Unexpected Wedding Guest

“Lizzy?” 

The familiar voice that still haunted her in her sleep jabbed into the side of Liz’s face. A ripple of excited tingling tickled her spine as her eyes widened in alarm. The guests she was chatting with looked equally stricken. All eyes turned to the all too familiar voice. 

“Aden?!” Liz could not believe it.  “After all these years..” he mumbled. 

Something was still not making sense. The realization struck Liz hard; he was a guest at her daughter’s wedding. 

“But..who..how?” She was not making any sense.

 “Come on Liz. Get a hold of yourself!” 

Her friends along with Aden were waiting to see what she had to say. Swallowing, she tried again.

 “How are you here? I mean, who invited you?” Aden smiled. 

Liz could not help but cringe at the butterflies in her stomach. Why was she still having all these stupid feelings after nearly thirty years? And, who still looked hot at their age? Apparently, Aden did. One of her answers was revealed; she already knew the reasons behind the other too. 

“I’m Phil’s uncle.” 

Now the butterflies turned into butter balls. Liz was convinced she was going to get sick. 

“Phil..as in the groom?” She choked. 

“Yeah. Does that come as a surprise to you?” His amused expression wavered. 

Why was she being this way? Even back in high school, Liz was always so confident; so sure of herself. Had time really changed her that much?  Gulping back tears, Liz whispered, “do you know who the bride is?” Now Aden looked genuinely perplexed.

 “Um...I don’t know her personally. I’ve heard some about her but-” Liz’s hand flicked into the air halting in a “no need to say more,” gesture. 

She realized the day she had feared for twenty-six years had finally landed at its destination. Squaring her shoulders, she scratched at a tear sneaking down her cheek.

 “We need to talk.” With a flourish, she made her way to a private corner in the back of the room aware Aden was at her heels.  

Laura could not help but notice her mom’s alertness. Every few moments she chewed down on her bottom lip, her eyes darting around the room. Usually, she was so calm; unnerved. 

“Mom!” Laura’s voice came out a bit louder than she intended-some of the nearby guests shot her quizzical looks. The uneasiness her mother was showing was rubbing off on her. 

“Mom,” Laura repeated- this time making sure her voice was less jarring. Liz whom all her friends referred to as Lizzy darted her eyes to meet her daughter’s worried ones. 

“What’s the matter, dear?” Her voice was distant and she broke eye contact only to briskly scan the room once more. 

“You ok?” Laura placed her hand on Liz’s arm. Jumping with a start, her mother’s attention finally focused on her. 

“Honey, what’s the matter? You look worried. Are you regretting this decision?” Frustrated Laura let out a sigh. Why was her mother throwing the question back at her? She was obviously hiding something. 

“I’m fine mom. And no, I do not regret getting married to Phil twenty minutes ago.” 

Studying her mom’s face, Laura desperately tried to read what was being hidden behind the worried frown. An image she could not place before suddenly hit her. Mascara. Smudged under the eye and streaked down the cheek. As if Liz had been crying before hurriedly trying to wipe the stain off her face with a napkin. 

“Mom? Were you crying? I can still see smeared mascara on your cheeks so, there is no need in denying it.” 

Perhaps Laura was being harsh towards her mom. She was a bit stressed out from all the wedding commotion and bridal responsibilities herself. Her mom had always served as the anchor holding everybody grounded and at ease. Her capability in keeping her head in stressful situations had really helped with all the pre-wedding and day of commotion. What could have all of a sudden knocked the confidence out of her? There was definitely something Laura was missing out on and she was not about to let it slide during her wedding. Liz drew in a breath. 

“Honey, nothing is wrong. It’s just all the excitement and commotion-I mean, what can I say: my baby girl is getting married! It’s a bit overwhelming that’s all. Are you having a good time?” 

Lies. Digging her manicured nails into her palms, Laura let in a deep breath. What had happened? A little wedding itself could not faze Liz. She had become a single mom at the age of eighteen after having just graduated from high school, was broke at the time with no family to turn to for help, had a newborn baby to feed, and nothing but the high school transcript to show the world. Averting her gaze, Liz began picking at her bracelet; she knew her daughter was not buying the sappy nonsense as much as she knew the truth would be revealed sooner than later. Laura was a stubborn girl, a quality she took after her mother and would investigate further into the secret until she figured it out. Something Liz herself had too always struggled with. 

Sighing, Liz began “have you ever met Phil’s uncle Aiden?” 

Frowning Laura shook her head “no. I have heard some about him..I did see his name on the guest list but, I never questioned which family member’s he invited and didn’t. It’s his personal life, not mine.” 

“Not anymore.” Thought Liz focusing her gaze on the wedding ring sitting daintily on Laura’s finger. 

Noticing her mom eyeing the ring, Laura bit the inside of her cheek. She was not getting good vibes from the story so far.

 “Mom. Is there something about this man I should know?” 

Slowly, Liz lifted her gaze to look at her expectant and naive daughter’s worried face.

 “He’s your father.” 

What?!?! 

An invisible hand grasped Laura’s throat blocking the airway, her heart punching at her chest. She did not know whether to laugh, cry, scream, or even believe her mother for that matter. Remaining silent and noiselessly demanding an explanation was what she settled with. Liz continued. 

“Remember the story of how you came to be?” 

Of course, she did. Her mom went crazy while drunk and did not remember who the guy was she smashed with since by the time she woke up in the morning he was long gone. Gasping, Laura realized the “story” she had grown up believing to be true was anything but that. Not having the strength to say anything, she nodded in response. 

“Well, your father, aka Phil’s uncle, aka my high school sweetheart ended not being a great guy. 

“He did not?” Laura managed. 

Suddenly looking as if she were about to cry, Liz bowed her head. 

“He was a player. Always was. I just never noticed. He was all the girls’ best friend, so flirty; I thought nothing of it at the time...the day after he made me pregnant, I was supposed to go the movies with him. I ended up arriving early only to witness him making out with another girl right by the entrance! I felt so angry I stormed up to the cashier and asked if they had bought a ticket. He shrugged stating that Aiden, your father, was a “usual” always showing up with some other girl. When I had asked him how long this had been happening, he said about four years! I was enraged! And you know what’s the worst of it? That girl he was making out with was my sister.”

Before Laura had a chance to fully take the information in, Liz pointed at someone behind her. 

“That’s him.” she plainly stated.