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Danielle Clarkson
I looked at my watch and wondered when this wedding rehearsal was going to get started. There was only so many times I could pace the reception hall without someone questioning if I was getting bored. Not that I had anyplace better to be, but I was sure the brides were anxious to get it over with as well.
It didn’t matter that Lori and Ellen had three failed marriages between them in the past. For them, it was just as important, if not more important, than the other times. I was just glad they finally opened their eyes and saw what I realized almost half a century ago. Everyone in the bridal party have been best friends since childhood, but the bond between Lori and Ellen went even deeper. Just two days from now, they would make it official, and get married. Just two days from now, they would make it official, and get married.
I knew they loved each other, but at forty-nine I’d also learned the hard way that it takes more than love to make a marriage work. Complacency had been the downfall for many marriages, including my own. When my ex-husband stopped trying, my own marriage crumbled. I wasn’t going to throw it all away and I tried, giving it my all, hoping he’d change his mind. He didn’t and I finally learned why. His focus was elsewhere, and he ended up running off with someone twenty years his junior.
I could feel my face falling into a grimace. Don’t think about it. This is their special time, and bitterness will only spoil it for them.
It was too late. Lori noticed my demeanor, even in the huge hall. She walked away from the rest of the bridal party, walked over to me and asked, “What’s wrong, Danielle? You haven’t changed your mind about being our maid of honor, have you?” I could see the panic in her eyes as she continued. “I know that this isn’t the…conventional wedding any of us thought we’d be having, but Ellen and I are…”
Grabbing her hand, I responded quickly, “Happy. As you should be, because you’re about to get married. And for the record, you should know me better than to think I’d back out.”
“We’d understand if you did. I mean…not everyone is happy for us, you know.”
Unfortunately, I did. I had hoped the gossip hadn’t made it back to them, but obviously it had, and my heart broke for them. A few casual friends had sent their regrets, but the fact that Lori’s parents refused to acknowledge the invitation had been devastating. No words could heal that type of pain. At least not from me. Softly I said, “Lori, it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks. This is about what you and Ellen want.”
“You make it sound so easy,” she sighed.
It would be ignorant of me to tell her that I understood what she was feeling. We had a lot in common, but obviously, not everything. Their sexual orientation didn’t change how I felt about them. All I could do was continue to offer my support.
“I’m here for both of you, anytime you want an ear to listen,” I offered. She nodded, but I could see she was still concerned. I needed to ease her mind a bit. Talking about my ex sure wasn’t going to do it either. “Now for what was troubling me. I was thinking about tonight.”
Lori raised a brow and made a face. “Now I should be worried,” she said. “It’s our bachelorette party. It’s supposed to be happy and fun. You look more pissed off than anything else.”
Pissed off at myself for adding to your stress level. Sorry, my friend.
“It will be fun. I promise. But you know me. I like everything in order and…”
Lori rolled her eyes. “Order is the opposite of fun. I know it’s not in your nature, but you need to lighten up, Danielle. What’s going to make it perfect is us all being together. Oh, maybe some fruity cocktails, too. You know how much I love drinks that taste like a tropical island,” she said with a smile.
“Keep thinking of that, because your honeymoon is right around the corner,” I said.
“I can’t wait. I’m probably going to live in my bikini,” Lori chuckled.
Smiling at her I said, “I’m so pale my legs wouldn’t know what to do if they saw the sunshine. It’s been a long winter.”
“And everyone thought it was crazy to plan a wedding in April.”
“No. They said you were crazy for picking April first as the date. I bet some of your friends are wondering if this is all a joke,” I said honestly.
“Who would joke about a wedding?” she asked.
I crossed my arms and said, “You. Or have you forgotten all the pranks you pulled on us in the past?”
“I was a kid then. They were harmless pranks,” Lori said, defending herself.
“Most of them were, but a few of us still owe you,” I stated. I might have only been eighteen at the time, but even thirty-one years later, I haven’t forgotten. Not the prank. Not the kiss.
“I’m sure you’re referring to that harmless kiss,” she said.
“Harmless? Is that what you call it?” I asked. “If I’d known that he was a…. a…” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word.
“Priest?”
I glared at her. “Don’t even say it. I still feel like I’m going to burn in hell for that. How could you dare me to walk up and kiss a stranger like that?”
