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Show Blue Run/25 dressed just like O.W. Mama's taken care of that. There I am standing between them, the three of us face to face with this double-chinned man of God whose got the power to connect a woman and man till death do them part. I'm standing there between them when he says, "In the sight of God Almighty, will you take this woman to be your wife?" What did I know about men? I'd never met my blood father, never smelled him after he'd mowed the grass, which probably never even happened in bullshit Arizona. I'd never seen my mother kiss a man on the mouth. I'd first learned about my wacky lineage on a night when thunder scared me to her bed I was born on Christmas Day and we both almost died-her water had broken She hemorrhaged and the priest was summoned; we'd both die, a masked physician told the family. I knew that later, I'd somehow been her confidant and protector, and that having me around had helped her through hard times. We were lucky to have had each other, me and Mama. I knew we'd somehow been in danger out West, and that she'd risked a lot to get us out. And from sitting in Grandpa Stepwell's duck boat listening to her and Ruby talk for what seemed like hours once. I knew that my blood father had tried to kill her, for real. Marrying O W. was related to all that, this much I knew, this much made sense. "I'll take her," I'm saying "To have and to hold " The preacher grins at O W. and Grandmother Dee says, dear god But O.W. doesn't smile. Neither does Mama. They know I mean it. Standing there between them in spit-shined shoes, I keep saying it-I'll take her. I'll take her until the hand comes over my mouth. Out under the sun, a quiet moment, Rocky's holding Baby Luis up for all the world to see. A descendent of Mayans, the Guatemalan baby's flint-black hair whips in the wind. Tears shine in |