Dammit I am not in love with you!!!!

The Wedding Omen

You know how people always say that standing in a beautiful church fills the mind and body with peace and serenity? Well the opposite was happening here. There was no calm or peace and definitely no serenity in sight. The pews of the gigantic Cathedral were filled on a bright sunny Saturday afternoon with three hundred wedding guests who were all in different stages of anticipation, anxiety and boredom. Oh you must be wondering what was the momentous occasion that brought them all together in the presence of the almighty God on a Saturday afternoon when most of them couldn't be bothered to attend Church on Sundays. Actually it was my sister's wedding to her longtime boyfriend and fiance Ronald Dwight. Also this was no ordinary wedding. It was the wedding of the century. According to the News vans parked outside the premises this wedding was supposedly 'the wedding of the decade' as it united two strong families and was a beautiful beginning of the lives of two of Chicago's most talked about figures- my sister Felicity Carter and her fiance Ronald Dwight. 'The Gems' of the Chicago's high society.

Coming back to the point. The Church resembled the waiting room for the operation theater in an Hospital. Everyone was waiting for some news of the Bride. The Bridal Party which comprised of the Bride's family and Maid of Honor had already reached the Church and were dutifully awaiting the arrival of the Bride in the powder room. The wedding planner was moving around like the anxious mother who was missing her child, talking on her bluetooth headset asking for regular updates about the Bride's every movement.

The three hundred wedding guests who had all settled in their seats were now in varied stages of shifting and twitching at their seats. They had been waiting for almost an hour now for the wedding to begin. If it was any normal wedding, many of them would have left by now. But since it was the spectacle of the year and the most news worthy event, nobody even stood up from their seats (except for using the facilities). But don't make the mistake of thinking that they sat their silently.

The Groom on the other hand was standing next to the Pastor ( who was conducting the proceedings) and the Reverend of the Church and trying to calm down both of them. Apparently both men of God valued punctuality and were miffed about the wedding ceremony being delayed. Plus the incessant noise in the otherwise silent Cathedral offended their sensibilities.

Oh you must be wondering where do I figure in all this? Where am I and what am I doing? Thanks for your concern. Since I am the younger sister of the bride and the only female available at short notice, I was suddenly asked to step in as the Maid of Honor. I am currently standing in the Ladies dressing room with the modiste getting some modifications done on the Maid of Honor's dress so that it could fit me better without making it look like a hand me down (which it was). Due to some unforeseen circumstances, the original Maid of Honor couldn't make it to the wedding. I was requested (more like ordered in a 'do or die' voice) to take up the glorious mantle of the position. I was the last resort and after a lot of begging, pleading and ordering, I agreed. After all its my sister's wedding and I can bear the torture for once more in life. Here I was standing in the dress while the modiste sewed and made some last minute alterations on the dress. Now no matter how still I tried to stand, the poor girl managed to stab me with her needle. Unfortunately for me, the designer and her workers were still at my mother's residence working on my sister's gown which had accidently been ripped in the back after the trail got stuck in my mother's pointy heels. And they could only spare one poor lackey with minimal sewing skills and no knowledge of English for me.

Today had already gotten off on a bad start. Apparently a tear in the wedding dress hours before the wedding is considered as an omen. It is a stupid superstition but somehow it had wreaked massive havoc in my life instead of the bride's. I mean I got promoted to Maid Of Honor from the position of the Bride's sister and normal member of the Bridal Party. I have no interest in who or what or why my sister is getting married. Given a choice I would rather stay in New York and carry on with my life like nothing happened. But that wasn't acceptable to my mother (my personal Cruella de Ville) who decided my presence here was mandatory as my absence will become fodder for gossip for the paparazzi. Like I cared. Its not as if my family isn't a regular in the Society's column of all magazines and newspapers. Plus there is no love lost between me and my sister. We are complete opposites of each other and hence don't get along well. Also she hogs all my mother's love which pisses me off. Not like my mother loves me or anything. I have been a thorn at her side for too long and she just barely tolerates me. Unlike my mother and sister, who are the 'Belle' of the high society, I am the nerdy awkward female in the family. The only redeeming feature that I have is that I have above average intelligence and have the best of my parent's physical features. I inherited my father's lovely stone blue eyes and my mother's blonde hair. I think if it were possible to disown me she would have because other than our hair color we hardly share anything else. The only members in my family that I get along with would be my father and my grandparents (mami and papi).