Where It All Began

by Lorana Hoopes

  He smiled and unwrapped the gift I had gotten for him. As he pulled out the book he had wanted, his smile deepened. “You remembered.”

  “Of course I remembered.” I swatted him playfully on the arm. “You didn’t already buy it for yourself, did you?”

  “No, I was hoping my very attentive girlfriend would cover that base.” He laughed and kissed my nose. “Okay, now you.” He stared at me as I began to unwrap the little box.

  Beneath the red paper was a small black jewelry box. A lump formed in my throat, and I raised silent eyes on him.

  “Go ahead,” he teased. “Open it.”

  I took a deep breath and eased the lid open, anticipating the sparkle of a diamond ring, but there was nothing there. I blinked in confusion. “It’s empty.”

  Henry rose from the couch and knelt on one knee before me. He clasped my hand with his left as he reached for his pocket with his right. “Sandra, I know it’s been just over a year, but I can’t imagine my life without you in it. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” His right hand pulled out a simple gold band with a small diamond. It wasn’t much, but it filled my heart with joy.

  Unable to contain my excitement any longer, I threw my arms around his neck. “Of course I’ll marry you,” I whispered and met his lips with my own.

  “Hey get a room,” Raquel teased from the love seat across from us.

  I blushed as we pulled apart. Henry slid the ring on my finger and swung me around. We finished opening the gifts, but I couldn't help staring at the simple flash on my left hand. As the evening came to a close, Raquel pulled me aside. "I'm so happy for you.”

  A feeling of astonishment raced through me. "I kind of can't believe it."

  "You deserve it," Raquel said.

  Though the words were meant to console me, they hit my weak spot instead. I didn't deserve Henry; I had lied to him. A rock settled in my stomach, and I tried to swallow the guilt away. Flashing a hesitant smile, I walked my friend to the door and bade her and Greg good-bye. As the door closed, Henry enveloped me in his arms.

  "What's wrong?” He asked into my hair, “You seem a little off."

  I turned my head up to kiss him. “No, I’m fine,” I lied, “I’m just so happy.”

  “Well, it’s late, and I should retire and let you get some sleep.” Henry cupped my face, “Can I come see you tomorrow?”

  “Of course,” I smiled. He placed his lips on mine one final time before leaving.

  After the door closed behind him, I retired to my bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed and examined the ring. I wanted to marry him more than anything, but would he want to marry me if he knew my past? Would it be right not to tell him? My stomach churned at the thought of starting our marriage out in a lie, but I had worked so hard to be different. I couldn’t lose him. I just couldn’t. I pushed the thought aside. It wouldn’t be important. What was important was us starting new. That was all that mattered.

  Too Good to be True?

  The days wore on in much the same fashion: work, evenings with Henry, planning the wedding with Bride magazine in my room late at night, and church on Sundays.

  It was around Valentine’s Day that Raquel announced her engagement as well, with a ring three times the size of mine. Though I tried not to be jealous, it was awfully hard to ignore the sparkle on Raquel’s hand. That being said, there’s nothing like sharing ideas for your wedding with your best friend, and I was elated to share the experience with her and gather her advice.

  “We should go look at dresses,” Raquel said one afternoon as we were clocking out.

  I shrugged. “Sure, I’m not seeing Henry tonight. He had to work late. Do you think any stores are still open?”

  “One way to find out.” Raquel slung her purse over her shoulder and led the way to the parking lot. Deciding to just take one car to conserve gasoline, we climbed into her BMW.

  A few minutes later we arrived at a shopping center. A bridal store sat prominently in the center, but it oozed the definition of expensive. Its sign alone was bigger than the other stores’ signs put together. I bit my lip as I exited the car. Though I wouldn’t be able to afford anything in here, it couldn’t hurt to look. I just had to remind myself not to get excited.

  As we entered the store, a woman in a spotless blue suit with her hair pulled back in a bun greeted us. She clasped her hands in front of her chest and tilted her nose upward. “Welcome to Bonita, who’s getting married?” Her eyes darted from Raquel to myself, but they returned and fixed on Raquel.

