Wedding

I stole a last glance at the mirror before leaving the house, my mother already making me rush not to be late at the town hall, I was wearing a simple tea-length dress, a color closer to bone than to snow. It was going to be a small and simple wedding, we both had wanted it that way, I never liked big weddings too much and we didn't have enough money to do a big wedding in the way we would have liked to, it was always more a matter of the guests to feel at ease and well-fed, than of us showing off. My mother hadn't liked that very much, she even insisted on paying part of it so Aunt Betsy from Florida could come, even if I have seen her twice in my life and she isn't even my real aunt. At that moment, she was dressed over the top for the ceremony, but I am her only daughter, so that was to be expected. Father is much more composed, although I can tell he has been crying, we both headed to the car. Lilly and Rita, my best friends, were there, they insisted on being my bridesmaids although I didn't want any. I told them that I would kill them if they dressed in the same way, but it looked like they only picked the same color.

The ride to the town hall was a short one, we had decided to marry in my hometown because the town hall was prettier even though we lived across the state at that time. We ended up getting there ahead of time, so we are forced to make a detour for everyone to get inside before me. This is a tradition that I hated, but my mother told me that I had to do it for her. The traffic helped us on that and by the time we were in front of the town hall again, there was no one in sight. My mother went in first, as she was to be escorted by my future husband's father. Lilly and Rita went next, doing whatever duties they considered bridesmaids needed to do. I was last, my father taking me by the arm, proudly, I shifted, trying to get a good grip of the bouquet, one that I had made myself picking flowers from the garden, that felt more like myself than spending money on some impersonal flowers. We entered the town hall and were directed to the room, I had sent some potted flowers there in advance to decorate the room and give it a more personal touch, it didn't disappoint. As I entered the room to the beats of a cheeky song I had picked up, everyone turned around to look at me, I didn't even see the faces as I was focused on Robert who was waiting for me at the end of the aisle. We always joked that he wasn't going to cry, but he did, and so did I, and I felt stupid for it, but I did.

I don't remember most of the ceremony, but before I knew it, it was over. That was when I discovered that one of the bridesmaids' duties that my best friends had assigned to themselves was to give everyone rose petals and confetti to throw us after an unexpected colorful rain caught Robert and me as we left the town hall. Everyone gathered around us to congratulate us and that was when I saw him. And a wave of embarrassment, fury, and sadness washed over me. I knew I had to do something and I knew I had to do it fast. I escaped the crowd for a moment, which wasn't an easy feat, and headed towards him, who was standing apart, supervising everything. He smiled at me when I got to him.

"Congratulations." he said.

"Why are you here?" anger seeped through the words as I hissed them, I was mad at him for ruining a day that he had no right to ruin.

"I just wanted to see you get married, you always said this day wouldn't come."

"David, why are you here?"

"I still love you."

"Fucking selfish idiot! You never ever loved me, you never did."

"I did, I was just too scared of showing you, you have always been so independent,..."

"So that gave you the right to play with my feelings? That gave you the right to have girlfriends while you made me believe there could be something more?" in that moment I wanted to hit him in the face as strongly as I could.

"I should have kissed you when I had the chance."

"I'm glad you didn't." I said before turning around and heading forward towards my new life with Robert by my side.