Between The Vows

Chapter One

"These tablecloths are all wrong." My sister rested her head in her hands and sobbed. It was the day of her wedding shower and all hell had broken loose. The place cards had names spelled wrong, the catering service was running late, and oh, the tablecloths were, apparently, all wrong.

"Anna, just breathe." My mother led her into deep yoga breaths. That was her cure for everything. "Close your eyes, deep breathing from your belly." The two of them stayed there while I begrudgingly called the vendor.

This would have never happened had we used the same vendors I've rented from for years, but Anna insisted on going with a friend she had gone to college with. She claimed the decor they rented out was more "upscale" than what I had shown her. This was her wedding and I was merely a puppet, her pulling the strings and me dancing along, doing what I was told. What annoyed me the most was my name was on this wedding; I was the wedding planner and maid-of-honor, a double whammy if I was being frank.

Although, Anna didn't need me in the slightest. She has had her dream wedding planned out since she was young. The day after her engagement, she marched into my office and pulled out her wedding album, pointing and giving the direction as to what exactly she wanted. She had every detail laid out, from the location to the bridesmaid's dresses to the elaborate flower arrangements. Anna just wanted someone to boss around and I fit the bill free of charge.

Anna was obsessed with fairy tales. Disney Princesses had been her favorite; they always got the happily-ever-after. From a young age, she longed for the day she would fall in love and got married. As children, we would put on pretend weddings in the backyard and I was always forced the be the groom. By nature, I sat back and allowed it to happen. She was the star of the show and always wanted to be the center of attention. I wanted her to be happy and would jump through whatever hoops she wanted me too.

"I told you I wanted the white dove, not the winter white," I said to the young girl on the phone. This was a detail only Anna would notice.

After being bounced around and told the owner was not available, the conversation wrapped up with, "Well, we sincerely apologize but there is nothing we can do now with you being so far away." Did I also mention the vendor was all the way in Pennsylvania and we were in North Carolina? Most of my clients had gone easy on me, using local vendors I highly recommended but Anna enjoyed being a pain in the you-know-what.

I hung up the phone and tried to compose myself. This was the most glamorous wedding Bridgeport would ever see and I was the face of it. At this point, all I could to do was square my shoulders and put on my infamous Nora James smile.

After about an hour, the tablecloths were no longer an issue. My mother calmed her down enough and she came to the realization that the white dove cloths went with the centerpieces quite nicely.

"Oh Nora," my great aunt hugged me as she walked in the door. "How hard is it to see your baby sister get married before you?" She clicked her tongue and shook her head. This was the only greeting I seemed to have been given today. Can't a young, successful woman live her life without a man and not be judged for it? Clearly not in Bridgeport.

I smiled politely and excused myself, heading to the nearest powder room. I checked underneath each stall, making sure they were vacant before planting my hands on the sink and staring at my reflection in the mirror. My tired brown eyes stared back at me, bags hung underneath, creating a dark shadow that even a few coats of concealer couldn't cover. I ran my hands through my long blonde hair, detangling the knots that had formed. I parted my hair and tucked it behind my ears, trying to make myself not look like a hot mess.