The Fate of a Little Sprout

I. Laura

“You two are meant to fail”, I swear, those are the words I hear from my mother. She doesn’t get to say them out loud. There is no need for that either. Her refusal to take a plane to be at our wedding is enough. She can blame the economy all that she wants; she can put the pandemic as a poor excuse, or even claim a sudden fear of flying. But when you get right down to it, I know she won’t attend the ceremony because deep down, she feels the words “as long as you both shall live” are meaningless when it comes to me, her only daughter. Once again, she is certain that Jaime and I will break up sooner or later, so why bother even trying?

I remember the first time I brought him home. She stared at him, with that fake smile that let me knew she was spotting for each possible flaw, as he had seen him before and she was already certain something was wrong. Was it because he was older? Ok, so he’s nearly forty, who cares? I turned twenty-one last October. I’m an adult already. In any case, she never really cared for Jaime. That was not a big shock though. After all, she never really liked any of my choices. Until this day, she usually criticizes my haircut, my clothes, my house, my friends, and my career choices. They say every woman loves their grandchildren, but I’m pretty sure that if Jaime and I ever have kids, she’ll manage to find some imperfections in them as well. And I’m tired of dealing with her disapproval. 

So if she doesn’t show up at my wedding, too bad for her. I know someday she’ll regret it. Because that’s the counterpart: criticism and lament. She is a bad mother, she knows it, yet she won’t change a thing now that there is still time? What is she waiting for? Does she want me to beg? Because I won’t! I won’t beg for her to come. In fact, I don’t know why I’m still on the phone with so much to do and so little time left.

“Ok, mom”, I shush her because she just won’t shut up, “Gotta go now, I told you the date and the place, you do as you like.” The hell with her, I think, turning off my mobile phone and throwing it on my bed. I don’t need her there. I have Jaime now, and that’s all that matters. And we are getting married in six weeks, whether she decides to attend or not. What’s next? Mmmh, let’s see… about the flower arrangements…

II. Jaime

“I’m sorry, Laura, I didn’t mean it”, I utter an apology in less than five seconds after the c-word escaped from my lips. My dear, beautiful young bride looks at me, all pale and trembling. It doesn’t matter if I’m accurate, she knows I have a point, and I have the right to be upset. After all, what kind of mother skips her only daughter’s special day? Caroline should have been here today. There are no excuses. It was important for Laura, God knows why, maybe it’s because the old bitch is her mother after all, and any girl wants to share her wedding day with her family, and that big tramp is all the family poor little Laura has left.

Until today. Laura has me now. She never met her dad. For all I knew, he never found out about her existence either. No brothers or sisters. Her few friends are trying to comfort her now, I’m sure she told them she is in tears because the emotions are too many. She won’t ruin the reception claiming her new husband just called her absent mother a c**t. 

Yet she is. She can’t ruin the day for Laura. She has already done so much damage. And so have I. I'm a mature man, I think that's why she chose me in the first place. There is no need for me to remind Laura that her mother is a terrible person and a terrible mother as well. I should be the one holding her hand and telling her she looks astonishingly gorgeous, a precious, blooming flower, and that she should try to enjoy the party, the beginning of our life together.

By criticizing Caroline’s absence, I have provided Laura with an excuse to defend the indefensible. And, probably, I have started our marriage, our life in common, with the left foot. 

Music starts to play and we are supposed to dance our first husband and wife dance. She comes to me, her eyes still moist, and though she smiles, I perceive certain stiffness I have never noticed before. She never thought I could hurt her. And I didn’t intend to. “I’m really sorry, Laurs”, I whisper, “please, please, don’t let this ruin our special day.” “It’s ok”, she answers, and she looks at me and returns the smile. The party goes on.

But something is broken. And I don’t know if I am in time to fix it.

III. Caroline

So she called me last night to tell me she’s getting divorced. “So sorry. Anything else?” I ask, trying not to demonstrate any apprehension. “No, what do you want to know? It was a mistake and that’s it.” What a surprise. The real surprise is that they managed to last two whole months. I was sure that it wasn’t worth renting a dress and charging a plane ticket to my already huge credit debt. It was just another one of Laura’s impulsive decisions. There was no need for me to encourage that. 

And I did the right thing by not telling her the whole story. What would be the point of that? I knew they weren’t meant to last. I don’t know if she can do any better, but Laura is definitely not Jaime’s type. So childish, so immature, so damn sensitive, always crying by the corners… A little wildflower sprouting in the middle of the road, meant to be crushed sooner or later. Hell, I’m not going to be the one who crashed her! I already carry too much of a burden. Seeing her with Jaime, when she introduced both of us for what she thought it was the first time, it only increased the weight of it.

I don’t think he recognized me. I did, of course, as though brief, there were some memorable hours the two of us shared. It has been a while since then, more than twenty years for sure. I was in my late thirties, and still had that special touch that drove men crazy. He was an inexperienced brat in his late teens. I think, no, I strongly believe, it was his first time ever. Yet, he somehow managed to blow my mind. I could never forget that face, despite that it is now covered in a thick beard, or those big, strong, firm arms. To see them surrounding my child’s waist was a lot to bear. I wouldn’t have seen them standing at the altar because I know he’s too much of a man for such a weak girl as Laura. 

Jaime needs a strong, solid woman, both in and out of his bed. My poor girl was just a twig in a hurricane! Dear, sweet, silly little Laura. She had no chance at all.