Family Comes First

Chapter 6: The Wedding

I sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the bedroom. There were muttered voices downstairs, but I could not make out what was being said. I glanced over at the alarm clock every few minutes until an hour passed by. The time went by faster than I would like. It was nice to be left alone.

The stairs creaked, and then the door opened. Charles walked in with a garbage bag draped over his shoulder. He emptied the bag onto the bed. White lace spilled out onto the quilt. I leaned forward to see that it was a wedding dress.

"Juliet, put it on," he said.

I swallowed past the lump that was forming in my throat. I had not noticed it before, but Charles was wearing a pair of slacks and a black buttoned-down shirt. I had not seen him in anything but jeans and flannel since I saw him at the strip club.

I shook my head and sank further into the chair. Charles reached toward me and I swatted his hand away. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled my head back.

"We're going to have a nice ceremony, Juliet," he said. "This is my first son's wedding. I'm not going to let you ruin this."

"Please, don't make me do this." The tears were burning my eyes, and I tried not to blink. If I blinked the tears would start pouring down my cheeks.

"I'm not going to be patient with you," he said.

Charles let go of my hair and grabbed my wrist. There was a click and then something sharp against my little finger. He had the blade from his pocket knife pressed into my flesh.

"We can do this the easy or the hard way," he said. "But it's going to happen. Do you want to lose the finger?"

I shook my head. A warm tear rolled down my cheek. Charles let go of my arm and then ran his fingers through my hair. He slipped the knife back into his pocket.

"Good girl," he said. "Now get up and get changed. I'll be back in ten minutes. If you're not in that dress when I get back I will punish you."

Charles left the room and slammed the door behind him. I took a deep breath before getting up from the rocking chair. I ran my fingers over the yellowing lace of the dress. The bottom was worn and ripped. How many girls were forced to wear this dress?

I removed my clothes and pulled on the dress. I was shocked at how heavy the material was. The lace sleeves ran past my fingertips and the shoulder was ripped. I reached behind me to zip up the zipper, but I could not do it up all the way. The dress pooled around my feet.

In less than five minutes, the door opened and Charles walked in. I was glad that I at least got the dress on before he barged in.

"Don't you look beautiful," he said.

"Please," I said. "You can't do this."

"Keep up that attitude and I will punish you," he said. "And if I punish you it will make what Jimmy did to you earlier look like a scratch."

Charles reached behind me and zipped up the rest of the dress. He pulled the elastic out of my hair and I gritted my teeth as he ripped out a few of my hairs. The rest of my hair tumbled down my back. He picked the veil up from the bed and set it down on top of my head. The mesh was torn and ripped.

He grabbed my wrist and yanked me forward. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to rip my arm free from his grip. My feet were bare, so I tried to dig my heels into the hardwood floor. I tried to stop him, but it was useless. He pushed me forward to the edge of the staircase. He slipped his arm around my waist and lifted me off the ground. He made his way down the stairs with me in his arms.

"Here's our beautiful bride," he announced as he set me back onto the floor.

The dining room table was pushed to the edge of the room. They hung a white sheet from the ceiling. It disguised the kitchen by hiding the counter, fridge, and stove. Jimmy was standing in front of the sheet with his arms crossed over his chest. He had on a white buttoned-up shirt with a tie that lazily done up. Tommy was sitting in a chair off to the side. Jimmy smiled when he saw me.