WIFEABLE :: ORIGINAL

weddings & receptions

Jelisa was getting married today.

She should be happy—ecstatic even—but she wasn't. At all.

She was scared.

Cody, Sanai, and her other bridesmaids watched the bride-to-be pace across the room. She had a full face on, her platinum blond hair—which grew so much in just a year—ready to be taken out of the pin curls and flow effortlessly around her face on some Marilyn Monroe shit. Her dress was hanging on one of the closet doors of the venue dressing room, ready to be put on.

"Lisa, I think you should just put the dress on and we'll go from there," Whitney, William's sister, told her quietly, secretly recording her.

"What if it doesn't fit anymore?" she said, biting her lip. Good thing her lipstick was transfer-proof. "I mean, it's been a few months—"

"But try it," Sanai interjected, furrowing her brows and pouting, "This is about more than the dress, but I'm telling you now that everything, and I mean everything, will be okay."

"But—"

"Hey," Cody stood, smoothing her champagne colored dress down and walking to her best friend, "come here."

"What, Cody—"

"You are going to have a bomb ass wedding. I'm jealous. As fuck. Your fiancé is fine as hell. You're fine as hell. Y'all gon' be fine as fuck together, forever. I promise you. You're freaking out for no reason whatsoever. Everything is set in place and all you have to do is walk, say some cute ass vows, and dance and drink your ass off. That's it."

"But—"

"B-B-B-But nothing," she said in a goofy voice, making Jelisa laugh, "there we go. So come put this dress on," she beckoned the other bridesmaids to help her, "then your shoes, then take this shit out of your hair. Sit down."

"Okay," Jelisa blinked a few times and sat at the vanity, watching Cody take the pins in her hair out, "Cody."

"Yes?"

"Am I really fine?"

"Yes."

"Okay," she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to breathe. There was a knock at the door and Jelisa turned her head to see who it was.

"How's she doing?" she heard Joseph ask.

"I'm fine now," Jelisa answered tiredly.

"Don't sound like it," he stood beside her and looked in the mirror, "you look good, honey."

"Thanks dad," she smiled softly, "where's mom?"

"She's okay. She's coming back in a little bit," he replied. Since learning that she couldn't do anything about Jelisa and William's relationship, and also having a heart-to-heart with her daughter, Wanda soon realized that this was actually happening and she embraced it all. They even had a groupchat with Jelisa's parents and William's mom. Everyone was cordial and mature about it.

Jelisa was moderately happy that her mom got to witness her getting married, but a little bit of her wished her mom hadn't moved to Philly with her aunt because she "felt like it."

"She's okay?" Jelisa asked.

"Mhm. Talking to Neicey."

"The ex wife and the girlfriend," Cody giggled, fluffing Jelisa's pressed curls out, "have you seen Layla?"

"With her dad," Joseph replied, referring to Cody's nine month old baby, who was literally her mother in infant form. The cutest. "Lisa, your brother's here."