Crazy Twisted Love

by MF Isaacs

  I went to sleep that night beyond thankful for the help she got with planning our wedding. I had a few things I needed to take care of before the big day, I could get away from the classroom for a day, but I couldn’t let the team down and miss a practice. I made a mental note to talk to the principal first thing in the morning.

  NATALIE

  I felt the kiss on my forehead this morning but couldn’t manage to open my eyes. Apparently, the days of me getting up with Curtis to see him off to work are long gone. We haven’t even gotten married yet and I am already failing my duties as a stay at home wife. My welcome home greeting last night might offset the lack of good bye this morning. Wonder which he prefers. I’m sure that since sex was involved, he would choose the welcome home.

  When I finally managed to get my ass out of bed, I moved slower than I planned. I know that everything is set for the wedding, but I still have a few things that I need to take care of. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a last-minute salon appointment. I need to make sure I have all my traditional wedding stuff: something old, new, borrowed and blue. I need to get my hands on the dress to make sure it fits. I need to buy new lingerie and lastly, I need to get Curtis a wedding present.

  Apparently, my soon to be sister-in-law knew exactly what I needed to get done before Saturday. When I called her, she already had my salon appointment set up for Friday. She said she had a handful of things for us to go through today and tomorrow we would do the shopping. She told me to get dressed, they would be over soon.

  Sierra arrived first, carrying a box that had clearly seen better days. Without waiting for me to ask questions she started to explain what she had. “When Calvin asked my brothers for permission to marry me, they gave him my mom’s engagement and wedding ring.” She held out her left hand for me to see her ring. I’d noticed that her ring was modest and outdated, knowing that it had belonged to her mom explained why. “My brothers pulled my mom’s wedding dress out of storage for me. I tried it on and decided that it wasn’t what I wanted to wear. Turns out it was perfect for Hannah, fit her like a glove. She surprised Steve by wearing it on their wedding day. You already have a dress and even before I got engaged, Curtis didn’t want anything to do with our parents wedding rings. So, I brought this stuff over for you to look through. Some of it is from my mom, some of it is from our Grandma Rose. I think it would mean a lot to Curtis if you use something from in here on your wedding day. Maybe something old or even something blue. I haven’t gone through everything yet, so I thought we could do it together.”

  Pregnant emotions and realistic thoughts that is this is the closest to his mom I’ll ever be caused a massive lump in my throat. I nodded in agreement rather than trying to speak. She headed to the living room and I swung by the kitchen for drinks before I said anything. “Alright, let’s see what we can find. I need something old, blue and borrowed.”

  She pulled out a shoe box and slowly lifted the lid, I expected the box to be filled with random things, not an actual pair of shoes in there. I was amazed to see a pair of heels, white with multi-colored beads which create a flower pattern, they were stunning. I took one shoe in my hand and was shocked to see the pristine condition of they were in. “Whose were these? Looks like they’ve never been worn.”

  “Those belonged to Grandma Rose. Grandpa Buck bought those for her to wear to their first Marine Corps Ball. Grandpa proposed to her that night.” The size listed on the box was bigger than my feet, so I didn’t even consider trying them on.

  “If all the items in the box are going to have a story behind them I needed to grab a box of Kleenex and grab some snacks.” I sat back and let her do the digging, she pulled out a small jewelry box.

  “Oh, I haven’t looked in here since I turned 16 and Grandma let me pick something from here. For sure we’ll find something in here for you.” The two of us took turns grabbing item after item from the olden jewelry box. It was clear to me that she had no idea what all this jewelry was worth. Based on her joking about how gaudy some of the items were. I was willing to bet she thought it was costume, not quality diamonds and genuine gemstones. She held out a beautiful sapphire and diamond broach that I knew immediately would be perfect as a hair accessory. It could cover my blue and old item.

  I took it from her to get a better look before asking her, “Could you make this work in my hair? It could be my old and blue item.” I handed it back so she could see what she had to work with.

