Jennie
I step away from her. There's just one more thread I have to tie up before I can count this as a success. I pull Lena aside and ask, "Have you seen Irene?"
Lena jabs her thumb over her shoulder. "I think she's on the porch."
"Thank you." I head downstairs and dash outside, looking for the wandering bridesmaid.
Irene is leaning against the railing. She has a cigarette hanging between her fingers, with pink curlers in her hair, and she's staring off into the trees behind the house. When the screen door squeaks closed behind me, she glances at me and offers me a small smile.
"Hey." she says.
"Hey yourself." I park myself next to her, while propping my elbows on the railing.
"I had to get out of there for a second." she says. "Smelled too much like burnt ends and hairspray."
I laugh. "You're not kidding." I let the silence settle between us for only a second before I sigh. "Listen... I know today must be hard on you. And if there's anything I can do..."
"I'm not going to throw the wedding, if that's what you're worried about." Irene taps the ash from her cigarette over the edge of the railing.
Inwardly, I'm relieved. Technically, I could walk away now, job well done. But I look at her and she's got a deep frown on her face.
No. Not job well done. I will not let one heart break today. I glance up at her and ask, "What changed your mind?"
Irene tilts her head. "Look at that dumb oaf."
I look up and spot Bambam among his small bachelor party. He is making his rounds around the barn animals, loudly announcing to them, "I'm getting married!" A collie dog scampers away from him and his overwhelming enthusiasm and goes to hide in the barn.
Finally, a grin breaks across Irene's face. "I've never seen him this happy before." She wets her lips and then adds, sincerely, "I love him too much to take that away from him."
I nod at that, understanding. "You're a good friend, Irene. He's lucky to have you in his life."
"Yeah." she says. But the sadness has lifted from her tone. She's proud of that. And she should be. She lifts her hand toward him then and adds, "If he acts this much like a child through the whole wedding ceremony though, I might have to disown his sorry ass."
I laugh at that. "What would they do without us?" I wink. I give her arm a light squeeze.
"Jennie. Are you on?" Ren's voice echoes through my ear.
I hold up a one second finger to Irene and press against my earpiece. "I'm here."
"Ten minutes before this place goes nuclear. Grab your ducklings."
"Copy that." I grip Irene's arm and guide her inside. "Come on inside." She puts out her cigarette, and we both rush upstairs to Mina's room. I clap my hands to get everyone's attention. "Hurry up, it's time!" I call out. "Ten minutes, ladies!"
The scramble that follows is impressive. For once, the country locals and city transplants move as one beast, swapping hair spray and eyeliner to speed up the process. I'm proud of Team Mina; they're all ready to go before I even call time.
I shepherd my girls downstairs. Mina stays behind in the house so she can come out for her reveal. In the meantime, the bridesmaids and I all congregate around the ceremony area. It looks great, if I do say so myself. The whole thing is breath-taking. We have a crowd of people sitting in the white folding chairs, waiting for the ceremony to start. The abandoned train tracks, still overrun with a smattering of grass, run through the centre of the chairs and through the altar. The arbour at the end of the aisle is stunning, someone's old entranceway turned into an honest altar. Painted white and entwined with magnolias, no one can notice the difference. The local pastor from Bambam's church stands underneath the awning, with his bible in hand.
At the end of the arbour stands Bambam. He's looking dapper in a black suit and silver vest. He's like a cowboy ready for the runway. The smile is what does it, though he won't stop smiling his signature gigantic, and ridiculous grin.
His groomsmen stand beside him. Except for one. Lisa appears beside me. Her hair is tidily managed, and she's tucked away in a coal black suit. A thin tie slices her figure in half, and I'm tempted to reach out, grab it, and tug her closer to me.
"You clean up well." I tell her.
"I have to." She scans me over with the same inspecting eye. "I like the dress."
"What about the girl in it?"
"I like her too."
