Wedding Blues

  Tina raised her glass. “Let’s drink to love.”

   Barbara said, “Define love.”

 Barbara’s fiancé touched her hand. “It’s the feeling of unity between two people.”

  Barbara looked at him. “Only unity?”

  “Care for each other creates a sense of unity.”

  Grandpa Joe said, “Well spoken, Steve. Feminine feelings are fragile. When you and Barbara exchange vows next week, don’t forget that women are more sensitive than men, and they need caring words and gentle gestures.” He looked at Tina. “My dear Tina, I wish you to find the same unity with my grandson, just as the unity I found with my dear late wife, may God bless her soul.”

  “I wish I knew your late wife, Joe,” said Tina. “Nick has told me so much about her.”

  “She was the very definition of love.”

  Nick said, “Grandma Lily was my mother when my mother died. She would have loved you, Tina.”

  Barbara touched Steve’s hand. He didn’t need words to understand that she wanted to speak alone, but the other people at the table raised their glasses.

  Steve turned to Nick’s grandfather. “Joe, if you want to, I can walk Tina down the aisle when the day comes.”

  “But my parents are flying in,” objected Tina.

  “Barbara told me that something came up and they can’t make it in June.”

  “Then I prefer to postpone the wedding to July.”

  Joe opened the wine bottle, which Nick tried to take away from him. “Grandpa, let me.”

  “Nick, as long as I am alive, I will keep doing everything myself.”

  Tina smiled at Nick as Joe poured everybody more wine and helped himself to more potatoes and salad.

  Nick said, “Tina, on Wednesday I have an important meeting until seven p.m. Let’s go to the movies next Tuesday instead of Wednesday.”

  Tina swallowed the salad. “Oh, honey, I’m a little busy on Tuesday.”

  “Alright, how about Monday?”

  Tina reached out for the potatoes platter. “I’m busy on Monday, too. I promised Clair I’d help her find a dress for her niece’s birthday. I think Thursday should be fine.”

  Nick stared at his fiancée for a long moment and turned his attention to his food.

  Barbara took the cheese platter and got up from the table. “I’ll be right back.” She went to the kitchen.

  Steve followed her. “Honey, are you alright?”

  She took a cutting board and a knife. He gave her gouda and cheddar cheese.

  “Barbie, let me do it.”

  She put down the knife with force. “Don’t call me Barbie. And I think I’m doing fine, don’t you think?”

  He tried to take the knife from her, she took it and cut her finger.

  “Damn it,” she cried.

  Steve washed her finger in the water and pressed a cloth onto it. “Honey, can you, please, relax for me?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I know you. Is it about our wedding?”

  “No. I can’t wait for it to be over, but that’s not it.”

  “Well, tell me. Maybe I can help.”

  “I’m alright. I just can’t wait for the wedding preparations to be over.”

  “You know I won’t leave you alone with everything. Just tell me what you need from me.” He looked at her cut. “It’s already healing.”

  “Steve, are you sure we’re right for each other?”

  Tina entered the kitchen. “Guys, what’s taking you so long?” She was taken aback. “Oh, I didn’t know you wanted a moment for yourselves. I’ll leave you two alone.”

  “Tina, it’s alright,” said Barbara.

  “Are you sure?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m so glad we’re both getting married in the same year. You’re my closest cousin.”

  “I love you, too, Tina.”

  “So, I was wondering if you wanted to go look at wedding dresses with me next Tuesday.”

  “You and Nick only got engaged. Isn’t it too early to look for a wedding dress?”

  Steve said, “Oh, come on, go with her. You deserve to have some fun.”

  Barbara cut cheese in neat pieces and arranged them in a round shape on the platter. “Tina, you’re not going to buy an expensive dress, are you?”

  “I just want to look at dresses, and because you’re getting married in a week, you can give me advice. I trust you more than the others.”

  Steve nodded. “She’s right, Barbie. You’re the best counselor in the world. I’ll go back to the living room. Nick and Joe must be bored.” He planted a kiss on Barbara’s lips, took the cheese platter and left.

