Yes to the Dress

Richard knew this was a bad idea the moment he walked through the entryway of Brides on Main. As the bell above him chimed to announce his arrival, the woman at the front desk gave him a quizzical look. Then, his sister Patricia walked in and her face cleared of confusion. 

Ah, there’s the bride.

He followed her glance and noticed that Patricia was already beaming. She was enjoying this way too much. After taking a cursory look around at the gowns on display, she strode up to the desk to check in for their appointment.

“Hello and welcome to Brides on Main. How can I help you today?”

“Yes, I have an appointment at 1:30. It’s under the name Fitzgerald. Do you need me to spell that out for you?” 

While his sister continued checking them in, Richard worked on orienting himself to his surroundings. It wasn’t a large store, and yet it gave off the appearance of being spacious. Floor-to-ceiling windows were placed at the front and back ends of the building, and natural light filtered softly through the gauzy, white material spilling out from the rows of clothes racks. The view of white, poufy dresses reflected off the full-length mirrors in the dressing room section, and the resulting effect was like being on the inside of a cloud.

Even though Richard felt completely out of place in this environment, he felt a little more peaceful. This must be what heaven looks like. He decided to take a picture so he could show Maria when he got home. Right as the click of the shutter on his cell phone went off, Patricia looked back at him.

“Why are you taking a picture of the clearance section? Put your phone away. She’s leading us back to the staging area.” Patricia flashed a grin and then turned back around to follow the bridal consultant. Groaning inwardly, Richard followed after her so they could start the production.

The “staging area” turned out to be a section in the back corner of the store. It consisted of a raised platform placed in front of a half-circle of tall mirrors, a curtained-off dressing room to the right, and a couple of metallic chairs behind the platform, where adoring fans could sit back and admire the star.

“Now then, I assume you’re not the groom right?” The consultant chuckled as she said this, as if she didn’t use that line on each of the men who had the misfortune to be a participant in one of these appointments.

Richard looked up and realized that the consultant, whose name tag read ‘Jenna’, was looking at him. He didn’t expect to have any speaking parts in this production, so he was a bit flustered.

“Well, uh -”

“Richard here is my brother. He’s here to help pick out the dress today.”

“Of course Ms. Fitzgerald. It’s always nice to have family with you for such a momentous occasion.” Jenna gave a big grin, but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Richard, if you wouldn’t mind, I’m going to have you hang out by these chairs for us while Ms. Fitzgerald and I start looking at some different options to try on.” He gladly took a seat as Patricia and Jenna walked away, the latter throwing around phrases like “mermaid cut” and “sweetheart neckline”. 

In the stillness they left behind, he noticed there was an instrumental love song being played through the speakers. He didn’t recognize the tune. If Maria were here, she’d recognize it right away. She’d always had a good memory for things like that. But even so, she still managed to get most of the words wrong when she sang along. One of his favorite memories was when she belted out her version of the chorus to “Big Old Jet Airliner.”

Big old Jeff in the lineup

Don’t carry me too far away

Big old Jeff in the lineup

‘Cause it’s here I’ve got to stay.

Richard was still humming along to the Steve Miller Band when Patricia and Jenna came back. At least, he was pretty sure that was Jenna standing next to his sister’s tall frame. It was hard to tell because she was buried under a pile of lace and silk and other fancy-looking material.

“I’ll just come visit with my brother while you get the dressing room set up Jenna. Thank you!”

“So,” Richard said as Patricia sat down in a huff beside him. “Did you find some good stuff?”

“Stuff? Oh, honestly Richard. It’s a good thing I’m here. Although,” she lowered her voice and leaned in closer. “We could’ve had better luck with the help. I’d prefer someone to be a little more excited for me on my big day.”

“Isn’t the wedding day supposed to be the big day?”

Patricia ignored him and carried on as if she hadn’t heard. “I suppose I can’t blame her though. I saw her looking at Tinder on her phone when I walked up. Can you imagine working around brides all day and being hopelessly single yourself?”

“Ahem.”

Jenna was standing outside the dressing room, with the curtain pulled aside.

“Whenever you’re ready Ms. Fitzgerald.”

Richard looked down in embarrassment to avoid making eye contact with the sales assistant, who apparently had excellent hearing. Patricia, on the other hand, chose to ignore the situation, and she stood up and walked past the open curtain with all the grace and confidence of an opera singer waltzing onto the main stage.

