The Wedding (Take One)

As Linda sat on the make up chair, relatives buzzing around her, making what she perceived to be a fuss, she was registering 0 in the comfort scale. She was being pulled and dragged in all directions; foundation, blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, more blush. Linda had to put a stop to this madness. She raised her right hand to the height of her face and the word ‘STOP’ was emitted from her mouth so violently that everyone backed away. Finally, for the first time that day she was able to take a breath.

Lindas mother, Margaret, approached her daughter with caution and handed her a glass of champagne to numb some of her nerves. Linda knew that she shouldn’t be feeling this pain, not if she really loved him. Margaret tentatively placed a hand on Lindas shoulder as she downed the bubbly champagne followed closely by a surprisingly loud belch. Margaret asked aunt Peggy for another using only her facial expressions. Linda downed that one as well, followed by another. Margaret put a stop to a fourth. After all it was her only daughter and this day was hopefully going to be the only time she was going to marry.

Margaret became brave and caressed Lindas unkept hair, remarking that there was only two hours until the ceremony was to begin. Linda leapt out of her seat and thankfully made it to the trash can before vomiting……twice. Aunt Peggy commented on how nervous goddaughter was, which was followed with the nods from the rest of Lindas entourage.

After ten minutes of hugging the trash can, Linda wiped her mouth with a tissue given to her by her ‘friend’ and maid of honour, Jess. Their gaze lingered a little longer than Linda would have liked, but none of the family caught on so everything was fine. Linda thought to herself that she will get her make up reapplied and her hair done and follow societies rules by marrying the man waiting for her on the altar of the church.

Lindas mother and late father were very religious. She felt that this is what was expected of her and was only marrying the groom, Mark, because he was her roommate who needed a green card. She wouldn’t go so far as saying for it to be an arranged marriage, she thought of it as more a marriage of convenience. Mark would get his green card and Linda would have a husband, on paper anyway.

When the war paint was finished getting its touch ups, and the hair was put in a style Linda would rather be seen dead in, her eyes darted towards Jess who was looking from afar, giggling at Lindas stereotypical get up. She rose from her seat across the room and started to walk slowly towards Linda, who was also trying to make her way to Jess when Margaret stepped in front of her daughter holding up a fabulous ivory lace dress. Linda looked as the smile on Jess’s face dropped and turned to entertain her mother.

Finally, dress on, make up and hair done, Linda was fashionably late for the church. Aunt Peggy and Margaret made final touches to their own make up giving Linda the freedom to down another two glasses of bubbly. Linda was going to need all the Dutch courage available.

As Margaret had so many connections in the town as she knew everything about everyone, well, with the exception of her daughter, she managed to get Sheila, aunt Peggys cousin in law by marriage to allow for them to get ready in the upstairs of their vacant apartment building right across from the church. It was great because it eliminated the need for a car.

The short walk to the church brought the idea of the inmates in the ‘The Green Mile’ as they walked towards their untimely death. According to Steven King they deserved it, but Linda couldn’t recall any occasion in which she could imagine not being able to live her life as she wanted it. Yes, there was the idea that her mother would never speak to her again, but is that worth a lifetime of unhappiness? Linda was talking herself out of the wedding the closer they got to the church.

As the solid wooden doors opened and Linda walked into the porch where they sent the flower girl and page boy down the aisle first, Linda got a golden opportunity to talk to Jess. Linda knew Jess’s feelings on the matter all too well but before they were able to make a decision together, Margaret ushered Jess down the red carpet.

As Margaret handed her beautiful daughter her bouquet of chrysanthemum’s and linked her on the right side beaming with pride, Linda felt the tears start to stream down her face. The church was full and all eyes were on her. Everyone had their phones out and were taking pictures of the blushing bride. Linda however, was blushing because she didn’t have a tissue and her mother was clinging onto her so tightly that she felt as though she couldn’t do damage control with regards her makeup. ‘Great,’ she thought, ‘I’m going to have panda eyes in all of the photos!’

Usually when a bride walks towards her beloved, she has her eyes on the groom. Linda however couldn’t take her eyes off of Jess. She was glowing. She didn’t usually wear makeup, or a dress, but she looked stunning in Linda’s eyes.

Margaret, who was a widow, gave away her daughter proudly and the ceremony begun. When the question of whether Linda would marry Mark, instead of saying ‘I do,’ she heard herself saying ‘I don’t!’ It took a beat for everyone to register what Linda had said. The priest was so taken aback that he asked the question again. ‘I’m so sorry Mark!’ Linda said teary eyed, ‘my heart belongs to Jess!’ The congregation gasped followed by a low rumble of confusion. Linda turned her attention towards the love of her life who looked as though she was in shock.

Linda shooed the priest away from the microphone and shushed the crowd to apologise. ‘Hi everyone, if I could just get your attention for a minute, please?’ The church went silent, so silent in fact that Linda could have sworn she heard crickets. ‘I’m sorry everyone for ruining your day, you see I don’t love Mark. This is a marriage of convenience, one where I get my mothers constant berating to find a husband to stop, and one where Mark gets a green card in return.’ The church erupted in shock. Linda watched as Mark retreated into a corner behind a pillar, before making her way to her maid of honour and kissing her passionately not even allowing one of the comments being flung at them sink in.

‘Are you ready?’ Linda asked Jess who nodded enthusiastically. They took off their uncomfortable high heeled shoes and hurried down the centre of the church hand in hand. They walked on the grass which surrounded the stone driveway of the religious building so as not to hurt their feet too much. Speckles of freshly cut grass clung to the end of Lindas ivory coloured lace dress.

Linda asked Jess to call a cab which was to pick them up in five minutes. Linda kissed Jess once more as she heard Margaret in the background, her foghorn of a voice getting louder. When she reached the happy couple, Margaret needed a second to catch her breath. As the cab pulled up beside them, they hurriedly got into the back seat awaiting Margaret snake like tongue strike with criticism but they were surprised as the woman just said two words, something she never usually knew how to do. She said, ‘Love you!’ and blew a kiss and waived the happy couple off as they looked through the back window of the Prius. Linda felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, she got her mother’s blessing. Had she known that she would have introduced her to Jess years ago.

Linda cupped Jess’s face in her hands and looked deeply into her eyes and asked ‘will you marry me?’ She got her answer through a kiss and the pair of them started to do their happy dance as the driver of the cab looked at them with amusement through his mirror.