  “Actually we both are,” Raquel smiled, “but I think her wedding will be first.” She pointed to me, and a blush burned across my face as the woman turned her attention to me.

  “Yes, I’m getting married in six months,” I stammered.

  “Well, that should give us time.” She unclasped her hands and pursed her lips. “What are you looking for?”

  “Oh, something simple, white, maybe some lace,” I said as I ground my toe into the ground.

  The woman cocked her head, and her eyes traveled from my feet up to my head. “You’re an eight or a ten?”

  “Umm, a ten usually.”

  “Right; follow me, and we’ll see what we have.”

  “Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Raquel squealed.

  I smiled half-heartedly and followed the woman, but I didn’t really see the fun in trying on dresses I could never afford. As we traversed the sea of dresses, I glimpsed a tag and nearly laughed out loud. $4000? I’d never be able to afford even half that much.

  The woman led us to the changing rooms at the back of the store. To the left was a raised platform, carpeted in pink and surrounded by three full length mirrors.

  “Take the middle one,” the lady pointed, “and I’ll bring you some dresses.”

  I obliged and waited until the first dress appeared over the top of the changing door. It was a beautiful white satin dress with a long train covered in lace and beads. Finding the tag near the zipper, I turned it over and sighed. $6000. I almost didn’t want to try it on in case I loved it, but I knew Raquel would never let me go without trying something. It fit perfectly. As I opened the door, Raquel gasped and clapped. I blushed but continued to the raised platform. The dress was a dream come true, if not a little showy, but I forced myself to focus on the negative so that I wouldn’t get excited, knowing I’d never be able to afford it.

  “What do you think?” the sales lady asked.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said, “but a little out of my price range. Even if I could clock a lot of overtime, I’d never afford this.”

  The woman’s lips flattened and her nose rose in the air. “I see. Well, I’ll check to see what we have on the sales rack.” She spun around and marched off.

  “I don’t think she liked that,” Raquel whispered smiling.

  “I don’t either, but I can’t afford six thousand dollars.”

  Raquel whistled. “Yeah that is a pretty penny, even for me. It is beautiful, though.”

  The woman returned a few minutes later with another few dresses. I took one and returned to the dressing room. After carefully removing the first dress so as not to harm any piece of it, I then slipped the new dress on. It was much simpler: no beads, but still plenty of lace. The price was better – only $3000 – but still way out of my league. I rolled my eyes, but opened the door to show it off.

  “Oh, that’s nice too,” Raquel said as I stepped on the platform for the second time.

  “How’s the price on that one?” the woman asked with disdain.

  I blushed. “Um, better, but still more than I can afford.”

  The woman flipped through the tags of the other dresses she had brought over. She pulled out a dress near the bottom and held it up. “$1000 is the cheapest one I have.” The contempt in her voice was nearly palpable.

  “Well, it’s very nice; they all are, but I’m afraid I can’t afford it either.” The woman scowled – probably feeling that we had wasted her time – so
I quickly added, “Maybe Raquel should try some on now since she can afford more than I can.”

  The woman’s face brightened at that prospect. “Yes, let’s do that. What are you, a six?”

  Raquel nodded, and I returned to the dressing room to change back into my clothes. If $1000 was the cheapest dress, I’d either have to find a way to earn the money or find a store that sold cheaper dresses. After putting my street clothes back on and hanging up the dress, I returned to the platform area to watch Raquel try on dresses.

  Raquel’s personality was much flashier than I, and her dresses matched her taste. All of them had plunging necklines and long trains, and it seemed each one had more beads than the last. The final dress she tried on was off the shoulder, had a bodice bedecked in beads, and a six-foot long train. “This is perfect,” Raquel sighed.

  “It’s one of my favorites,” the woman agreed smiling. “Shall I put it on hold for you?”

  “Oh, I’d love that,” Raquel smiled back, “but do you have a temporary hold? I’d like my mother to see it before I decide to buy it.”

