Her Perfect Day

Chloe dismissed her bridesmaids from the bridal suite, about an hour ago, for some introverted re-centering. She had needed the time before becoming the center of attention for the rest of the evening. After doing some reading on her phone, in a high winged back chair, she determined that her battery was full enough to be social again. 

Thinking about her bridal party, she assumed they spent the time mingling with the boys, drinking mimosas, outside the bridal suite, in a large lounge. She cracked open the door just slightly to see if she could spot her mother or maybe her maid of honor. It had appeared that almost everyone had exited the room. Maybe the wedding coordinator was already having everyone line up. Chloe looked at her watch, 20 minutes to go. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe saw movement. She squinted to see if she could tell who was moving by the far end of the room. Unsuccessfully, she reached into her clutch and retrieved her glasses. As soon as she put them on, she noticed the tailored Navy suit she had helped order several months earlier. James, her fiancé, had his back to her, but she knew it was him from his tall, slender frame. The other men in the bridal party were also adorning gray suits. 

She then noticed someone hugging James. They had their arms wrapped around his waist, not surprising, given his 6 foot 2 inches height. Now, their one leg was wrapping around his. What an odd hug. Chloe noticed the shoe, a bright red pump. Her mom had a pair exactly like that for the wedding. As soon as Chloe made the shocking connection, the embracing pair moved to give her a full view of their romantic exchange. 

Chloe couldn’t think, speak or act. She watched as James moved his hands all over her mother’s still-in-shape-for-50 frame. She watched her mother kiss his neck and nibble on his ear. All motions that Chloe had never done. She had been adamant about staying sex-free until after the wedding. They would sometimes engage in heavy petting, but nothing this vulgar. 

Heels started clicking towards the passionate pair. Her maid of honor, Stacey, started whisper yelling, “You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Chloe knew she could always count on Stacey to be the one to provide her the words that she had been unable to create. 

The pair dismounted. James fixed her hair while mother dearest pulled down her dress. “Stac, listen,” James started. 

“You keep your voice down or Chloe will hear you.” Stacey scolded. “do you want her to find out about us?” 

Chloe almost lost her clutch. 

“Now, you have got to be kidding me!” Mom chimed in. 

James shrugged his shoulders as both women crossed their arms waiting for an answer. More footsteps approached. 

“What is everyone doing?” Dad asked as soon as he was within earshot of the trio. “We have a wedding to get moving.” 

Stacey, not skipping a beat, “I just caught these two practically tearing each other’s clothes off.” 

“What?” Dad responded. Chloe’s heart started to break for her father. A man who had been happily married to her mother for over 30 years.

Mom waved her hands in the air, “Oh, don’t be so shocked. Last week, you served me divorce papers after I caught you with your little young piece of ass.” 

Dad’s neck started to show a deep beet red as he started whisper yelling, “Keep your voice down! We weren’t going to tell anyone about the divorce until after this magical day that you have managed to royally fuck up. Like everything else you touch!” 

Chloe gently closed the door again and sat down in front of the mirror. I should have known. Chloe takes one more look at herself in the mirror. She has never felt this beautiful. The subtle white baby’s-breath flowers stand out against the dark green leaves woven into a crown perched perfectly on her long dark hair. Her hair has always been a little wavy, but today, they had managed to tamed it into the most perfect beach waves. 

Her typically unruly eyebrows were brushed into perfect arches and highlighted underneath. Her dark eyelashes had nothing more than a bit of dark shadow around them and a tub of black mascara. Her cheeks had blush, her skin was air brushed to perfection, and her lips were fully painted a deep matte red. 

Chloe looked at her phone, in a matter of minutes the music would start. Her perfect wedding to the perfect man to start her perfect life was about to start. Chloe wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen anything, she wondered if anyone would tell her or what they would tell her. 

Would they also mention the fact that her dad was having an affair and her parents were getting a divorce? Would they mention that her fiancé had been cheating on her with her maid of honor? Would they give her answers and explanations, or would they just blame someone else for their transgressions? 

A knock on the door. Chloe asked them to come in. It was her dad. “You ready, baby?” 

“Yep,” Chloe grabbed both her bouquet and clutch and put her hand in the crook of her dad’s arm. 

Maybe everyone else would also pretend this never happened? If Chloe had gone this long not knowing about the cheating, affair and divorce, maybe she could continue the rest of her life not knowing about that kiss?

 She could continue to look beautiful and have her perfect life with her perfect family. No one would need to know anything else. 

Chloe’s dad patted her hand as they reached the large entryway doors. When they parted, Chloe saw her mom sitting in the front pew, her eyes puffy. Her maid of honor standing in front of the other pastel-covered ladies. And finally, there stood James. Smiling wide and bright. His stance confident, his posture relaxed. Everything was perfect.