After some ominous grunting and a few choice words, she reemerged, a woman transformed. Stepping gingerly to avoid tripping over the material, she made her way over to the platform and stood in front of the mirror to admire herself. The dress had a full skirt and a strapless bodice that was covered in sequins. To Richard, it looked like something you might see in one of those animated princess movies; sparkly and eye-catching, but definitely over-the-top for a real-life wedding.

Clearly, there was a lot he didn’t understand about fashion though. When he looked up at Patricia’s face, she appeared to be awestruck, and her eyes were starting to tear up.

“Oh. Wow!” She turned slowly, one way and then the other, trying to get a look at herself from all angles.

“Look Richard! I’m a bride!” The harsh frown lines that were normally etched onto her skin had softened and melted into a radiant smile. Here in this moment, she was a little girl playing dress-up, and she was happy.

Richard didn’t want to indulge her too much, but he found himself smiling too. Her momentary joy was infectious. It didn’t seem to work on Jenna, though. She just stood to the side with a patient grin, waiting to see if her assistance was needed.

“Well Richard, what do you think?”

“You look wonderful in white, Patty.”

“It’s a good thing I’m trying on wedding dresses then.” She rolled her eyes as she said this. “But come on, be more specific. What do you think of this particular dress?”

“It’s nice. But I don’t think it’s the one.”

Her smile faltered.

Richard, seeing that he’d upset her by his opinion, was tempted to give in and shower her with the flattery that she wanted to hear, but he held his tongue. It was important that they get this right.

“Alright. Well, I still have other dresses to try on so perhaps you’ll feel differently about one of those.”

Jenna came over to help Patricia step down from the pedestal. 

“If you don’t mind me saying, Ms. Fitzgerald,” she said as she offered her hand, “It’s important to remember that choosing your wedding dress is ultimately up to you. It’s great to have help from someone else, but at the end of the day, it’s you who will be walking down the aisle.”

“I know that. Obviously. But I value my brother’s opinion.”

She turned and smiled at him as she said this. Sensing a cue to respond, Richard sheepishly smiled back.

“Besides, this is only the first dress I’ve tried on. The options are bound to get even better from here.”

The next forty minutes seemed to Richard to drag by. For Patricia, it couldn’t last long enough. Over and over, she would pop into the dressing room, struggle for a few minutes as Jenna buttoned or zipped or strapped her into the next gown, and then she’d come out and make her way back over to the mirrors, material swishing all around her.

That first glance at the mirror made her eyes light up every time. It was as if she kept forgetting what she looked like and then would come out and be amazed at the reflection that greeted her. Some of the gowns were long and slender with pools of satin around her feet. Others were covered in yards of lace as intricately woven as spiderwebs. Then there were Patricia’s particular favorites, the large poufy ball gowns (even though Richard said they made her look like a cupcake). In her opinion, she looked stunning in every style she tried. Clearly, she was meant to be a bride. 

Sadly, to Richard, they all looked the same. Patricia kept asking what he thought. His responses were always less than vague.

“I don’t know.”

“No, not that one.”

“Ehhh . . .”

The closest he got to providing any details about what he disliked was when he described one as “too white”.

Jenna tried to point out details in the dresses to see if she could help him better explain what was lacking, but in the end he’d just shrug helplessly, desperate to avert the attention back away from himself. That’s when the pretend-princess and her lady-in-waiting would look at each other with a knowing look. At least his utter helplessness seemed to be making them stronger allies.

And still, Patricia would return to the dressing room to smuggle her way into yet  another white fluffy contraption. Jenna even started bringing over more armfuls of options, fueling his sister’s mad obsession with the gowns. They both seemed determined to find the one that would lift the veil from Richard’s eyes and make him understand the mystery of The Dress.

While Jenna and his sister were in the dressing room figuring out a particularly difficult option, Richard decided to get up and stretch his legs. He was exhausted from this repetitive process, and all he’d been doing was sitting the entire time. But he knew, if it were his Maria here, he would be just as patient with her while she tried on every single dress. 

He’d always secretly enjoyed being the dutiful boyfriend who would wait outside dressing rooms holding her purse when they went shopping. She’d disappear for a few minutes, throw something new on, and then come bursting out of the curtains doing some goofy model walk. Every time she walked out, no matter what she was wearing, he’d be amazed at her appearance and think to himself, “Wow, how did I get so lucky?” She’d just laugh, pat him on his head playfully and thank him for his patience, and then she’d go back and try something else on. She never ended up with anything flashy or bright, but opted instead for simpler choices. Maria was very good at knowing what flattered her, and the more simple pieces had a way of letting her natural beauty shine through.

