Two Rings

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Today was finally the day! As I rolled over to turn off the alarm clock, I jumped out of bed. I was finally going to marry my best friend today; I could not be late. After showering as quickly as I could, I put on black leggings and a white tank top, leaving my hair in a messy bun. I only had 20 minutes to get to Lisa’s house if I wanted to start my hair and makeup on time.

Luckily, I had put everything we would need for hair and makeup in the car last night. Before leaving, I carefully gathered my wedding gown and veil. It was the same gown my mother married my father in—an elegantly made silk gown from Sassi Holford. It was pure white, with a seductive lace bodice and a train decorated in pearls. We had it tailored to fit me a week ago, and I could not wait to see Emmitt’s face when he saw me wearing it. The thought of it made my face hotter than the sun and my heart flutter like I was being carried by butterflies.

When I got to Lisa’s house, Nickie was already there. "There she is! I can’t believe you are getting married, Danna! This is so exciting! " She practically shouted while jumping up and down. Her green eyes sparkled with joy, and her blonde curls bounced flawlessly around her but didn’t move out of place.

"Me either! "It feels like a dream come true!" I said as I hugged my best friend and jumped along with her. "And I have the prettiest bridesmaid!"

Nickie struck a pose and smiled, "Of course!"

"Now you need to get married so I can be your prettiest bridesmaid." I copied her pose and laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Everyone knows the maid of honor looks better than the bridesmaid!" I turned to see my sister coming out of the bathroom. Her pearl earrings looked gorgeous against her red curls. "But if we don't tackle that bird's nest, no one is getting married! You're not going anywhere with me looking like that! Not even your own wedding."

I gasped and touched my hair. "You’re right, Lisa!" 

I sat down at Lisa’s vanity, and she started my hair while Nickie began my makeup. I closed my eyes and tried to cherish the moment. A year ago, I thought Emmitt would never propose. We had begun to argue constantly, and he never seemed happy. On our eighth anniversary, when he took me to dinner, I thought he was going to break up with me. I was so nervous and heartbroken. To my surprise, I found an engagement ring in the breadsticks. It was the happiest time of my life up to that point. Now I was getting ready to say "I do" to the man of my dreams. Nothing could ruin this day.

"Earth to Danna!"

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"What do you think?" Lisa gestured to the mirror, beaming with anticipation. They had completed my look and wanted my opinion.

I turned to look into the mirror and shrieked. "I look stunning! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" My brown hair was neatly arranged into a classy bun decorated with pearls. Two loose curls framed my face, which glowed like a diamond. I looked like I should be on the cover of a magazine. Lisa gracefully clipped my veil over my bun. She looked at me in the mirror and smiled.

"Much better! You look like a fairy-tale bride now."

"I feel like one too! This is going to be the perfect wedding!"

"Mission accomplished!" Nickie exclaimed, then looked at her watch. "We only have 30 minutes to get to the church! Get dressed, ladies!" 

Miraculously, we got to the church with five minutes to spare. There were bouquets of pink roses on the banisters leading to the door that were connected to each other with a white ribbon. The church looked so warm and inviting—the same way my relationship with Emmitt feels. We made our way up the steps with Lisa and Nickie holding the train of my gown. As if on cue, my father opened the door with tears in his eyes.

"My baby girl is all grown up. You know, it’s not too late to change your mind, Cupcake."

"He’s the love of my life, Daddy." I said with a smile as I hugged him.

"I know." He sighed as he hugged me tightly. He never really cared much for Emmitt, but he wanted me to ‘learn for myself.’

"Where’s Mom?" I asked while trying to peek into the church.

"She's in there," Dad sighed, lowering his voice and speaking quickly as if she could appear at any moment. “She’s driving me and the decorators crazy. She keeps messing with things behind them and ordering everyone around like dogs. You better get in there."

I shook my head and asked, "How did I know?"

We walked into the church together. It was beautiful. There were gorgeous arrangements of pink roses everywhere. I chose them as a symbol of our love, and it showed. Before I was able to take in the phenomenal scene, I heard high heels rushing toward me.

"Danna Marie, where is your veil?" Mom practically yelled. She stood with her hands on her hips and tapped her foot rapidly against the hardwood floor as she waited for me to answer her.  

"What do you mean?" As I touched my hair, my eyes widened. "It's gone! "Maybe it fell off in the car." 

"Lisa, go look in the car." She shooed my sister towards the door without breaking eye contact with me. “We don't have time for this, you know. It's not that hard to just be ready!" Mom was flailing her arms and yelling as Lisa scurried off.

"I know, Mom. I grabbed it this morning when I left! Lisa put it on me before we came!”

