“What if Mr. Nagisha finds out and tries to stop it?”
“He won’t,” Charmaine’s lawyer said. “Omiko sent him down to Luigi’s for the sutorippu, and I paid Molly and Bets off.”
“I want to talk to Hutchins.”
“You can talk to him during the wedding,” Stewart said, looking relieved. “I’ll call NASA.”
“Omiko’s out getting a Shinto priest,” Charmaine’s lawyer beamed. “I’ll go get the marriage contracts drawn up. We’ll have you married in nothing flat.” They both hurried out.
“Gee, this is so exciting,” Charmaine said. “I’ve got a veil from the wedding number you can borrow. I’d loan you the wedding dress to go with it, only it’s not a dress exactly.”
Charmaine’s lawyer came back in with the marriage contracts and one of Mr. Nagisha’s evicted cousins. “He’s a notary,” her lawyer said, and Mr. Nagisha’s cousin pulled a seal out of his pocket.
“It’ll serve him right,” he said. “All we were doing was stir-frying a little blowfish.”
“You can sign these now, and then we’ll transmit them over the phone. It’s a simple death-do-you-part deed, no lease option, no appraisal. Just a minute. I’ve got to get another witness.”
He came back in with the old man in the baseball cap. Chris signed the copies and then watched carefully as the old man countersigned them, but his signature was completely illegible. Charmaine finished witnessing the contracts and scurried out to get the veil.
Omiko came in with the Shinto priest. Molly and Bets were right behind her, wearing frilly lavender dresses and large lavender bows in their hair. Molly was carrying a basket of cherry-blossom petals.
“We’re going to be in your wedding,” Bets said. “Molly’s the flower girl, and I get to be your maid of honor.”
“Isn’t that sweet?” Stewart said, patting Molly on the head. Chris saw with satisfaction that he was mashing her lavender hair bows. “Someday we’ll have two sweet little girls just like these two.”
“Over my dead body,” Chris said.
“Here’s your bouquet,” Charmaine said. She had changed back into her strapless red dress. She shoved a bouquet of white silk flowers and ribbons into Chris’s hands. “It’s really a pastie,” she said, putting the veil on Chris’s head, “so I stuck it on one of Mr. Okeefenokee’s flashlights.”
“The call’s coming through,” Charmaine’s lawyer said from the hall.
“I want to talk to Hutchins first,” Chris said.
“I really don’t see why that’s necessary,” Stewart said. “He’s already agreed to marry you.”
“I’m not going through with this unless I have a chance to talk to him.”
“It’s almost four o’clock. We’ve got to do this in the next half hour.”
“Fine,” Chris said, taking off her veil. “Tell Molly and Bets they can have the apartment. I’ll move in with Charmaine and Omiko.”
“And lose the apartment!” Stewart said, looking aghast. “I mean, go ahead and talk to him if you have to, but make it quick. If we don’t finish this up within the next fifteen minutes, we’ll have to wait for satellite relay.”
Charmaine’s lawyer said, “It’ll be a minute or so,” and went into the living room and shut the door. Chris locked it and then went over to the screen. It brightened and Hutchins’s image appeared in front of the screen. He was wearing the clothes he’d left the apartment in, and he looked tired and drawn.
“Are you all right?” Chris said.
“Yeah,” he said, frowning. “They started interrogating Okee as soon as we got here, but they’re not getting anywhere. He’s clammed up completely.” He rubbed his hand across his forehead tiredly.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Chris said. “Marry me, I mean. It’s nothing but a real-estate deal.”
“It’ll make Stewart happy.”
“Yeah,” Chris said ruefully. “And Mr. Okeefenokee. He kept saying we were going to get married tonight, and here we are.”
“Yeah,” Hutchins said thoughtfully. “How come they were able to put this wedding together so fast? I thought Sony marriage contracts were really complicated.”
“I don’t know. Charmaine’s lawyer was the one who came up with the idea.”
“Charmaine’s lawyer, huh? Maybe Okee’s smarter than we thought.”
“We really can’t wait any longer,” Stewart said, opening the door. “We’ve got to start the ceremony.”
He came over to the screen and pressed the transmit button. Hutchins’s image disappeared, and Charmaine’s lawyer held each page of the contract up to the screen by the corners for a full thirty seconds. Stewart pushed another button, and a flat-screen image of Hutchins appeared. He and two men in uniform signed and then held up the copies of the pages the same way.
“Gee, this is so exciting,” Charmaine said. She put the veil over Chris’s head again and then dashed into the bathroom to get a box of Kleenex, which she passed out to Omiko, the old man in the baseball cap, and Mr. Nagisha’s cousin.
“I heard she had to get married,” Bets said to the old man in a stage whisper.
Molly said, “Would you pleathe get out of the way?” and began throwing cherry-blossom petals on everyone.
Charmaine’s lawyer said, “Okay,” and Hutchins’s holographic image appeared in front of the screen. He was still holding the copies of the contract.
“Join hands,” the Shinto priest said. Hutchins transferred the contracts to his left hand and held out his right. Chris put her hand carefully where the image of his hand was. He closed his hand around her fingers but she couldn’t feel anything.
The priest made a speech in Japanese and then said, “Christine Arthur, do you understand the terms of the contract?”
“I do,” Chris said.
“Peter Hutchins, do you under—”
“I do,” he said.
“This contract has been duly signed and witnessed. I declare it legally binding.”
“Good,” Hutchins said. “Now do I get to kiss the bride?” He bent over her.
Stewart hit the hang-up button, and Hutchins’s image disappeared. “Good. I’m glad that’s over,” he said happily. He turned to Charmaine’s lawyer. “Now we can take these down to Mr. Nagisha.”
“In a minute,” the lawyer said. He turned to Charmaine. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, and then I want to talk to you.” She followed him and Stewart out onto the landing.
Chris was still watching the screen. “Ahem,” the old man in the baseball cap said, and Chris turned around, but he was talking to Bets. “I’ve been watching you for several days. I’m directing a new movie and I’d like to cast you in it.”
“You don’t want her,” Molly said. “Thyee dyeth her hair.”
“I do not,” Bets said, putting a defensive hand up to her curls. “My blond hair is natural, which is more than I can say for your lisp.”
“My lisp is not phony!” Molly shouted, and grabbed a handful of yellow curls.
“I want both of you,” he said, separating them. “You’re perfect for the parts. I’ve got the contracts in my office downtown.”
“I want my name first on the credits,” Bets said.
“I want star billing above the title,” Molly said.
He herded them out. They nearly collided with Charmaine.
“ ’Scuse me,” Charmaine said. “What was that all about?”
“That was Spielberg,” Chris said. “He just offered Molly and Bets the lead in his new movie.”
“Who? The old guy on the stairs? You’re kidding. You’d think he’d know better after living here a whole week.” She looked at Chris. “Are you all right?”