Joshua's Grace

Chapter 2 (1)

Two hours later the wedding guests were chattering animatedly as they waited for the bridal couple to arrive. The wedding photographs were taking an inordinately long time. The guests had started mingling. And not surprisingly, Zac had found Grace and brought her over to his family's assigned table. He had told her one of his chronically bad jokes and she was laughing at the punch line by the time they reached the table. He introduced her to the others. Perfunctorily, Grace shook hands with Mariah and Stephen.

"I love your hat." Mariah stated in her usual candid manner. "Thank you."
"It must be an original. Who's your milliner?"

Milliner? Grace chuckled, "Me." She removed her hat and handed it to Mariah. "It's a top hat I bought at a second hand shop and then trimmed it with leftover material from this." She pointed to her clothes.

"You made your outfit." The shock in Mariah's voice ignited a spark of humour in Grace.

"Yes." Her eyes still full of laughter dimmed slightly when she noticed the intense scrutiny she was receiving from Mariah. It was a contemplative stare and somehow, Grace knew the woman wasn't thinking about the hat anymore.

"Care to join ourtable?" Zac pressed his invitation by explaining, "My date couldn't make it, sowe have a spare seat."

"No, thank you." Grace smiled at him to soften her refusal. "I'm here on Mum and Dad's behalf. I'd hate to mess up the seating plan. You know how much trouble people go to with seating arrangements at weddings."

"Your parents aren't here?" Asked Mariah. She'd spent a few moments studying the woman in front of her and her opinion was being reinforced by the minute. This woman was beautiful. She seemed articulate, she didn't appear to have any odd habits. Why would Grace need her father to find her dates? That just didn't make sense. And why did Joshua take such a dislike to her?

"No. Dad isn't well and Craig's family are close friends." Grace shrugged elegantly, "So here I am, token representative." She smiled at the softer version of Joshua and Zac, wondering how long it would take Mariah to ask the question she really wanted to ask. By now Grace realized that quite possibly this entire group knew about her father's match making plans. Years of experience helped her mask her humiliation. Grace braced herself for the interrogation.

"You don't attend Goan events." It was a statement rather than a question.

The local Goan community, a mixture of Portuguese and Indian descent, were a small group of less then fifty families and they occasionally got together to celebrate Easter, Christmas or any other excuse for a party. They were very keen to maintain their cultural identity while taking up their place in New Zealand society. So they came together to party, to reminisce, to share and to support each other, while they settled into the environment.

"No, I don't." Grace confirmed, giving nothing away. She watched the puzzled expression flicker across Mariah's face and knew the young woman had not finished her interrogation.

"Thought I hadn't seen you." Mariah continued more forcefully. "Me neither. I'd have remembered." Zac grinned. 

"Is that why your father's trying to arrange your marriage?" Mariah tactlessly pursued her line of questioning.

"Riah." Steve flashed Mariah a speaking look, "Sorry Grace," He apologised quickly, "My wife sometimes forgets her manners."

Grace shrugged. There wasn't much else to do. She had had several weeks to come to terms with her father's machinations. And even though she was still embarrassed by it all, she was also better prepared to hide the embarrassment and humiliation.

"It's o.k." Grace didn't believe a word of her father's explanation, but she had come to terms with it. It no longer bothered her. Not much. She had hoped that it had remained a secret between a small group of people. She should have known that was unlikely. It seemed as if everyone knew.