  “Of course; we can hold it for seven days, but then we’ll have to put it back on the floor.”

  “That’s fine.” Raquel winked at me and returned to the dressing room to change. Afterwards, we followed the woman to the front where Raquel filled out some paperwork.

  “Are you really going to buy that dress?” I whispered as we pushed open the door of the shop and walked into the parking lot.

  “Doubtful,” Raquel said, knitting her eyebrows together, “That dress was $10000. That’s even out of my league.”

  My jaw dropped. “But you asked her to hold it.”

  She waved her hand in the air. “Of course I did; the sales people are always nicer if they think you’ll come back. I didn’t give accurate information though.”

  Shaking my head, I climbed into Raquel’s car. I didn’t think I’d ever understand rich people.

  Raquel slid into her seat and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. Her brow furrowed and she twitched her lips to one side. Then she snapped her fingers, her eyes sparkling. “Aha, I’ve got it. Do you feel up to going to one more place?”

  I shrugged. “As long as it has dresses under a thousand dollars please.”

  “Yeah, I think this place will be perfect. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it first.” She pointed the car north, and fifteen minutes later, we pulled into another shopping center. This one was smaller and much older.

  I scanned the store names but nothing appeared very bride-like. “Where is it?”

  “There.” Raquel pointed to a small shop at the very end of the strip mall. The sign was so tiny that I couldn’t even read it from where we were. Raquel parked the car, and we walked up to the door. LE BRIDE was stenciled in white lettering across the glass door. Raising an eyebrow, I swallowed my apprehension and followed Raquel into the shop.

  A short plump woman greeted us as a tiny bell tinkled our arrival. She wasn’t dressed in a suit, but an old blue and white dress. However, she exuded an air of friendliness. “Welcome to Le Bride. How can I help the two of you today?”

  The knot of apprehension fizzled as the woman spoke. The woman looked like an older version of Mrs. Butterworth, though with gray hair and the name of Helen on her name badge. “I’m getting married in six months,” I said. “I need something white and affordable.”

  Helen smiled. “I have just the thing. Come with me.”

  She moseyed toward the back, and we followed her. Helen flicked through a few racks, clicking her tongue and grabbing a few dresses as she went.

  “Here we are dearie; try these on.” She folded the bundle over my arm, and I stepped into the small dressing room and hung the dresses up on the supplied hook. I inspected the first dress, but with its overzealous beading pattern, it didn’t fit my style. Moving it to the side, I gasped as my eyes landed on the second dress. It was simple, but elegant. Lace covered the bodice and part of the back. The satin rippled like a sea of milk. I slid the dress on before even looking for a tag and sighed. My hands ran down the sides; it was a perfect fit. The white offset my darker skin, making me appear to glow. I twirled in front of the full length mirror in the room enjoying the vision from all sides.

  I opened the door and smiled as Raquel gasped. “Right?” I asked. “I think it’s perfect.”

  “I agree. You look like an angel.”

  The woman appeared and pulled a pencil from somewhere in her gray hair. “Ah, yes, I knew this would be lovely. It is absolutely perfect on you, my dear.”

  I bit my lip hoping it was affordable. “Can I ask how much?” Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I waited for the woman’s answer.

  “It’s on sale this week for $300.”

  My heart fluttered. It was expensive, but not unaffordable. “I’ll take it.” I turned back to the mirror and beamed at my reflection. This was really happening.

  After paying the bill, I carried the new dress, wrapped in a beautiful gold lame box with a white bow, out to Raquel’s car. “Now, I just have to make sure Henry doesn’t find it, and I don’t gain a ton of weight.”

  “I’ll make sure of the latter, but the former is up to you,” Raquel smiled.

  A few weeks later, Henry and I met up to taste cakes for the wedding.

  “Are you sure about this place?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at the small brick building that seemed out of place amidst the taller, newer buildings filling the rest of the block.

  He smiled. “Don’t worry, she’s a client of mine. I know it doesn’t look like much, but she’s the best baker around.” He opened the front door, and we stepped inside the little shop.

