I was supposed to have children with Prince. I realized I was ready to, and wanted to.

           I had a sudden urge to use the washroom, so I rushed inside and scrambled for the nearest toilet. The bathroom was extremely large, with yellow tiling, a bathtub, paintings, a mirror, and-lo and behold-hung hand towels! Such a luxury! Once I was done on the potty, I washed my hands with expensive smelling soap, then dried them off with soft, fluffy towels. It was so refreshing. My momentary sadness at the loss of my 'family' was gone, replaced with comfort and luxury.

           I exited the washroom to find Prince waiting for me. "Hello, darling," he said, pulling me into his arms. We started making out, right by the window. When we finished, I turned to see a fat, old, balding man in a tracksuit standing by our window. I sat down on the sofa with Prince and we cuddled. Moments, later, the old man walked in front of us, arm waving in the air, yelling.

           "I go for a jog, and when I come back, this is what I see? My son kissing some random girl?" He cried, evidently perplexed. 

           "Dad, this is Cinderella Casmin, my fiancé. Cindy, this is my father, the King," Prince explained calmly.

           "Pleasure to meet you, sir. You'll be my father-in-law, then?" I asked.

           He nodded, mouth open. "You're the girl my son met at the ball?" he said, confused.

           I nodded as well. I lifted my feet up. "You see? Glass slippers and all."

           "Well, then," King said, "You're my soon-to-be-daughter-in-law! Let me light a fire in celebration! My son is finally getting married! And I'll have grandchildren!" King hummed to himself as he lit a fire for us before sinking into the couch next to Prince's and mine.

           "So, Cinderella, tell me about yourself," King said, and I began my long, long lifetime story about my step-sisters and step-mother. Prince, who hadn't known this story either, gasped and tutted and laughed at all the appropriate places. I loved him all the more for it.

            When I finished talking, I got an itching to cook, or clean. And I was hungry enough, so I got up and examined the ingredients and such in the fridge and pantries. I loved the kitchen. It was vast, with a microwave, blender, and coffee machine. King had even promised to order a dishwasher! It really intrigued me, the idea of having a machine to wash plates and such. How could we know they did a good job?
           I pulled out some meat, onions, buns, and spices. I had once read a recipe online about making good hot dogs from scratch. After molding the meats, I sprinkled on spices, then set several on a plate and placed them in the microwave. When they were done, I put them in buns and squirted on ketchup and mustard.
           "Food's served!" I announced. I hoped I made a good impression.

           I grabbed a hot dog and sat sown at the counter. I noticed a high chair in the corner. I was beginning to wonder if my sole purpose was to become a mother. After I finished chomping down a hot dog-which was really delicious, actually-I washed my plate in the large sink. 

           "Honey, where's the nearest shower?" I asked Prince. 

           He was in the dining room, at a table seated for eight. I could hear King making his way into the dining room. Oops. I didn't know I was supposed to eat there. 

           "Second floor, I think," he replied between bites. Once he swallowed, he said, "These are heavenly, by the way! Thank you so much, Cinderella darling!"

           Aw. He thanked me. And he called me darling. I loved him so much.

           I went up to the second floor, where I stripped off my clothes and took my first shower ever. When I was younger, we didn't even have showers. In my old home, showers were expensive, and step-mother feared we would overuse a shower. So, the feeling of warm water cascading down onto me was quite pleasant and refreshing. I actually felt clean. I noticed some hotel looking shampoos and conditioners sitting on a ledge in the shower, so I pulled my elastic out of my hair, uncapped a bottle and began scrubbing the thing into my hair. My scalp felt so much cleaner as I massaged it. With my hair all bubbly, I found a bar of soap, and used it to scrub my body down. It was heavenly. After I had rinsed my hair out and repeated the process with conditioner, I rinsed the soap suds off my body and the conditioner out of my hair. I stepped out of the shower, but didn't want to get back into my dirty clothes. I opened the door a crack and peered out. I wasn't a prude, per say, but there was no way I was about to parade about in the house naked. What a sight that would be! I think my step-father would have a heart attack. I looked down and saw a fluffy, pale red towel and a bag with all my clothes in it. What a kind man that Prince was.

           I toweled myself off inside the washroom and slipped on my underwear, then pulled my nightie on over top. I towel dried my hair, and picked up my clothing and dirty towel, feeling more refreshed than I had ever felt before.

           "Hon, where's your dad?" I asked Prince moments later, still holding the clothes.
           "He's doing some work at city hall... King stuff. The usual. Do you want me to take that up to the laundry room?" Prince offered.
           "There's a laundry room?!"
           "Um, yeah?" Prince looked amused. "Third floor, washing machine and dryer. Detergent and bleach and stuff's on the shelf. It's next to the exercise machine."
           I nearly fainted. They had such luxury! "It's okay, I'll handle it," I said, and hurried off to the laundry room. There were little blue bags to put your laundry in. Although I already had the laundry in my arms, I put them in the bag, just to see. I put the clothes in the washing machine and set it to normal.

