MagicAnimalClub: Happenings

41: Contrast

DAVIDS POV

Nervousness.
That was a feeling I hadn't felt in quite a long time.
But I was feeling it undoubtably as I watched my bride walk out down the aisle. Her dress was long and white, her eyes shined and through her veil I saw a smile. making it difficult for my eyes not to water.
Once she stood beside me we smiled and looked at each other, her father sat down whispering to me, "she's yours." I looked back at him and shook his hand in a meaningful way. I dipped my head to him then looked back to Nicole. I wished my father could have been here.
She put her hands on my arms, comforting me. She whispered to me laughing at how shaky I was.
"It's just you and me." She whispered. Giving the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.

Once the whole ceremony was over I was so exhausted with all this standing up. We walked back down the aisle together, rings in our fingers. I looked into her eyes as I held onto her waist, she squinted and giggled with me as I lifted her up bridal style and ran down the aisle and out the doors where our kids threw flowers at us, they didn't quite reach our head but hey were so cute dressed up in their suit and dress.

Afterwards we went on our wedding car to our reception, Rosie and James sat beside us in the car, waving out the window as if they were royalty.
We arrived at quite an old building: we would have caterers on the bottom floor and there was a dance floor and a Dj was coming soon.
I met up with some of my old mates from school, I hadn't spoken to them since before I started YouTube.

At around three o'clock we sat finishing drinks and food, a bell rang to silence everyone.
It was Joe.
Everyone looked,
"Um, hello, now this is the moment I've sort of been dreading-"
Of course.. Best man speech.
"So.. I didn't want this speech to be very cheesy or tear dropping but I just wanted to say a few things." He took a deep breath and pointed at me,
"This guy, David Spencer, IBallisticSquid or whoever you know him as, he is without doubt the strongest and most loyal friend Ive had, like, seriously, David can stand up for people he doesn't even know, he can deal with things in an extremely modest and discreet way, he is one of those people who respect all opinions.. Most of the time." This gave a laugh,
"Dave.. I know you've been through some hard times, but, you've also had some pretty.. Well.. Unique moments must I say- baking a cheesecake drunk and putting it up on YouTube, getting me to sing a parody of 'Under the sea' and also getting me to voice your auntie!" This got a lot of laughs, I was laughing too, "also things outside of all this YouTube stuff, like going on holidays then playing hide and seek and being too scared to go on a roller coaster.. Well.. I can't say that he's fully grown up yet.. Well definitely not physically- look at the size of him!" ....

At the end of Joes speech I was almost in tears. I walked over to his seat and gave him a massive hug, laughing.
"Thanks mate." I said, patting his back.

By ten o'clock Nicole and I were on the dance floor taking our first dance.
I wasn't the best at dancing.

I stared into Nicole's beautiful bright eyes;

Suddenly I was the centre of attention.
Suddenly everything was fine.
Suddenly I forgot about all the events that tore me down.
Suddenly I felt as if I was caught in a happening that was endless happiness.
I never wanted this to end.

I put my hand on Nicole's waist and another in her hand, she placed her hand on my neck, I looked into her eyes and smiled at her as a gentle piano riff played. I gave her a twirl and she laughed, putting both of her hands on my neck she kissed my lips.

Eventually everyone was joining in, dancing with bottles of beer and glasses of wine in their hands. I was so incredibly happy.
I gave Nicole a kiss on the lips and smiled at her. I spotted Joe and Beth dancing too. I walked over to them.
"So this is why I proposed to her in the shower." I laughed,
"Stamps.. Thanks for everything, mate."

JOES POV

These words tug at my heart strings.. Guilt.. Guilt is all I feel..
I can never tell him.. Never..
I took another chug of my beer bottle.
Wishing I could forget everything I'd ever heard. Just for one second.

DAVIDS POV

I walked over to my mum, she was sitting in the corner minding my two children who were fast asleep in prams.
"Hi mum." I said, sitting down beside her away from the noise.
"Hi hon." She moved a stray hair back into place and stared into my eyes.
"Wish dad could have been here." I sighed, "he'd have loved it." I felt my eyes water but I bid them not.
"Are you gonna be okay up there on your own?" I asked, putting my arm around her shoulder.
"Yeh.. I got friends. I'll go out, go shopping, I'll find something to do, love, don't you worry about me."
"I'll always worry about you, mum. I love you." I kissed her forehead before looking down at my sleeping kids,
"I- I should probably take them home soon-"
"Not. A. Chance. Not with all that drink you've been having." I rolled my eyes,
"You go on and have fun." She said, taking out her phone.
I ignored what she said.
"What was you and dad's wedding like?" I asked, she looked up at me and smiled,
"Well if was a lot less modern than this I tell you. We danced to 'The Piano Man.' By Billy Joel, That was my current favourite song at the time." She appeared to be having a hit of nostalgia, "there were 23 tables of five, your dad and I spent ages counting them and had a race who could count them the fastest. I was late for the wedding- typical me, I know. When I eventually came up the aisle everyone was laughing, my father and I were waving to everyone, the vicar was so displeased! Ha! I almost tripped over my dress! After the wedding I was thrown in the lake outside and everyone jumped in with me until they realised there were loads of little disgusting lake sucker thingys. Oh our wedding was a blast!"
We were laughing, I forgot how funny and wild my mother could be,
"Mum, me and you up on the dance floor to 'The Piano Man'?" I asked, she just smiled,
"But the kids.."
"They'll not move- trust me." I said.

After 1 minute my mother and I were singing and dancing in the middle of the wooden dance floor to the song she danced to on her wedding day almost forty years ago. Then Rosie and James ran over to us, we held onto their hands and formed a circle, spinning around. I was laughing and singing with them, I saw my mother's genuine smiles and knew that she was happy, happy to be back. We both sang/shouted the lyrics, "So sing us a song you're the piano man! Sing us a song tonight! 'Cause we're all in the mood for a melody! and you've got us feel in' alright!"
I knew how much my mum and my kids meant to me and I'd never ever let them go.

JOES POV

I wanted to be happy. I wanted to be so so happy.
But I couldn't.
Just this endless trail of guilt.
So. Much. Guilt.

I cannot let him know anything.
Nothing about the man I killed.