"If she put it on, then it would still be there!" She was getting more furious by the second: "God forbid you be responsible for once! How could you forget your veil and then blame your sister? It's not her responsibility to make sure you have your crap together! We might as well cancel this whole thing!"

"I don’t know what happened, Mom! Why would I want to mess up the most important day of my life? I didn’t do this on purpose! When Lisa gets back, she can tell you! She put it on me before we left!"

"No, I didn't." I turned to see her walking back into the church empty-handed. "It's not in the car either. Did you bring it to my house with you?"

"Well, that’s just perfect! The bride has no veil, and the groom can’t even show up on time!" Mom rubbed her forehead and began pacing back and forth.

"I'll go get it! It's no big deal." Nickie exclaimed as she rushed out of the church before anyone could protest.

"Where is Emmitt?" Has anyone heard from him? Why isn’t he here?" I began to panic. When he left to go to his brother’s house last night, he promised he would be here today. He wouldn’t stand me up at our wedding. Would he?

"How should I know? I'm too busy putting this event together. I'm not a babysitter!" She rolled her eyes and walked away to scold a decorator for poorly arranging a vase of roses. 

Thirty minutes later, everything was finally ready. As the piano began to play, my heart fluttered along with the music. I linked arms with my dad and smiled, "Wish me luck."

"You don't need it, but he might." He smiled and kissed my forehead. "Just relax. "You got this, Cupcake."

I smiled and took a deep breath just as the doors to the church opened. We slowly began to walk in together. It would have been a beautiful wedding if everything had been the color I requested. Instead of pink, everything was blue.

This can’t be. I blinked hard and scanned the room again. The arch was made of blue roses and decorated with pearls. It was lovely in contrast to the silk backdrop. On the ends of each pew, there was a bouquet of blue roses. Even the aisle runner was blue. This made me furious but I could not make a scene. It would only ruin my wedding and make me seem even more crazy.

My eyes landed on Emmitt. He looked so handsome in his tuxedo and blue tie. His tall, muscular frame made him stand out more than anyone else on the altar. I wanted to see the sparkle in his eyes, but he wouldn't look at me. The closer we got to the altar, the more I noticed how nervous he was. He didn't even notice when I stood in front of him.

"I'm sorry," Emmitt said barely above a whisper as he raised his head. I looked at him in confusion. "I can't marry you."

Tears instantly struck my eyes. My heart felt like it had been ripped out of my chest. Suddenly, I forgot how to breathe. I wanted to ask him to repeat what he had just said, but before I could say anything, he kneeled in front of the bridesmaid.

"I’m tired of hiding our love. Marry me, Nickie. Right here. Right now."

Nickie’s face lit up as she pulled him off of his knee. "Yes! A million times yes!" She kissed him, and I felt like I was going to be sick. Everyone in the church gasped and fell silent. I could feel them all staring at me, waiting for my reaction. As tears flooded my cheeks, I ran out of the church and didn't look back. 

I could barely see through all of the tears, but I kept running. I wanted to get as far away from the church as possible. Nickie and I had been friends for 16 years and she always seemed so genuine. I never thought she would betray me, especially by having an affair with my soulmate.

My mind kept replaying Emmitt's proposal to Nickie and each time I broke even more. How could he ruin our special day like that? Is that why he has been working late every Friday and Nickie is always busy? How long has this been going on? Is that why he was late for our wedding, and she volunteered to go get my veil? Everything made sense now. I became so upset that all I could see was red.

When I opened my eyes, I was in my bed, but I couldn't remember how I got there. I was wearing red pajamas and my eyes were so puffy that I could hardly open them. I rolled over to check the time, but my alarm clock was gone. I grabbed my phone instead and gasped. It was six o'clock in the morning on Valentine's Day. The day of the wedding! I rubbed my eyes and looked at the date again. It had all been a dream! I jumped out of bed and cried with joy. 

Nickie and Emmitt didn't have an affair! That meant I had a wedding to go to! I danced my way to the bathroom. As I reached for my toothbrush, my breath caught in my chest. Laying on the sink were two rings. They looked just like the ones I picked out with Emmitt. I slowly looked at my ring finger and noticed it was bare. What was going on? When did I take off my ring and why did I have Emmitt's?

I began to panic as I looked around the bathroom. The white linoleum tile looked as if someone had poured red paint all over it and the shower curtain had a red handprint on it. I extended a trembling hand and slowly pushed it aside. In the bathtub was my mother's beautiful wedding gown. It was almost impossible to identify. The dress was torn in multiple places and it was no longer white. I screamed as loud as I could and fell to my knees.

Kymberlee JoAnn