They were married six months later in the courtyard of Lincoln House, with Mr.
Barnes in the front row, Richard looking uncomfortable in a tie he had clearly not chosen himself, Malik walking Victoria down the aisle, and a reception catered largely by women from the neighborhood who refused to let an event like that be handled by people who did not season food correctly.
Victoria stitched her half of the ribbon into the lining of her dress.
Isaiah kept his in the inside pocket of his jacket until after the ceremony, when both halves were framed together and hung in their home.
Their home, by then, no longer looked like a showroom.
It looked lived in.
Loud sometimes.
Messy often.
Human in all the ways Isaiah had once thought were signs of disorder rather than proof of love.
The Laverne Hayes Meal Fund expanded to three more partner sites within two years.