  Just three small silver tables with two chairs each sat in the small room. A glass cabinet housed a variety of tasty-looking treats. I had to admit the shop inside did look much better than the outside. A bell above the door announced our entrance, and a petite blond woman emerged from a door at the back, wiping her hands on her flour covered apron. A stray smudge covered her right cheek.

  “Henry,” – she smiled, and her eyes lit up – “It’s not Thursday; what brings you here today?”

  “Hi Cassie. This is my fiancée Sandra. I told her you were the best baker around, and I’m hoping you have some cakes we can taste today. I’d love to have you do the cake for our wedding.”

  She clapped her hands together and swayed back and forth on her feet. “I’d love to do that. I’m so happy for you.” She turned her attention to me. “You’ve got a good man here. He’s one of the best.”

  I gazed at Henry and smiled back. “I think so too.”

  “Okay, have a seat, and I’ll bring you some cakes to taste.” She turned and disappeared into the back again, and we chose the table nearest the small storefront window.

  “She seems to know you well.” I tried not to sound as jealous as I felt, but images of Peter and Sheila flashed in my mind.

  Henry’s eyes twinkled. “Don’t be jealous. I helped her write a great insurance policy when everyone else was trying to get her to close shop so they could take over her lot. That’s why she likes me. Plus, I come nearly every Thursday for her fruit tarts. They are amazing.”

  “I wasn’t jealous.” I wrinkled my brow at him, surprised that he could read me so well. “Just curious.”

  Cassie appeared a moment later with four small white plates. Each held a different slice of cake. “We have classic white cake with a lemon filling, classic chocolate cake with a strawberry filling, a German Chocolate cake, and a marble cake with raspberry filling.” She handed each of us a fork. “I’ll let you taste, and I’ll be back in a moment.”

  I picked up the dainty silver fork and eyed the tasty desserts. “Which one shall we start with?”

  “Whichever one you like; I’ll let you decide because I’ll probably love them all.”

  “Hmm, I think the white cake first.” I pushed the fork through the soft cake and brought the bite to my mouth. The tart lemon flavor lit up
my taste buds. “Mm, that’s good.”

  Henry took a bite and smiled back. “Pretty good, and I’m not even much of a lemon fan.”

  After a drink of water to clear the taste, I decided on the marble cake next, which was even more delicious. Then the chocolate cake, simply to-die-for. Finally, I took a bite of the German chocolate cake. Though delicious, it didn’t scream wedding cake fare to me. “Okay, so which do you like?” Please say chocolate.

  He twisted his lips and narrowed his eyes in thought. “I think . . . I think I like the German chocolate cake the best.”

  I wrinkled my nose and blinked. “Are you sure? I mean it is delicious, but don’t you think it’s kind of odd for a wedding cake?”

  “I like being different,” he said. “Why? Which one is your favorite?”

  “The chocolate one, but really they were all good.” I thought for a moment. “I’ll tell you what, you can have the German chocolate cake, but you have to give me something in return.”

  He tilted his head back, one eyebrow raising on his forehead. “Like what?”

  I tapped a finger to my lips. What might be something he would fight me on? An idea popped in my mind, and I smiled. “I get to choose the wedding colors.”

  Henry cocked his head. I could almost see wheels turning in his head as if trying to decide if this was a good choice or not. “Okay, deal.”

  “Shake on it,” I demanded, thrusting out my hand.

  He grasped it and pumped twice. “Cassie? We’ve decided.”

  Cassie entered the small room carrying a notepad and pen. “Okay, what’s it going to be?”

  “We’re going to do the German chocolate cake,” Henry said as he stood up and crossed to the counter.

  Her eyes widened slightly, “Really?” She turned her eyes to me, “You agree?”

  I joined Henry at the counter. “I traded. Cake for wedding colors.”

  Cassie nodded knowingly. “Ah, smart girl.”

  “Why do I get the feeling I just got played?” Henry glanced from Cassie to me and back again.