There comes a time in your life when you stop and look around. You’ll see the mistakes you made, the things you learned to appreciate, the people you’ve come to love or hate, and the past that made you wiser.
You’ll know when the moment comes to reminisce about the wonderful or not so wonderful life you’ve had. It’s usually when you’re about to make a drastic change in your life or when you’re lying on your deathbed.
For me, it was when Andrew walked me down an old gothic French church’s aisle as Ethan’s mother cried in her front row seat and my friends whispered about my “due date.”
“I knew she was cheating on Logan this whole time,” Madeline whispered as she adjusted her short, red dress that hugged her curves perfectly and complimented her blonde hair.
“I don’t think she’s pregnant at all,” Caroline whispered back as she compared the fresh pink roses on the floor to her long, pink dress that was more elegant and beautiful than my own wedding dress.
“Shut up and enjoy your friend’s wedding,” Lauren hissed.
The mention of Logan reminded me of the day he received his wedding invitation and called me.
“You moved to Paris to marry Ethan and instead of building up the courage to tell me when you dumped me, you simply sent a wedding invitation?” he yelled.
“I wanted to tell you, but nothing was set yet.”
“Nothing was set,” he repeated, “Wow. I thought you were different than this Chelsea, I thought you at least had some decency, but instead you’re like every other bitch living in Upper Manhattan. Screw you. I hope God gives Ethan strength to stay married to you, because we both know you don’t deserve him, you don’t deserve anyone.”
“Are you okay?” Andrew whispered beside me as we walked further on.
“Yeah, just a bit distracted,” I admitted.
“Don’t listen to those gossiping bimbos. As long as you and your family know the truth, nothing else matters,” he comforted.
Taking my silence as a bad sign, Andrew muttered, “Ethan looks happy, so why don’t you stop breaking his heart and pretend to be happy as well.”
I stared down at the end of the long aisle where Ethan stood, wearing a tight black suit and a bright, white smile. Seeing Ethan glow as he watched me slowly approach him reminded me of the moment after Logan hung up on me.
I was alone crying into my pink satin pillow before I felt my bed sink a little as another body crawled on.
“What’s wrong, Chelsea?” Ethan whispered in my ear as he attempted untangling my messy hair from my wet arms.
“Logan’s gone,” I managed to say between sobs.
“It’s okay,” he muttered, “He’ll come back. I promise.”
“How do you know?”
“He loves you and people don’t just walk away from the people they love,” he said as he grabbed the last piece of my tangled hair.
“Is that why you’re helping me?” I said, sitting up to see him answer. I didn’t want to miss it, the moment when I knew I had made a mistake. It would be a moment I would cherish and hate forever. It was the moment I finally realized the amount of pain I had caused Ethan.
“Yeah, I’m helping you because I love you,” he replied, staring back at me.
“Okay,” I said before burying my head back into my wet pillow.
I stopped walking and as soon as Andrew felt the pull he turned towards me.
“Chelsea?” he asked.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“What?” he angry hissed.
“He deserves someone who loves him back. This was too much to ask,” I said trying to pull away from Andrew’s grip.
“He knows that, Chelsea, but he’s doing it anyway because he wants to help you. He loves you enough to marry you even though you’ll divorce in a few months. He knows that. He knows this isn’t forever. He knows it’s a right here, right now and for some reason it’s enough. So please, walk because people are starting to whisper.”
“Okay,” I said as I straighten my body posture and reconnected my arm with Andrew’s before walking on.
Within a couple dozen steps, we arrived to the alter and as Andrew handed be off to Ethan, they exchanged a few words before parting.
“She was starting to freak out,” Andrew whispered.
“She would,” Ethan chuckled.
Ethan took hold of my right hand and guided me up the steps where the priest stood. I didn’t want to get married in a church, but Ethan’s mother insisted in a catholic wedding so I had to oblige.
There’s a moment,
“Are we ready?” The priest asked us.
After you’ve stopped and acknowledged the path your life is on,
“Yes,” Ethan and I replied in sync.
Where you imagine what you could have had.
“Okay,” The priest said before clearing his throat.
For some people it’s nothing important,
“Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today…”
Just simple things that aren’t needed and will not be missed,
I torn my eyes away from Ethan’s smiling face and looked at the sea of family and friends that had traveled from New York to Paris. Ethan’s entire family was here and mine was too except for my dad who, like usual, couldn’t make it.
But for others…
My eye caught a familiar face standing in the back, behind a pillar. His blue eyes were filled with both sadness and happiness.
Logan had made it to my wedding.
It was everything.
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YOU ARE READING
Monsters of Manhattan
Teen FictionPeople aren't called monsters because they paint rainbows and snowflakes. No, they're called monsters because they have a limitless ambition to achieve what they want and maintain what they have, and in Manhattan, what you want and what you have mig...
