The Wedding

I looked down at my watch and realized it was almost 1:45. I was going to be late to my sister’s wedding. First, I’ll explain how I got into this mess. First, my name is Olivia, my sister’s name is Cassandra, and my boyfriend's name is Oliver. One week ago my sister invited my boyfriend and I to her wedding. I was so excited when I found out she was getting married. I had no idea she was even engaged. I had been in Florida when she got engaged (we live in New York) and she forgot to tell me. Anyway, I informed her that I would be honored to come and she was really excited. 

You see, when we were younger, our mother was in the Twin Towers when they collapsed. The fire fighters found her and were able to get her to the hospital. Sadly, she died 11 hours later. That was 15 years ago. My sister was 8 and I was 6. My sister is now 23 years old and I’m 21. We grew up without a father and our grandparents died 3 years before my mother did. We ended up living with my sister’s best friends whose mother was my mother’s best friend. She had a younger sister my age which was nice. I always thought of them as my family. 

Back to me rushing to get to my sister’s wedding. I was almost late because I was at the salon getting my hair, make-up, and nails done. I rushed to get a cab, doing my best to look neat. All I had to do was get to the venue, put my dress on in time. 

The wedding started in 1:30 minutes. The driver said it was going to take 1:45 minutes to get there. I said “Isn’t there a quicker way? This is kind of an emergency” The driver said “I’m afraid I can’t find another way with all of this traffic” I was so disappointed. I got on my phone and told my sister. She said she would try and hold the ceremony off as long as possible because having me in her wedding was very important to her. 

The cab driver just informed me that he found another way that will only take an hour! I told my sister the great news and she was thrilled. Just like the driver promised, an hour later I arrived at the venue! The wedding was amazing. My sister and I were both crying. I bet she wished Mom was there instead of our adopted family. Not that she didn’t appreciate them coming, she probably wished she was still around to see this moment. 

My boyfriend was already there when I arrived. He didn’t participate in the wedding like I did but he was still invited. The day turned out perfect. When my sister was getting ready to toss the bouquet, she turned around and handed it to me. I was very confused until she said “Turn around, trust me.” 

When I turned around my boyfriend was down on one knee. He was proposing! I started to cry again, my boyfriend was smiling, and my sister was half crying, half laughing. Then my boyfriend asked, “Will you marry me?” I obviously responded with, “Of course” I hugged my sister and asked, “Was this planned the whole time?” She said, “Maybe?!” 

About a week and a half later, after she came back from her honeymoon, my sister came over (we both own separate houses now) to help plan my wedding. It was currently March and I wanted the wedding to be in August. I wanted a late summer wedding when it was cooler but still warm. 

A few months later I was on my way to get the perfect dress! I managed to find the perfect one. It had small ruffles on the skirt, a lace pattern all over the top, and it had long sleeves that came off my shoulders. I loved it. It was the most beautiful wedding dress ever. 

I wanted the wedding to be private and I also wanted it to be outside. I didn’t want a huge crowd, just my family and of course Oliver’s family. I just didn’t want to make a huge deal out of it. 

A week later the most unpredictable thing happened. Me and Oliver were walking in the city, talking about the wedding and our ideas for it. Then, Oliver was tying his shoe and I hadn’t noticed. I kept walking and crossed the road. When Oliver was done, he yelled my name and said “Olivia, wait up.” I replied, “Oops, sorry.” 

Then, he ran across the street. He didn’t realize there was a green light. Out of nowhere, a car came speeding past and hit him. I screamed and the other people around rushed to help. The person who was in the car got out and shouted, “Oh my gosh, I’m calling 911 right now.” I dropped to the floor, my heart was pounding. 

After about a minute I finally got the courage to go up to him. There were a ton of people surrounding him so I had to shove my way through the crowd. When I looked down at him, he was covered in blood. I found his pulse so I would know he wasn't dead. The ambulance came in about three minutes. They offered to let me sit in the back with him but I said no and they let me sit in the front instead. 

We rushed to the hospital and they got Oliver into a room. They put bandages on his wounds and asked me to step out of the room. They told me I should head home and come back tomorrow if I wanted to. I agreed and went home. Instead of going to my house I went to my sister’s and told her what happened. I also told her it was all my fault. If I had noticed him tying his shoe, I wouldn’t have gone on and we would have waited for the text red light instead of him running across the street on a green light. 

The next morning I drove back to the hospital. The doctors told me he was going to make it. They told me he could go home in one week. I called my sister and told her the news. About an hour later the doctors said I could visit him. I was afraid he wasn’t going to love me anymore. 

When I walked in it looked like he was sleeping. Since I didn’t want to bug him I started to leave. Out of nowhere I heard, “Hey! Where are you going?” I shouted, “Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” He responded with, “Of course!” We talked for hours. After a while the doctor came in and said, “Visiting times are over.” Oliver whispered to me, “By the way, it wasn’t your fault” I asked, “How did you know?” He said, “I always know.”

A week later Oliver came back home. He said the doctors told him to stay in a wheelchair for about four months. That meant if we decided to carry on with the wedding, he would have to do it in a wheelchair. 

We both decided the wedding should be in our living room to make it safer. The day of the wedding comes. My sister had arrived early to help me get ready. She offered to do my hair and makeup. 

The wedding was now over and I was crying. It turned out perfect. Oliver's parents and my sister and her husband were there. It was the best day of my life. I learned that you don’t have to have one hundred people or expensive venues to have the perfect wedding. 

It's been about a month since the wedding. Oliver is doing much better and we are thinking of adopting a kid! Our lives played out almost perfectly.