The Wedding Short Story.
This was it. The day their lives changed forever, whether they liked it or not. So much planning had gone into this day and she could hardly believe it was finally here. All the waiting, all the anticipation and it was today. Just a few more hours, that was all. She could barely wait. Everything would be perfect, they made sure of it, nothing was left to chance, nothing at all. Even their contingency plans had contingencies. They were going to make this the best day of their lives, even if it killed them.
She woke before the alarm went off, she rolled over, smiling and decided it wasn’t too early to get up. She turned off the alarm and got out of bed, she could take her time, have a nice, long shower then a pleasant breakfast. Everything was ready, there was no need to rush today, no need to panic. Nothing could go wrong. She got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, running through the day’s events in her mind. As she stood under the water, she wondered what her life would be like. Sure they lived together before all this, but today their lives would change, completely change. Nothing would ever be the same, nothing could ever be the same. She finished showering, then dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
It was still dark outside when she entered the kitchen, so the lights needed to be turned on. It was supposed to be a nice day, but she wasn’t relying on that. It was all indoors, outdoors had been suggested, but too much could go wrong. She made herself French toast and bacon, then ate it slowly, savouring each bite. She could hear people getting up, getting ready. They were excited too, but for different reasons. They couldn’t know what the day meant to her, they would never know. She went upstairs to her room, holding a mug of tea between both hands. She examined her dress as she sipped her drink, her wedding dress was a beautiful, traditional, white. She didn’t want to wear white, it seemed wrong somehow, but she had given in. It didn’t matter too much, she had clothes she would wear afterwards, they would convey the mood well enough. It wouldn’t be as dramatic as she had hoped, but it would do. She wanted to wear black. She joked it was to mourn the passing of her singledom, for all those men devastated she was off the market, but that wasn’t the real reason. Her mother bustled into the room, panicking. She shook her head slightly as her mother started rattling off what had to be done. They had already been over this, everything would be perfect.
Everything was coming together, there had been no problems yet. It had surprised her. She expected something to go wrong, but no, everything was on track. Still, something would. It had to. It was a wedding, no one had a perfect wedding, something always went wrong, no matter how big or small. She had prepared herself for this and whatever it was, she could handle it. She knew she could. She was with him, they were going to together forever, like they should. The dress was surprisingly comfortable, she had tried it on before and she had thought after a little while it would start to be too restrictive, too heavy, but no. It was perfect. She waited at the door, her father’s arm looped in her. She took a breath then smiled as the wedding march begun to play. This was it. They stepped forward.
The affair in the church went by as it should, smoothly. No major hiccups. A baby had begun crying and the flower girl had taken to wandering the aisles, but overall it was quite successful. She was pleased. The chatting drove her slightly mad, she didn’t really care, but she kept her smile plastered on her face and listened to the inane prattle. They were married, really, actually married. Just the thought sent tingles up and down her body.
They had booked a hotel for the after party, she knew she was probably supposed to wear her dress, but she couldn’t be bothered, it was still comfortable, but she didn’t want it to get dirty, no doubt she’d spill food on it. She preferred to be relaxed than to look good. Not that she wouldn’t look good in her after clothes, she had chosen them well. If anyone cared that she was no longer wearing the dress they kept it to themselves. They sat at the head table, eating and laughing, people came over and talked to them as the booze started to take effect. Soon everyone who could be was drunk and they had taken over the dance floor. She and her husband danced in the midst of them, oblivious to all the others, focusing entirely on each other, they slowed danced through each song.
The night was coming to a close, though some people had slipped off, most were still in the room. That was good, everything was going to plan. She looked at her watch, then stood up on the stage, her husband joining her. Husband. She loved that word. They wanted a good view of it all. She took up the microphone and tapped it gently. The music began to fade as the song ended, silence. Good. “Thank you all so much for coming, you’ve all been an instrumental part of the day, without you all here this wouldn’t have been possible and the celebrations would have been a dull affair.” She had practised this speech, but as it began she faltered slightly, unsure what to say. She had a list done up, a list exposing secrets, but it all seemed so petty now. She decided that it would be too much. “Thank you all for coming. I hope you enjoyed the food and the drinks, because you all deserve it.” They started to clap, bar one or two. No one realised it was happening yet. She watched as her grandmother hunched over, her hand over her mouth, streams of red running through her fingers. People started to notice then. It wouldn’t be much longer, not much longer at all.
They looked at the bodies of the crowd, all their relatives, friends. They lay motionless, lying in pools of clotting blood. It went just as they had planned it. No one was left, those who had gone home early might survive, but it was unlikely. They held hands, surveying their work. They were free, completely and utterly. She had wondered if anyone would question her clothes, all black. They faced each other and kissed gently. He whispered in her ear, “shall we escape for good?” Together they made their way through the crowd, trying to avoid the bodies and blood, when the crossed the sea of carnage, they took one last look before they slipped out the door.
No comments