MY PRETEND WIFE

Sealed

Maine stared out into the cloudless sky through the airplane window. They were finally on their way to Italy where her wedding would take place in just two days. It has been a hectic three weeks and Maine was overwhelmed with all the wedding plans that RJ’s mother put her through. Every single day, his mom would pick her up after school and whisk her to the flower shop, the bakery, or to the designer to have her gown fittings. Her schedule was a haze of various to dos that had to be done before the wedding and she did not even have a moment to stop and breathe or even have time to let everything sink into her brain. She also did not see  RJ that much during those three weeks as he was busy wrapping up some paper works that were needed before the wedding.

Maine was glad that those three weeks were finally behind her and with RJ’s mom's help all the plans for the wedding had miraculously fallen into place. Up to now she still could not get over the fact that she was having her wedding in Italy. Madame Faulkerson has booked the Villa de Ulignano. It was a villa in the Tuscan countryside that was just outside Volterra. She had shown her pictures of it in the internet and she had fallen in love with it immediately. It has its own private chapel where the ceremony was to take place and their 30 guests will be dining outdoors under the Tuscan moonlight. Madame Faulkerson did not bother Maine at all with the financial aspect of the wedding. She had generously paid for every single thing related to the wedding in spite of the protests her parents had made. Maine however could not help but google the rates of the villa on the internet and she almost fell out of her seat when she found out how much it costs to rent the whole villa for three days.

As if it was not enough, Madame Faulkerson even chartered a private plane in order to fly Maine and her family to Italy. She, RJ and the rest of the gang has taken another private plane which left earlier that day. Maine could not fathom why they didn’t just take one plane together. Surely the plane was big enough to accommodate them all. Madame Faulkerson has explained that it was necessary to have two planes because she did not want her and RJ to see each other before the wedding. In fact she had booked a separate villa for them to stay in before the big day. Maine was happy though that Joyce opted to ride with her rather than with her husband. Having Joyce near helped ease her apprehensions a little bit.

Upon their arrival, RJ's mom had arranged to have a chauffeured limousine pick them up at the airport. Her parents could not stop marveling at all the grand gestures that the Faulkerson family has done to make the wedding memorable and Maine came to realize that like RJ's best friends, his mom also did not do anything halfway.

Maine’s jaw dropped as soon as they reached the villa. All the pictures she had seen did not do justice to the beauty of the place. It was as if she had stepped inside the pages of a fairytale. The hundred year old villa held a captivating charm that made Maine sigh in wonder.

“Wow!” Joyce exclaimed in awe as she gazed at the villa that was to be the site for Maine’s wedding.

“It’s beautiful!” Maine agreed in a hushed tone. Madame Faulkerson has really taken into heart Maine’s request to have a romantic wedding. There could be nothing more romantic than this place.

Maine took Joyce's hand and they excitedly explored their surroundings. The villa was surrounded with a lot of plants and trees and flowers bloomed everywhere. The air was thick with the smell of honeysuckle and colorful butterflies roamed around the exquisite gardens.

“I feel like I’m a disney princess” Maine commented as she stopped to smell a red rose growing from one of the rose bushes near the side of the villa.

“And what, RJ is your prince charming?” Joyce asked teasingly.

Maine turned to look at her friend with a melancholy smile on her face. “I could always dream couldn’t I?” she replied.

A few miles away, Richard was busy checking out his own villa with his friends. His mother was preoccupied with last minute arrangements for the wedding and had sent them off to amuse themselves. The guys found a secluded spot in a meadow near the villa and settled down to appreciate their surroundings. The villa they were staying at was near a vineyard and they could see the rows and rows of grape vines being cultured in order to make the finest wines.

“So, Richard my man, how are you feeling? The big day is tomorrow.” Jerald asked his best friend.

Richard was quiet for awhile as he assessed his feelings about the situation. “Believe it or not, I feel surprisingly calm.” he finally admitted.

“Really? I was a bundle of nerves during my own wedding?” Kris said.

“Of course I’m also a bit nervous.” Richard explained. “But I’m not as nervous as I thought I would be. For someone who has shunned marriage for a long time, I don’t feel like I’m trapped or suffocated at all.”

“Maybe it’s the person you’re marrying.” Jake suggested. “Would you feel this calm if it was someone else you’re marrying and not Maine? he asked.

“I think you’re right in a way.” Richard acknowledged.