  “Absolutely. We’ll make it work. I think we can just use a ribbon hair tie and pin the broach right to it. We can practice later. Did you want to try on the shoes? There is no way I’ll ever be able to wear them and Curtis will know instantly where they came from.” She set the broach aside and continued pulling items from the jewelry box.

  “No, I don’t think they will fit me. I’m only a 7 and these are 8’s.” I picked one up out of the box because I love the story behind them.

  “Just try them on. Sizes were funky back then.” She handed me the second shoe, not giving me a choice. I slipped my foot into the first shoe and felt like Cinderella because the shoe fit perfectly. Sierra clapped like a little girl when I managed to get the second shoe on just as easily. I slowly stood and took a few tentative steps to make sure I could walk. “Um, you have to wear those. I’m not giving you a choice.”

  I couldn’t argue with her because the shoes are perfect and I love the fact that Curtis will know where I got them from. “So, I have old, new and blue. I just need something borrowed.”

  Right on que Amy and Hannah walk into the living room. Amy announces, “I have your borrowed covered.” She hands me a small jewelry box, with the tilt of her head she indicates that she wants me to open the box. Inside are a pair of diamond earrings, whose sparkle indicated their quality and their size humble.

  I looked to Amy for an explanation of where these came from. “Those are mine. Luke worked his ass off to make something of himself after the tragic start to our relationship. Those are the first gift he gave me after the dust settled and he was earning enough to take care of me, according to him ‘the way I deserved.’ I was perfectly happy without diamonds but it was important to Luke that I have them.”

  I hugged her in appreciation, over her shoulder I see Hannah as she unzips an oversized garment bag. I realize then it’s my dress, for the first time in person I am seeing my dream dress. It’s beautiful and I pray to all that is holy that it will fit me. I know Shelley and I are pretty close to the same size and thankfully my body hasn’t shifted with the added babies growing inside me.

  With Amy and Sierra at my back, I slowly make my way to the dress Hannah hung on the hall closet door. I just want to feel it against my skin. Never one to be concerned with public nudity, I dropped my pants right there in the living room and my top quickly followed. Hannah helped me step into the dress and carefully zipped me up. Without warning, Sierra was at my feet slipping her Grandma Rose’s beaded heels on my feet. I glance up, just as Hannah finishes with the zipper and see Amy standing there with tears in her eyes.

  Severe panic hits when I hear the front door open. I release a full breath when I hear my mom and sister chatting. Amy is quick to stop them from making it all the way into the room. Sierra and Hannah pull me down the hallway, grabbing my borrowed and blue items before being seen. Sierra works her magic with my hair and I put in Amy’s diamonds. In less than ten minutes I am walking down the hallway to show my mom and my sister the whole package. They join Amy as she tears up again. Surprisingly my tears don’t come, instead I have the most genuine smile I’ve ever had. Even Caroline comments on my obvious happiness.

  Hannah helped me change while Sierra put everything in the spare bedroom, keeping it hidden from Curtis. In the living room, Amy, Caroline, and Mom were talking about what everyone else is going to wear. Hearing their conversation, I realized Curtis and I hadn’t even talked about who was standing up with us. I excused myself and crossed my fingers that Curtis would answer my message quickly.

&
nbsp; Me: Any idea who is going to be your best man? How many guys are going to stand up with you?

  Instead of getting a text back my phone rings. “Hi Honey.”

  “Hi Hot Stuff. I’m just eating lunch. I was going to call you but I wasn’t sure if you were awake yet. I already asked Steve to be my best man, it kind of comes along with the twin title. I have up to three other guys that I would like to ask, but wanted to check with you before I do. Have you thought about it?” My mind went busy trying to figure out who his three guys are. If Steve is his best man, I figured Calvin and worried about Jimmy.

  “I don’t know. I should probably ask my sister. I’d like to ask your sister and Hannah. That leaves me one short. I don’t want to ask someone just so we have even sides, I also don’t want to stop you from having who you want up there. Who are the three?” I quietly held my breath as he put it all out there.

