The renaissance style church seated five hundred people, but Louis ordered that chairs be made available outside for those who wanted to be a part of his daughter's ceremony but couldn't fit inside. Built in 1765, the Catedral Virgen de Caacupe, was an extravagant structure of a building that had dingy white walls measuring a hundred feet high made of limestone. Today they were decorated with white balloons, ribbons, white roses, and peonies. Historic paintings by the likes of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Francisco de Zurbarán hung eye level on the white pillars that were erected near the corners of the church. White linen covered the wooden pews while rose petals were sprinkled on the floor. It seemed as the sun was invited as it beamed beautifully through the church-stained windows. The scenery was a delight for everyone to see.
Outside the cathedral, anticipation for the wedding drew crowds from all parts of Paraguay. From Luque to Cludad del Este, rich and poor, young and old danced and celebrated in the streets as they eagerly waited for a chance to see the happy couple. Louis declared the day a holiday and people were allowed to partake in the celebration throughout the country.
At 11:30 a.m. bells rang throughout Asunción alerting everyone that the ceremony was set to begin in thirty minutes. People began making their way to their seats. In one of the guest rooms in the rear of the church, Maria sat in front of a vanity dresser staring at the makeup Julia illuminated her face with while Julia made last minute adjustments to Maria's hair. Maria was
anxious and nervous. She puckered her lips, "Do you think this red lipstick is too much?"
"No, Darling!" Julia said. "Your lips look very kissable. I'm sure your husband-to-be won't have any complaints."
"What about the dress? Is it too much?"
Julia chuckled. "The dress makes you look like an angel."
"It's just that everybody will be watching, and I don't want to look like a fool."
"Look at me." Julia grabbed Maria's shoulders and faced her. "This is your day. Enjoy it because it only happens once. Well, at least it's only supposed to happen once."
They chuckled.
"It's ok to be nervous. It's normal. I was the same way with your father. You are going to do just fine. There are hundreds of people here to celebrate with you. You are loved by many, my dear. Now take a deep breath and enjoy your wedding."
Julia kissed Maria on the forehead.
"Thank you so much. You have been such a blessing to me."
The door opened behind them and in walked Louis. He greeted Julia with a nod then shifted his attention to his daughter. Dressed in an all-white tuxedo, the sight of Maria made his eyes water.
"Look at my beautiful flower."
"Thank you, but you aren't supposed to be in here."
"I thought that was only meant for the groom."
"I wanted to surprise you, Father."
"Ok sweetheart. I'll leave. I just wanted to tell you how happy I am for you. I can't believe my princess is getting married."
"Thank you. Now leave."
"A kiss first?"
"No, because you'll mess up my makeup.
" Louis blew Maria a kiss before exiting the room.
He made his way to Victor's dressing room on the other side of the church and saw him sitting there alone. Victor's forehead was moist from perspiration. Louis walked over to the wooden table that sat underneath the window and grabbed the pitcher of ice water and poured Victor a glass.
"Hello, President Silvay. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." Victor said as he quickly gathered himself.
"Are you ok?" Louis handed him the glass.
"Just a little nervous."
"It's normal to be nervous, son. Hell, I remember I got so nervous I forgot the vows that I spent weeks memorizing. I made it through and so will you."
Victor chuckled. "Thank you, I needed that."
"You are family now. Did I ever tell you the story about Maria's pet kitten she had when she was a young girl?"
"No, I don't recall that story, Mr. President."
"Mr. President sounds so formal. Please just call me President Silvay."
"Yes, President Silvay."
"When Maria was about four or five years old, she begged me for a kitten. One of her classmates had a kitten and she wanted one too. She wanted a pet kitten so bad that it became a daily request. According to her, there was nothing more in the world she wanted more than a pet kitten. So being the loving father that I am, I found her the cutest little kitten, an all- white, Oriental Shorthair she named Blanca. You should have seen the look on her face – pure joy. She wouldn't go anywhere without Blanca. One day she ran into my office crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she told me that while playing with Blanca, Blanca scratched her causing her to bleed. It was a very small scratch, nothing serious, but all that mattered was that my angel was hurting and the thing she loved the most caused that hurt. So, I took Blanca out back, found a rope, wrapped it around her neck, and hung her from a tree. She never saw Blanca again. I made up a story about Blanca running away but at that point I realized something. I realized that as minor as her injury was, it didn't matter to me. Blanca could have been justified in scratching Maria. Who knows? I didn't care. The only thing that mattered to me was I wasn't going to allow anything, or anyone, to ever hurt my daughter. Am I making myself clear?"
Victor gulped down the glass of water.
"You have nothing to worry about, sir. I love your daughter and would never hurt her or your family."
Louis grinned. "Then you have nothing to worry about."
Solono entered to advise them that it was almost time for the ceremony to start and that the church was filled to capacity with onlookers crowded outside. Solono was dressed in an all-white tuxedo with a red rose pinned to the left lapel. He held two roses for Louis and Victor. Only immediate family was to wear red roses; everyone else in the wedding party was to wear white. Solono walked over to Victor and pinned the rose on his lapel. Victor flinched.
"It's going to be ok. You're a lucky man. Men would die to be in your shoes," Solono said.
Solono took a step back and looked Victor over. After being pleased with what he saw he said "Perfecto! It's time."
The church bells rang, and the large rust-colored cathedral doors slowly opened. A professional organist played the wedding march as the guests stood. Standing there for everyone to see was Louis, arm-in-arm with Maria. They stood momentarily, smiling, as people looked on and admired. He leaned over and gave her a peck on her forehead.
"You look beautiful." He whispered.
Maria smiled.
"I love you. You will always be my little angel."
"I love you too, father. No man could ever replace you."
"Ok sweetheart. Let's go get you married."
As they leisurely walked down the aisle, tears formed in Louis' eyes. To see such a powerful man cry was moving to all – except Julia. She was happy for Maria but hated Louis.
Maria's dress was extravagant. Her sisters slowly walked behind her as each held on to the five-foot white train. Her mother sat on the front pew, next to Julia, with tissue in hand, drying the tears that were ruining her makeup.
Looking like dignitaries standing near the podium were Solono and Victor. They both shared loving smiles with Maria as Solono whispered in Victor's ear, reassuring him that he looked great and was doing just fine.
"Just breath."
Before long Maria, was standing by his side, holding hands in front of the large, enthusiastic audience. The scene was magnificent.
This was a dream come true on different levels for different people. Maria found her knight in shining armor. Ramona was reunited with her daughter. Louis outlived his enemies and looked forward to having grandchildren.
Solono's dream was finally coming true, too