  Tina held her cousin’s hand. The latter thought the air would get electrified any moment now from Tina’s excitement.

  Barbara said, “Fine, I’ll go with you.”

  Tina almost hop-scotched back to the living room from excitement. Should Barbara blow the secret? How could Nick keep quiet about it?

*

  On Tuesday Barbara put on her black dress and arranged her black hair in a simple updo. She was playing with hair clips when Steve peeked at her reflection.

  “Honey, you look great,” he said.

  “Only look great?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Barbie, I know the wedding is three days away, but I want you to try to relax. I don’t want to marry a nervous wreck.”

  “Then maybe you shouldn’t marry me at all.”

  “What’s going on? Are you nervous only because of the wedding?”

  She sat down and indicated that he does the same. “Steve, what were you doing alone with Tina?”

  “What?”

  “Nick saw you two together. If I’m not the one, we’re not getting married, no matter how much people think you’re my last resort.”

  He held her hands from slapping him. “Honey, Tina is not my type. What are you talking about?”

  “What were you doing together?”

  Steve waved his arm carelessly. “I was worried about you, so I asked her if she knew what was bothering you. You’re not exactly open with me lately.” He hesitated. “Just to let you know, I have no doubts about marrying you.”

  The phone rang. Barbara answered it.

-         Hi, Barbie, where are you? – said Tina.

-         I’m on the way out. I got held up by housework. I’ll be right there. – She hung up.

  Barbara put on her boots and coat and took her bag.

  Steve took the hair tie out of her hair. “This is much better,” he said and kissed her.

  She looked with confusion and left. If she could stand Tina up, she would have stayed and asked him why he was gentle all of a sudden, but Tina was not exactly a very patient type. Barbara has never seen a more exciting bride-to-be than Tina. In fact, she has never seen Tina slow down at anything if she got excited about it.

  When Barbara approached the place of the meeting, she forced herself to seem excited and entered the brides shop with Tina. Tina tried on at least twenty dresses and they left the shop with Tina muttering about the flaws of each dress.

  Barbara said, “Tina, I told you it was too early for you to look for a wedding dress.”

  “We saw a few styles, so that’s great. I really appreciate you coming on such a short notice. Do you want to go to my place for a coffee?”

  “You know I have a few important things to do.”

  “I’m sure Steve can handle it.” She called Steve and asked him to take care of the final wedding preparations. Steve said ‘ok’ and hung up. “See, it’s all settled. Come on.”

  “Alright, but two hours max.”

  Tina unlocked the door to her flat and turned on the lights in the hallway. They went to the kitchen, Tina turned on the lights and a bunch of Tina’s and Barbara’s girl-friends yelled surprise.

  Barbie looked at her cousin. “What’s going on here?”

  Tina hugged her cousin. “Steve told me you didn’t want a bachelorette party. I told him that you have doubts about his feelings for you – men don’t get these things. And he decided that you should have the best bachelorette party in the world. Because he loves you. He asked me to arrange all this.”

  “That’s because I’m his last resort to settle down.”

  Tina objected. “Do you really my relationship is perfect?”

  Barbie said, “There’s no such thing as a perfect relationship.”

  “I know. I had to learn it the hard way. But Nick is a great one, and so is Steve. Steve doesn’t know how to express what he feels for you, but you guys care about each other and you can make it work.”

  Barbie went to the hallway and dialed Steve’s number.

-         Hi, Barbie.

-         Your secret is out.

-         Go enjoy yourself. You deserve it.

-         Why didn’t you tell me?

-         I’m not very good at this. I’m trying. I would never cheat on you, that I swear.

-         I love you, Mr. Parker.

-         I love you, Mrs. Parker.

  She returned to the kitchen. The young women put food and drinks on the table and poured champagne.

  Barbie took a champagne glass. “Let’s drink to…”

  Bonnie, her best friend, said, “Love?”

  “No, to a loving and understanding marriage.”

  “Cheers,” said Tina.

  Bonnie put on music and brought caviar sandwiches to the dining table. The party had just begun.

The End