by Melissa Hill
It was actually Rachel’s reminder that had set her plans into action. After locking up for the night, she had rushed home and pulled out her laptop.
She searched her email for a message from Rachel to all of the wedding party, and using the contact details listed, sent out a quick note to Linda and Cora asking them if they could meet her at the cafe a little before the appointed time.
Her intention was that the three could get together and quickly discuss the tentative plans Terri had made for Rachel’s hen party in New York.
But by the way the women prattled on about this and that, the brunch menu offerings, and the colour of Terri’s hair, she started to regret ever dragging them into it.
She stopped Linda midway through a sentence about the price of freshly squeezed, organic orange juice. “Listen, as I mentioned in my email, I want to discuss the plans for Rachel’s hen party. Where I think we should start is with the—”
“Oh, Linda and I have already organised that. There’s no need for you to worry about it.” Cora was blunt as she waved her hand at Terri’s ideas.
“Wait? What?” She was in complete disbelief. She had never been in a wedding party, let alone be named the chief bridesmaid, yet she still knew that it was definitely her job to plan and supervise the hen party.
And besides the wedding itself, it was another landmark event Rachel talked nonstop about. As the two couldn't get more time off from the restaurant at the same time to do something in Dublin, Rachel was really looking forward to a last night out in New York as a single woman.
“We went ahead and talked to the wedding planner, Michelle, and she made all the arrangements.” Linda, like her sister, was dismissive of Terri’s surprise.
It was if they had expected her to fail at the task.
“Okay… well… can you at least tell me what you have planned?” Terri’s interest was well and truly piqued.
On many occasions, Rachel had told Terri that she didn't know her cousins terribly well, so for them to think that they knew her better than Terri seemed a bit absurd, at least in principle.
Linda pulled out several brochures and slid them across the table. Little sticky notes were attached the pages with dates and times written on them. “We thought we would start at the spa. There's a great one in the hotel already. Michelle says they give the best manicure and pedicures.”
Terri nodded. The wedding party, along with all confirmed guests were staying in the same midtown New York hotel, thanks to a group discount organised by Rachel’s trusty wedding planner.
A spa day wouldn’t be too bad. And with all the stress of the planning Rachel had taken upon herself, her friend might finally be able to chill out and enjoy it.
“And then, after the welcome dinner, we're all going out for drinks!” Cora became extremely animated as she described some New York bar that hosted American line dancing. “I hear it’s real authentic.” Her fake American accent was even worse than her fake posh one.
Terri couldn’t help but laugh at the notion though. Line dancing?
“And.” Linda eyed her with a sheepish grin on her face. She leaned in close across the table and her voice lowering to a whisper, she excitedly announced. “We booked tickets to the ‘Wild Stallion Show!’”
Cora giggled like a young schoolgirl, nudging her sister to continue. Linda lowered her voice further as Terri tried to get a better grip on what she was saying, “The men get completely naked apparently! Can you believe that? Rachel is just going to die.”
Oh God. … Terri had no doubt that Rachel would have some kind of strong reaction, yes. In all their conversations, never once had she ever mentioned to Terri that her idea of a great night out in New York included gyrating men in cowboy hats and tiny speedos.
Terri would have stopped them, would have tried to change her cousins’ minds, but with the tickets already booked and the girls so proud of themselves, she couldn’t realistically say a word against it.
She would just let this ship sail on its own and hopefully make it up to Rachel in her own way.
Cora and Linda continued chatting about details of the hen night.
They went through their own potential outfits, the merits of wearing heels with all the walking they were to do, how much money to tip the strippers, and if it was worth getting a massage with the spa day package. Terri simply nodded and smiled, all the while checking her wristwatch for the time, as well as the cafe entrance for Rachel’s arrival.
At eleven on the dot — on time as always — the bride-to-be walked through the door gracefully, looking as though she had just stepped off a runway.
Her bulky blue wedding binder was clutched tightly in one slender arm, and she held on to a pair of large, designer sunglasses in her opposite hand.
She took off her wide brim hat as she approached, her dark hair falling like waves down her back. She had grown out her usual shorter style for the wedding, so there was enough length for a traditional bridal up-do, and while her friend always looked sensational, there seemed an almost ethereal glow about Rachel now that work had finished, and all she had to focus on was her beloved big day.
5
Rachel smiled brightly when she saw that Terri had already arrived.
Not only that, she had seemed to have struck up a pleasant chit-chat with her cousins. Still, Terri still returned her smile with a pleading, helpless look that screamed, “Save me!”
Rachel greeted her cousins with the same fervour as the two women had greeted Terri. The first five minutes of the conversation alone were spent with the two sisters going on and on about Rachel’s new hairstyle, and the dress she was wearing. At one point, they even forced her to stand up and do a twirl so that they could admire the garment.
Rachel next showed off her Tiffany engagement ring—a large diamond with clusters of smaller stones surrounding the oval shape—and relayed the story about Gary proposal — the genuine one in Central Park - Terri noted smiling.