  “Calvin, Jimmy and Kyler. Don’t worry, I will figure something out. Ask the girls and let me know how it goes. I will hold off until I hear from you before I ask any of them. I could be good with just Steve, if you want to just ask one. Honestly Nat, other than Steve it doesn’t matter to me so long as in the end we’re married. Hey Babe, I gotta go, sounds like there is a fight in the hallway. I’ll call you later.” He didn’t wait for my good bye.

  Amy found me hiding in the spare bedroom, I am guessing she heard part of the conversation I’d just had with Curtis. My gut told me to trust him and give him the go ahead to ask all the guys to stand up with us. “You look worried. Does it have anything to do with who he wants to be in the wedding?” Damn, she doesn’t beat around the bush at all. Not only that, she asks the question while giving you the opportunity to be honest without feeling judged.

  I remember a time or two in my past that I passed judgement on my friends when they were getting married. I thought, and sometimes even said, if you can’t trust him completely, you shouldn’t marry him. So here I am, days away from marrying Curtis and judging or questioning myself. I want to give him the go ahead to ask whomever he wants. But I don’t want to question Jimmy’s motive as he stands up beside Curtis. Pulled from my crazy thoughts I realize that Amy is expecting a response. “I’m trying not to panic. I know in my heart that Curtis loves me. That Curtis is choosing me. I just don’t know that I trust Jimmy enough to want him to stand up with us as we declare our commitment to each other.” I make eye contact with her and feel the intensity of her eyes as they watch me. “Does that make me a bad person?”

  Without answering, she pulled me into her arms. She held me as my tears rolled down my face. “You are far from a bad person Honey. You have every right to feel the way you do. From what I have gathered, Jimmy has been poking around looking for a weakness in Curtis and your relationship. Luckily for you,” she pulled back and winked at me, “he hasn’t found one. My only words of advice are, speak up for yourself because nobody else will.” She kissed my cheek and walked out of the room. I took a minute to get myself together before joining the ladies in the living room.

  The group of us visited while my mom made a big salad for lunch. The topic of what everyone was wearing didn’t come up again. After a few hours, everyone was heading off on their own. My mom and Caroline hung back for a little bit, which gave me the perfect opportunity to ask her to be my matron of honor. I didn’t give her much choice, but I did tell her she could wear whatever she wanted. I didn’t have a preference on color or style. The two of them left with finding the perfect dress as their sole mission.

  When they left, I climbed back into bed where I planned to take a short nap before Curtis got home. Reality, I woke hours later to voices that I recognized. My heart broke that he is out there spending time with Jimmy, did he even bother to check on me? I can’t be sure one way or the other that he did.

  CURTIS

  I was shocked to see Jimmy standing alongside the field after school. When I messaged him this morning, I just needed him to contact Natalie’s mom to coordinate getting her the dress. I hadn’t heard from Natalie since talking to her at lunchtime. I assume she has been busy with the girls, I know her mom and sister were there. I figure if she needed me, she would have contacted me.

  “Hey man. I didn’t have much to do this week, since I was supposed to be on my honeymoon. It was just as easy for me to bring the dress here as it was to meet up with Natalie’s mom. Don’t worry, I got them the dress.” We shake hands and he grips my shoulder at the same time.

  “What are you doing here? I still have two hours of practice before I’m done for the day.” I am confused about him being here. I didn’t invite him, I hope that isn’t what he got from my messages this morning.

  “I figured I could help out with practice.” At that point the guys were all making their way out onto the field, so I didn’t have time to argue with Jimmy. Not to mention, Jimmy is an excellent soccer player. For the next two hours, we worked side by side and back to back with the team. He took the defenders while I worked with offense, then we switched. At the end of practice, I met with the players to announce the change in our practice schedule. Regular practice on Thursday but Friday we’d have early morning practice before school.

