Gabby & Wes 11. What’s luck got to do with it

“I really can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“What?” asked Renn.  “Following my heart?”

Gabby shook her head.  “No, I always knew you’d do that.  I just didn’t think it would lead you…. here” Gabby waved her arm around to encompass the front porch, field and long dirt driveway.  Renn took in the view, smiling when Wes jumped out of his pickup truck.  Gabby rolled her eyes.

“I still can’t believe you’re marrying my cousin.”

“Well, he was rather convincing in Galápagos,” smiled Renn.

“Aww, you’re just irritated that now you’ll have two people to visit here.  It’ll keep you in the country twice as long,” laughed Wes as he joined them on the porch.

‘Don’t count on it,’ muttered Gabby.  She tried to feign disapproval, but knew she wasn’t fooling anyone.  She truly was happy for her cousin and best friend, but she wouldn’t be herself if she gave it up that easily.

“Hey, look what I brought,” said Wes as he reached into his pocket.

“Hopefully the key,” replied Gabby.

Wes ignored her.  “These!” He held up a shiny bronze number in each hand.

“31?” ask Renn.

Wes looked at his hands.  “Oh, wait.”  He crossed his hands over.

“Oh, cool.  So today’s house is brought to us by the numbers 1 and 3,” observed Gabby.  Wes shot her a look.

“No, it’s my lucky number 13.”

“So we’re changing our address?” Renn was confused.  “Can we do that?”

“Nah,” replied Wes with a grin.  “We’ll put them up over one of the doorways inside.  They’re decorative.”

Gabby turned to Renn with a smirk.  “Have fun decorating your new house.”

“Sarcasm, Gabby? That’s so not like you,” mocked Wes.

“I’ll tell you what’s not like me – being out here in the boonies helping to gut a house.”

Renn grabbed her friend’s hand in both of her own.  “But you’ll be helping me design my dream house and plan my wedding.  You know we’ve been talking about doing this since, like, forever ago.  And with your help, it’ll just go so much more smoothly.”

“Well, obviously,” Gabby grinned as she turned toward the house.  “So what are we dealing with?  I haven’t even seen pictures.”  She walked over to the living room window to peek inside.  Her long silence spoke volumes.

“What, it’s not that bad,” said Renn.

Wes joined his cousin at the window and gasped in mock horror.  Placing his hand over his heart, he exclaimed “I had no idea!  Who lets so fair a house fall to decay?”

Gabby turned and gave Wes a look.  “Reign it in, Shakespeare.”  Renn giggled.

“How do you know that poem, anyway?” Gabby asked.

“What?  We have books out here, you know,” replied Wes.

Gabby rolled her eyes turned back to the window.  “But seriously, I can’t deal with cleaning up.  Let’s sell the house.  We can pick a new wedding venue and take our time house-hunting,” she suggested.

“Hmmmmm…..” Wes crossed his arms and placed a hand on his chin, thinking.  “Yes,” he nodded as he paced across the porch, “I know the perfect place to have this wedding.  It’s not quite in the boonies; I guess more in the sticks, if I had to say.”  He glanced up at Gabby.  “About half an hour south, there’s a little place called the Step Thirteen.  Not quite as fancy as Bullesque, but room enough for some line dancing and two-stepping.  We’ll get married there!”

“The hell you will!” Gabby retorted.  “Hand me that key.”

*

© Dahlia Ramone:  March 8, 2020

This was written for Blogophilia Topic: Lucky Number 13
Prompts:

(1) Integrate a line from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 13 (“Who lets so fair a house fall to decay”)

(2) Include a lyric that includes the number 13 (“There’s a little place called the Step Thirteen” by Martin Sexton)

(3) Include a line from the movie “Apollo 13” (“I can’t deal with cleaning up.  Let’s sell the house.”)