Bad time to say “I do!”

The church bell rang out once more, signifying yet another hour has passed. I looked over the horizon thinking what would have been a month of pure bliss. Instead it was now full of confusion and heartbreak. I haven’t spoken to Elizabeth and not sure if I am going to. I just know in this moment I need to figure out how to deal with everything that went down that day before I can think of, really, anything else.

One month earlier...

“Do you Jonathan, take Elizabeth, to be you lawfully wedded wife-” and that is when the best man of the wedding comes running in to ruin the best day of my life. Safe to say that the moments leading up to this is moment will determine my next action.

Now that you know what happens, let start from the very beginning.

I met my wife when we were back in college. t

Typical story boy meets girl, girl is in love with my best friend, best friend disappeared for a year, enough time to pass by for the two of us to start dating and to fall in love. See nothing out of the ordinary! Though, I supposed you might be wondering why he disappeared. Me too. The moment he returned he was just my best friend. He never talked about it, so I didn’t ask. Quite frankly he didn’t even ask me about dating his sudo-ex, seeing that they never actually broke up just “separated” for a year. I know what your thinking, I am the bad guy in this story but I’m not! Not really, it is in the code, “if your best friends girl is left without any information on where your best friend is than she is fair game”. See, not the bad guy! I am just someone who met my soulmate when she was with someone else, it was just unfortunate timing that it was with my best friend.

About a year and a half later i asked her to marry me, and my best friend received a new title, best man. In typical, Elizabeth fashion we were standing at that alter in a couple of weeks later. Plenty of time for him to stop the wedding, but I guess not. No he decided not to show up and to simply stop the wedding during the best part. Running in, slamming open the large church doors, creating an obnoxious banging noise. A noise I believe I would hear for the rest of my life.

“Stop! Stop! Stop the wedding!! Jonathon you can’t go through with it!” He yelled, face beating red and eyes flustered with panic. In any other time, I would be worried beyond belief, but in this moment I had to control every part of me from jumping on him and attacking.

“What are you doing?!” I tried to whisper yell because I do not want to raise my voice, it is a wedding after all.

“No I can’t, John, you have to believe in me please let me explain everything!”

“Now?! You couldn’t have picked any other time could you?”

“Believe me if I could I would, you know I hate having this many eyes on me!” That part is true he once fainted in the middle of our classes together and that only had eight people imagine what he would do with a church full of people. It was then he started to realize in fact how many people were staring at him but he shook it off and stared at me. his eyes pleading for him to continue.

I took a deep breath and dipped my head down shaking my head. I think I’m going to regret this. “Fine-”

And for the first time this ceremony interruption Eliza finally spoke out, “please don’t do this. It is my wedding day!”, glancing back at me and rolled her eyes, “fine, our wedding day. Please don’t say another word”

The best man, looked guilty but he looked down at his hand holding the piece of paper. Suddenly his personal shifted and he was yelling once more. “No, no I will not leave. Jonathan deserves the truth! Why you wanted it to happen in a couple of weeks. Why I left. All of it.”

“John as you know I was dating Elizabeth things started to get weird. I’m talking stories we’re not adding up weird. I decided to go back to her hometown.”

“that’s where you went?” Elizabeth said eyes twisted in confusion. I just looked between the two people in front of me.

“Yes and that is where I found out that you are not here to be with us. You are here to take Jonathon with you do his families fortune. To take every last penny his family once owned! To leave him on your honeymoon! To embarrass him and his family with secretes of their past. To destroy them!”

an audible gasp filled the church, “but I couldn’t figure out why you would do that. Until I saw who your parents were.”

“stop please,” Elizabeth said tears falling down her cheek, “yes it is true, I was going to ruin your family John.” More of a gasp was heard but this time it came from me. I let go of her hand and took a step back.

She quickly grabbed my hands and held onto them tightly “I am not going to John, not anymore. My parents were ruined by your late father! He took everything they owned, and they never recovered. They were both dead in a year.” She chocked back a sob, “I was left alone and had nothing to call my own. I didn’t know what happened until a couple of years ago. I found letters from my parents confessing all of their heartbreaks. Which I’m guessing is in your hand?” She looked back at the best man which nodded. “I thought so. I then met the two of you,” quickly looked back at me, “I met you, John, and I fell in love. What I was planning was something a young girl thought was going to give her back everything she thought she needed. But you John, I found out I needed. I know I should have told you the truth but I just simply couldn’t. Please don’t throw everything we have away for what happened in the past.”

I just stared frozen, seems like everyone else was too. I finally gathered enough to mummer out “it isn’t in the past Elizabeth, not for me it is soul crushingly here in the present. I don’t know what to say.” everyone held their breath while Elizabeth yelled out any plead she can think of as I simply walked out the door.”

One month later

The church bell rang out once more, signifying yet another hour has passed. I looked over the horizon thinking what would have been a month of pure bliss. Instead it was now full of confusion and heartbreak. I haven’t spoken to Elizabeth and not sure if I am going to. I just know in this moment I need to figure out how to deal with everything that went down that day before I can think of, really, anything else.