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If only it were.
“Are you okay?” my father asks.
He must have seen the disappointment on my face. I force a smile to wipe it off.
“I’m fine, Dad. Just worried about you. Are you sure you can do this? What if you…?”
I stop because I hear how I sound. Insecure. Jealous. Needy. This isn’t me.
“What if I get an episode in the middle of the ceremony?” my father finishes my question.
I sigh. “I’m just worried about you, Dad.”
“And I told you not to be.”
He stands up and takes both my hands in his.
“You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
I smile. “Thanks, Dad.”
“It would be a shame if you didn’t enjoy yourself in that dress, so promise me you’ll try to have some fun?”
I pause. Isn’t that exactly what I said I’d do?
I give my father a nod. “Alright, Dad. I promise.”
He lifts his hand to touch my cheek but puts it on my shoulder instead, which he squeezes.
“Let’s both have fun today, okay?”
I smile. “Alright, Dad.”
Why am I worrying so much? I’m sure that at least, for today, everything will be alright.
~
“It’s a disaster!” Mrs. Burke slams her fists on the table. The vase on it quakes. “How could Giselle do this to Bill? To me?”
I say nothing. Like the rest of the bridesmaids in the room, I’m shocked. I don’t know the answer to the question, either.
Why would Giselle suddenly decide not to show up to her own wedding?
It doesn’t make sense. She loves Bill, right? They’ve been engaged since last year. She’s had a lot of time to let the idea of marriage sink in. I would have thought the fact that she came home and planned all this means she wants it. She picked a dress, bridesmaids, the wedding cake. She booked this chapel and paid someone to sprinkle it with white flowers, someone to officiate the ceremony, a choir to sing. She even asked my dad to be her photographer just last night. The house is ready for the reception, too, made to look brand new and all dolled up with more flowers, tapestries, balloons, glitter balls and every other decoration Mrs. Burke could think of. And of course the food has already been prepared, too. I caught a glimpse of the caterers setting up as I was leaving.
Everything is ready. Except for the bride, who’s nowhere in sight.
I wonder why. Just yesterday, she seemed fine. Yes, she’s been tired and stressed, but…
I lower my bouquet and pause as I recall the last conversation we had, the one before Leander arrived. For a moment there, Giselle seemed like she no longer wanted to push through with the wedding. I thought it was just because she was exhausted and overwhelmed by all the preparations. That’s why I said all those things to her. But what if that wasn’t it?
I know Giselle. She’s a jumper – she sees something interesting and she jumps in – not a quitter. She likes to try new things and she doesn’t do them halfway. But I also know she’s just a year older than me and she just finished medical school. She could have her internship and her residency, take her boards. She could pursue a career in medicine, be a doctor just like Bill instead of marrying him and starting a family. What if that’s what she wants?
Then again, she could still marry Bill and become a doctor, right? If Bill loves her, he’ll understand her and support her. They can just talk about it. They should. What would Giselle gain by running away?
Mrs. Burke lets out another wail as she grips her husband’s arm. “What will the town think of us now? What will I tell them?”
I glance at the clock on the wall. It’s already been nearly twenty minutes since the ceremony was supposed to start. The guests waiting in the pews outside are probably starting to get restless by now. They must be starting to speculate about what’s going on. The pastor, too. And Bill, poor Bill, who still doesn’t have a clue his bride is missing. And Mason, who’s with him. And my dad with his camera, excited to take pictures.
“Maybe I should give them an update,” I say. “I’ll tell them Giselle isn’t here, that Leander is still looking for her.”
Mrs. Burke doesn’t answer. She’s started to pace the room. I don’t even know if she heard me.
“Unless anyone else wants to do it?” I ask the other bridesmaids.
None of them budge. I glance at Mr. Burke, who gives me a look of encouragement.
“Please go and tell them, Aster. And please tell everyone that we’re sorry for the inconvenience.”
I nod. “Alright.”
“Thank you.”
I leave the room of lost souls and long faces. Right outside, I draw a deep breath. I know I volunteered for this task, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. In fact, it might just be the hardest thing I’ll ever do.