By now, it was almost as if Rachel had forgotten about her and Gary’s first, and much more dubious proposal, that had stemmed from a mix-up following a yellow-cab accident on Fifth Avenue.
Again, Terri felt an unbidden twinge of regret as she thought about the other party involved in that mix-up.
Rachel was explaining to the cousins that for her, there was no other place in the world for Gary and her to seal her vows. She would return to New York, under those same city skyscrapers and in that very same location, promise her everlasting love to the man who had made her greatest dream come true.
“Gary and I have a connection to that city that will last as long as this diamond. We just had to go back and get married there.”
Terri had to bite her tongue at this bit, because she knew well that Gary had had very little say in the location, or indeed the wedding itself.
Despite their big day being apparently a shared desire, she knew he’d hardly lifted a finger with any of the arrangements, or barely offered a definite opinion on anything remotely involving the wedding. He was either too busy or too tired to help Rachel make decisions.
And when it came to picking the event’s location, he gave his fiancé free rein to decide, but had not defended her choice.
Instead, Terri knew he’d let his fiancee fall on her sword when his mother became upset over the distance the family would need to travel to attend the ceremony.
Rachel spent days going over the details with Mary Knowles in hopes of smoothing everything out while Gary, on the other hand, sat back and let her deal with the dramatics that ensued when the invites first went out.
For her part, Terri as always, had not been shy in communicating her annoyance over Gary’s lack of interest and involvement.
There’d never been any love lost between the two of them in any case — especially after what had happened in New York before — but also, because Gary couldn't be bothered, Terri had little choice but to act as stand-in. She even went with Rachel to the tux selection in her fiancé's place becaus
e he conveniently couldn't take time away from a job.
Whenever she expressed these valid concerns; however, Rachel brushed her off. As usual, she justified Gary’s behaviour with some excuse about his workload, or how he had in fact made a decision on this minor thing or that.
As always, Gary Knowles was Rachel’s blind spot, and at this point, Terri really should know better than to try and change it.
All she could do in the meantime, was try to get over her long-held dislike and suspicion of her friend’s husband-to-be.
But more often than not the guy made that impossible.
As the four women tucked into brunch, Rachel began discussing the agenda for the rest of the week.
“Myself and Gary are leaving tomorrow morning on the early service to JFK. Terri’s on our flight too and we should arrive at around three or so, New York time. What time’s your flight on Thursday?”
“Not getting in until all hours unfortunately. We couldn’t afford the earlier flight. But we’ll be there in time for your hen night, don’t worry.”
Terri brightened a little as she recognised the opportunity for her and Rachel to spend some time alone in the city before the wedding, without the dreaded cousins trailing them.
“Gary and I have a million and one things to do before the big day of course. We have to meet with the florist, the stylist, and Michelle too of course! Oh I can’t wait.”
“It all sounds so exciting.” Cora was sincere and unlike Terri, seemed totally entranced by all aspects of the wedding planning.
“Then the night before, we have the welcome dinner for all our guests. It’ll be small but a nice opportunity for people to meet up beforehand, and for us to say thanks to everyone for taking the trouble to travel to be with us. It should be glam enough so be sure to bring dresses and heels!” she told them excitedly.
“Sound brilliant.” Cora interjected, “Any decent men going to be there?”
“Oh yes. Single men preferably!” Linda was practically bouncing out of her seat in excitement.
“Well …” Rachel took out her binder, and opened the page to the confirmed guest list for her New York wedding. She ran her finger down the page, stopping on the names of the men primarily from Gary’s side. “Gary’s first cousin Aaron will be there, as well as a couple of lads from the firm, Jack and Tom. I think Tom is seeing someone, though. And of course there’s Sean, the best man, but between you and me …” She made a face.
“Then on my side, of course Justin will be there with his partner ….” Rachel continued down the list, then paused and glanced at Terri with dubious eyes, unsure if she wanted to continue or not. “And Ethan,” she added quietly.
Terri’s breath stopped short. She stared at Rachel, unable to believe it.
At no point had her friend ever mentioned that she had planned to invite him to the wedding.
The cousins immediately picked up on the atmosphere.
“Ethan who?” Linda asked. “Does he work at the restaurant or something?”
Terri folded her arms across her chest, wrinkling the black button down shirt she wore. With her gaze never wavering from Rachel, she replied curtly, “Ethan Greene is my ex. And I did not know he was invited.”
6
“This colour just horrible. Who in their right mind decides on such a pastel shade for Irish skin tones?”
Terri rolled her eyes at Linda’s complaints. First it was the dress length, then it was the straps, now she had moved on to the colour. Given the surprise Rachel had landed on her at brunch earlier, it was getting all a bit too much for her to take.
“Well, she picked the colour to go with the whole Tiffany’s theme obviously.” Terri attempted to justify Rachel’s choice for her, but she knew that it would be futile.
The girls had no clue about the story leading up to Rachel and Gary’s engagement, and so the part Tiffany & Co had played in it would be lost on them.