Richard heard cursing coming from the dressing room and could tell his sister was going to be a bit longer still. He made his way over to one of the many clothes racks and let his fingers run across the different materials. Soft, smushy tulle; bumpy, detailed lacework; cool, shimmering satin; crinkly chiffon. It was incredible to him that all of these different fabrics could come to mean so much to the women who wore them. They treated them like items of great power that had the ability to grant them superpowers. When women put them on, they stopped being merely women. They became Brides. If only these dresses had real power.

Some of the hangers had gotten tangled up together and Richard reached up to straighten them. One of them was being stubborn, so he pulled it off the rack to sort it out. And just like that, there it was. He couldn’t explain it, but this one seemed to glow.

Just then, he heard a gasp come from the dressing room.

“Oh Richard, wait until you see this one! This is it, I just know it.”

Still holding the dress, he walked back over to the row of chairs.

Patricia walked out from behind the curtain. Her feet were hidden beneath the voluminous skirt of the dress, giving her the impression of floating. She landed on the stage and took in the full view before her. He could see from the reflection how enchanting she looked. It was a strapless dress, and the bodice was a dazzling display of lacy, textured flowers and foliage that spilled down onto the ball gown-style skirt. As she lightly swayed her hips back and forth, the whole thing shimmered.

He looked to her right and saw that even Jenna was smiling.

Now Patricia turned to face him, and the effect was even more breathtaking.

“Wow. Patty, you look incredible. This one really suits you.” He felt silly uttering such simple words, but he knew she could see the tear in his eye and that it said more than his words ever could. In that moment, he could picture her on her wedding day, striding toward a bright future with confidence and poise, her beaming smile reflected on the faces around her. She was a sight to behold. They held each other’s gaze for a moment as if they were sharing the same vision.

“So?”

There was a slight pause. His sister seemed to be holding her breath, waiting for his reply. He gave her a genuine smile full of pride and repeated his previous words.

“It suits you.”

Patty returned his smile, but she knew what he meant. It suited her, just her. She turned back to the mirror to get a last look in the gown so she could seal this moment in her memory forever.

Jenna, certain that they had finally found what they were looking for, came over to congratulate Patricia, but Richard walked over as well.

“Actually, would you mind trying on just one more?” He held out the dress in his hand.

Patricia was surprised to see her brother offering a suggestion, but she simply nodded, grabbed the dress from him, and motioned to Jenna to help her in the dressing room. This one did not take long to slip into.

She came out once more and stood obediently on the stage. Jenna followed behind her with the hanger, as if she was expecting a very quick no. This dress was certainly not as elaborate as the last one. It was a sleeveless satin gown with a wide neckline, a pleated skirt, and a simple narrow belt cinched at the waist. As Patricia turned in a circle, Richard could see a long row of buttons that trailed down the back of the dress.

“Well, as you said Ms. Fitzgerald, it’s always nice to have options. Certainly, this one serves to magnify just how eye-catching that previous dress was.”

Patricia was not listening to her though. She was looking at her brother.

“Jenna, could you give us a few minutes alone? We’d like to discuss the choices before making a decision.”

The assistant politely stepped away as Patricia walked over to Richard and took a seat next to him. No words needed to be exchanged as she pulled him close and wrapped him in a hug. His shoulders shook as he wept.

“I know Richard, I know. It’s going to be alright.”

He managed not to cry on the day. His sister was by his side at the altar, and she squeezed his hand as Maria came walking out. He’d been spot-on about the dress. It was just what she would’ve picked for herself, and she looked absolutely radiant. She still hadn’t stopped thanking Patricia for helping Richard find it since she’d been too weak to go herself. Today was a good day, though, and she hardly needed to lean on her father for support as she glided down the aisle toward him. It was a moment he would never forget.

The cancer took her a month later, but they had cherished every moment together as husband and wife.

On their one-year wedding anniversary, Richard went to visit her gravesite. He knelt down, placing a fresh bouquet in front of the tombstone.

“Hello my love and happy anniversary. You’ll never guess the news.” He paused a moment, as if waiting for a response.

“Patty got engaged last week. And she’s already got the dress picked out.”

He smiled and patted the top of the tombstone, reflecting on their own ceremony. The words they’d added to their nuptials still rang in his ears. 

Til’ death do us part . . . and heaven reunite us.

“I still do my love. Forever I do.”