           When I returned downstairs, King was already back. "Cinderella!" he called to me happily. "I loaded the dishes in the new dishwasher!"

           He was so jolly. I smiled at him. "Thanks, sir," I said, but felt off with calling him sir.

           "'Sir'?" He laughed. "You can call me dad."

           I hesitated. I hadn't had someone to call 'dad' in a long time. Would I be disrespecting my father to call my father-in-law dad?

           King noticed my hesitation. "Cinderella, my dear, I can assure you that your late father wouldn't mind you calling someone else 'dad'. He knows that you'll never forget about him. If your mother was still alive, I know my late wife would be happy that her son found a motherly figure again, if he addressed his mother-in-law as 'mom'. But it's entirely up to you and your comfort level. You can just call me 'King', if you like," King explained gently.

           I bit my lip. "If my dad was still alive, and you were dead, would you be totally okay if Prince called my dad, 'dad'?"

           King nodded. "I would want my boy to be happy. I'd feel as if I'd be holding him back from leading a normal life style. I'd want him to move on."

           Tears were approaching, but I blinked them back. "Okay, dad, thanks," I said, trying it out. I liked it.

            "Now, you kids go have some fun! I'll stay here with my cup of coffee," King said, walking towards the machine.
           Prince put a hand around my waist and kissed my cheek. Tingles danced up my spine. 
           Ten minutes later, we were in Prince's-now Prince's and my-bedroom, all over each other. Prince was stripped down to his underwear. He began to tug at my clothing, but stopped himself. "I don't want to pressure you... especially before we're married," he said seriously.
           "I'm ready, trust me," I said madly, wildly. I was going to marry this man. I had no parents to approve or disapprove. I was eighteen. I wanted him. I was a little scared, though. "Are you a virgin?" I asked cautiously. 
           He nodded. "You?"
           "Still got my v-card," I said. Okay. So he was disease free. This man here was going to take my virginity. I kissed him softly, more slowly, but he pulled away again.
           "We're going to be losing our virginity to each other, then?" Prince said, slowly. He was sweating a bit, his face flushed.
           "That's right," I said, and was beginning to lose patience.
           "I don't think we should until we're married," Prince said, agitated.
           I sighed. "You're probably right." I laid down in bed beside him. We snuggled under the covers, but no more than that.
           "Lets get married soon," Prince said, and we drifted off to sleep. 

           The smell of smoke and King's yelling woke us up. In our excitement, we had forgotten to douse the fire. A small fire had started, catching on the nearby rug. We could hear King downstairs, trying to put the fire out. 

           "We have extinguishers," Prince explained quickly, scrambling around with his jeans on the floor, trying to find his cell phone. He punched in 9-1-1. "Hello? Yes, this is an emergency! We have a fire in our house!" King let out an anguished scream from below. Prince looked panicked. He shoved the phone at me with a, "Can you talk to them?", before running downstairs to aid his father. I remembered my experience before with fires. This was different, though, because we were adults.

           After giving the police essential information quickly (address, number of people in the house, etc.), I ran downstairs to see how my two new housemates were handling the fire. It seemed that Prince had taken over, and he had managed to decrease the fire size so that it stayed in the fireplace. The hot red light shone off of Prince's perfectly carved body.

           For some inexplicable reason, seeing my fiancé, Prince Charming, standing in his tight blue boxers with his bulging muscles, extinguishing a fire, made me realize how in love with him I really was. It was impossible to say why, or even how I knew, but I knew that not only were my feelings for him a wanting, but a needing. I couldn't imagine him not being in my life. He was my knight in shining armor. He was the Prince who saved me, the damsel in distress. He was generous and kind and grateful and silly and funny and I loved him so.

           With a poker, my love moved the logs around to control the fire. King came in with a barrel of water and splashed the fire.

           A siren blared, and I watched the same firefighter that came when I burnt the stove. I learned her name to be Ashley Rudin.

           "Not you again," she said, laughing.

           I blushed. "It's under control, though," I said.

           She grinned. "Normally I'd accuse you of being an arsonist, but I can't imagine you'd do this on purpose." She looked around the house. "This is the King's estate! Wow!"

           "I'm marring his son," I said proudly.

           "You're a lucky girl," the firefighter said.

           "I know. Thank you."

           Ashley and I chatted a bit more, but eventually we said our good-byes and she departed.

           Prince scooped me up in his arms and carried me off to bed. We fell into bed, exhausted. He held me while we slept. I thought about the wedding. Where it would be. And when. Before falling asleep, Prince had told me when he wanted to hold the wedding two months from now.

           "Sweetheart?" I whispered, not sure if he was asleep.

           "Yeah?" 

"I love you."

"I love you too."