Thankfully Rachel wasn't going overboard on it either, just the bridesmaids’ dresses and a few other little touches here and there with the flowers and on the cake.
Terri sighed. At this stage, she just wanted the entire day to be over.
Cora sneered as she poked her head out of the dressing room.
“Terri, zip me up will you?” She duly obliged and the two waited for the other woman to appear to show the dresses off to the waiting bride who, Terri hoped, was blissfully unaware of all the complaining her bridesmaids were doing.
Linda soon poked her head out and the two headed to the showroom where Rachel had buried her nose in her binder. A pencil in her hair and a pen in her hand, she diligently took notes. She was furiously scribbling on a piece of paper when the girls approached the small podium.
It was the fitting attendant who saw them first.
Rachel looked up as she dropped her binder to the chair next to her. Her hands covered her heart and then her mouth.
Terri could tell she was genuinely choked up over the moment.
Her voice muttered through her hands, “You look so beautiful.” She stared directly at Terri when she gave her compliments. The other girls only received a quick up and down glance of approval.
Rachel stood up and walked to Terri’s podium. She circled her awkwardly, breathlessly taking in the robin’s egg blue-coloured silk and how it draped across Terri’s pale shoulders.
The scooped sweetheart neckline plunged a bit lower than what Terri was comfortable with, but she did agree that this particular colour was actually quite good with her hair.
The alterations attendant followed behind Rachel, as they made notes about the Linda and Cora’s dresses. Linda would need to watch her eating as her zipper had already begun to struggle.
Cora, on the other hand, practically swam in the thick dress she had picked as her style choice. The attendant scolded both of them as she ushered them quickly back to the dressing rooms.
When they returned, Rachel was missing. She had slipped out to try on her wedding dress one last time.
The three bridesmaids sat side by side waiting patiently.
As the moments ticked by, Terri worried that there was something wrong with Rachel’s dress—a nightmare that her friend had confessed she’d had several times recently.
Her fears were made worse when the attendant returned seeking Terri’s assistance.
“Should we come as well?” Linda began to stand, heading towards the door.
“No. She only wanted to see her chief bridesmaid.” The attendant attempted to handle the situation gracefully, but Linda let out a frustrated and exaggerated sigh as she returned to her seat.
“Well, I suppose we'll just sit here and wait until she feels that we're important enough to be graced with her presence. It’s not like we have anything better to do today besides wait around.” Linda stuck up her chin and bitterly turned her head away, as Terri and the attendant retreated to the dressing area designated for brides only.
Sounds of whimpering came from inside the dressing room as Terri picked up speed. She urgently knocked on the door as the attendant stood some feet behind her.
“Rach, it’s me. Open the door okay?”
The muffled cries stopped for a moment as she whispered, “Just you?”
“Yes. I’m sure the attendant won’t mind giving us a second alone to chat.” Terri turned towards the woman who nodded sympathetically. Crying brides were the norm for her.
She turned to walk away towards the showroom once more as Rachel cracked open the door just enough for Terri to slip in.
The bride-to-be sat on the floor in a pile of white lace and silk. Her back rested against the dressing room’s lavender walls as her shoulders shook from crying.
Terri joined her friend on the floor, sitting cross legged in front of her.
Rachel’s black eyeliner ran down the sides of her olive cheeks. Her lipstick was faded and patchy. However, her tears and messy makeup had not diminished her beauty, which still radiated through her wedding dress.
&n
bsp; Terri reached over towards a nearby side table, and grabbed a small pack of tissues.
She handed one to Rachel who blotted the tissue against the black liquid around her eyes.
“Are you ready to tell me what is going on?” Terri was not about to pry, but she worried about the bridal gown running the risk of wrinkles or tears if she couldn’t get Rachel to move up off the ground.
She scooted next to her, carefully moving the skirt of her gown out of her way.
“I’m scared Terri.” Rachel leaned her head on her friend’s shoulders, her emotions overwhelming her afresh. “What if this isn’t real either? What if everything falls apart again? What if Gary doesn’t really mean it?” Her voice edged on the verge of panic as she wrung her hands out in front of her.
Terri edged Rachel’s head upwards so that she would face her. She was wrong before; her friend hadn’t forgotten about what happened the first time round.
And was now worried that her lifelong dream would be shattered once again.
“Rachel, of course it’s real. OK, maybe I can understand the jitters after last time, but this time there’s no confusion, no mistakes.” She picked up Rachel’s hand and indicated her engagement ring. “This is your ring - all yours, given to you in good faith by Gary, one hundred percent his decision. Forget about before, that’s all in the distant past at this stage. He loves you and love him, and that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
“But you don’t love him, do you?” Rachel shot back accusingly. “And I know you still don’t trust him either. What if you're seeing something in Gary that I’m not? I’d hoped this wedding taking place in New York was fitting, and would be a great way for us to recreate the romance of before. But all throughout the planning, he’s just been so... distant. I just don’t know if he actually realises that I'm doing this for us, that it’s not just my dream wedding fantasy.”