  As the guys left the field, Kyler hung back to see if he could help with anything before the wedding. I told him I’d know more once I got home and found out from Natalie where we stood. I let him know I’d text him if we needed his help with anything.

  Walking away from the field, I asked Jimmy what his plan was. He said he didn’t have a plan and was hoping he could crash at our place for the next couple of nights. For a brief second I hesitated in responding. I felt awful when I realized I didn’t want him staying with us. We are days away from getting married, we still have a lot of shit to figure out between us and having him there isn’t going to make that any easier. But what can I say? I still feel bad for him, his life isn’t what he expected. A week ago, he had plans to be married and enjoying his honeymoon right now.

  “Listen. I need to double check with Natalie before I agree to let you stay. If I had to guess, we have a handful of things that we need to get done before Saturday.” He was putting me on the spot and I wasn’t doing a very good job of dealing with it.

  “No worries, why don’t you head home. I’ll got get pizza and some beer. That will give you a little time to talk to her. If I need to get a hotel, I can.” In theory, it sounded good. Hind sight, it wasn’t.

  When I got home I found Natalie sound asleep in our bed. Poor girl is exhausted. I am thankful she is tired and so far, hasn’t had any morning sickness. She said her sister didn’t have any so we’re hoping she won’t either. I didn’t want to wake her up, but I also didn’t like making these kind of decisions without her input. Especially when it comes to Jimmy, I know she is already hypersensitive to him so this isn’t going to help.

  With Natalie asleep, I contact Amy to see how things had gone today. I knew she got her dress and I believe Sierra was bringing her the box of our Mom and Grandma Rose’s stuff. I also wanted to know if she had asked the girls to be in the wedding. She answered on the first ring, “Good timing, I just put dinner in the oven. How’s it going?”

  “Good. I just got home and Natalie is in the same place I left her this morning. In bed sound, asleep. How did things go today?” I stood in the front window waiting for Jimmy to show up.

  “I think everything went great. The dress fits, she picked her things from your Mom and Grandma’s stuff. I talked to her briefly after you did,” she paused clearly waiting for me to do or say something but I had no clue what it was. “I think she has reservations about Jimmy being in the wedding. She was planning on telling you tonight. She didn’t ask Sierra or Hannah to be the in wedding. I think the only reason was because she figured it was the only sure fire way to keep Jimmy out of it. Honey, you need to understand that she loves you but she doesn’t want to compete with him on her wedding day. She doesn’t want him to have your attention on the biggest day of her life. It’s your job to s
ee that it doesn’t turn out that way. He may be your friend, but she needs this day to be about just the two of you.”

  Damn, leave it to Amy to explain it in a way that clicks. I started to see it out on the field when Jimmy asked to stay with us for the next couple of days; now however, it’s crystal clear. My heart stops as I realize what must happen when Jimmy arrives. “I get it. It took me long enough huh? Damn it. I keep fucking it up when it comes to him.”

  “Honey, listen to me. I don’t need to know everything to know that he clearly still has feelings for you. You need to stop anything that might be leading him on. Then encourage him to find his own, because Natalie isn’t going to allow any sharing.” Not how I wanted to spend my night.

  “He just pulled in, no time like the present to do this. I’ll call you tomorrow. Thank you for always knowing just what I need to hear. Love you.” I think it’s the first time I’ve said the words, but I knew them to be true for quite some time now.

  “Love you too Curtis. Just like one of my own. Let me know if you need anything. If Jimmy really needs a place to stay, we’ve got the room here.” I couldn’t ask for more.

  We said good bye as I stood waiting with the front door wide open. I watched him walk up to the door with a cocky swagger, clearly thinking I might find that appealing. He apparently hasn’t heard any of my previous explanations about only wanting Natalie. I realized, based on the amount of beer he was carrying in, that he wants to get drunk. I’m sure he’s hoping I will do the same, at which point the lines might blur. Time to stop it before it goes anywhere.