I crept in behind some caterers beginning to go in and out through the service wing. I took the main stairwell and was trying my best to be quick. I didn't know if my mom, Lydia, was awake. If she were to catch me wondering around instead of getting ready, she'd surely disown me. If that wasn't her plan already.
I trotted down the corridor that ended in my bedroom and I quietly opened one of doors to sneak in. I was glad they were wooden, dainty French doors that could shut quietly without a creak. I regained a normal pace once I met the carpet inside my room and I slung off my slippers. My bestfriend, Gina, was still sleeping. I snuck in the bed beside her but I must have roused her. She threw her arm back around me after I got comfortable. I always loved when she did that.
"You're up this early? What are you? Sick?" She asked half awake.
I rolled over to face her and answered, "I ripped out those curlers around 4am, it was like sleeping on an old washboard. It was impossible."
Gina smiled and she tussled her fingers through my head. She snickered under her breath,
"Lydia will have your ass."
"That's what Fiona said." I told her.
I was glad everyone was aware how cut throat Mother was about appearances. You'd think we were going to be graded like sheep at the county fair. Some picked for slaughter, some picked for breeding, others picked for shearing. I was still deciding which one of those sheep was supposed to be me.
Gina asked what time it was and I told her it was still a little early for breakfast. Breakfast was usually late anyway but I felt that today would be little more firm due to the circumstance. Gina rose from the pillows and began to remove the night wrap from her head. Her black, coily hair bounced away from her fingers and she stretched away all her stiffness from star-fishing her side of the bed all night.
Gina, you could say was like me. She was unmarried, not looking to become married either. Her parents begged and pleaded for her to find a husband but she convinced her folks thoroughly about her choice in partners when she brought home a date from the prom that was named Mackenzie. After that, I'm sure they had a better understanding of her preference. Her mother was accepting and her father was willing to ignore it. That was enough for her.
I'd been in many school yard rumbles and detentions over Gina. She was never the girl that had many friends or chose many friends either. But she preferred it that way. She once told me that the smaller her circle stayed, the easier it was to keep up with. Worrying about people's loyalties she felt was one of the biggest wastes of her time. I couldn't agree more.
"Cell." She said quickly snapping her fingers and she nearly sprung out of the sheets.
I turned away from the vanity mirror where I sat and watched her come down the risen platform where my bad stood. She slid the mirror away from one of my closets and she knelt to the floor to pick up a smaller, rectangular box.
"I found these online and I knew you were wanting to do something pretty outlandish today to spaz Lydia." She tapped the top of the box deviously and said, "These are gonna send her batty."
I do remember saying that. Last night if I remember. At the the bridal party. Gina and I sat in the sunroom while the maid of honor and other bridesmaids did Jell-O shots in the adjacent parlor. They cackled and carried on, it must have lasted hours. I felt like I was sitting at the kid's table at Thanksgiving. Too immature to be involved in adult back and forths. But this year, luckily the kid's table was smart enough to put vodka in a water bottle and pass it between Gina and I.
The most vivid memory I have was Gina making the remark, "Pussies." Then, taking a drag from her black, plastic bong she swiped from one of my ex-boyfriends. I really couldn't tell you what his name was.
"Open it, open it." She said sitting in the floor infront of me, she crossed her legs and crinkled her nose the way she does when anxious.
I flipped the lid and knew it had to be shoes. I folded back the wispy stuffing paper and found leather, knee-high platform boots. It was what I wanted for my birthday. These were familiar. I remember getting these before, but my mom snuck them from my room before I could wear them.
I asked Gina if she did a reconnaissance mission on my mom's Ebay and she shrugged,
"I'll never tell." She laughed.
"You conniving bitch, I love you." I told her as I lunged in the floor to wrap my arms around her.
Soon after trying on my shoes, we headed down for breakfast. Fiona sat in the center of the 12ft dining table complete with a 15ft tasseled table runner and candelabra set. I hated that. I always told Mom it looked like something old women played cards on. Years ago, we had a cat named Minx that would sleep inside the fruit bowl ontop of the table. Mom bought him his own fruit bowl, and even his own bed, but we discovered he usually just chose the fruit bowl with apples or oranges he could push around the table.
A plate of poached eggs and toast was sat before Gina and I. Gina took a sip of coffee and gave me a look that usually meant her egg yolks looked overdone. The only thing drier than the eggs was the atmosphere. We sat on the end away from the main bridal party who were mooing at all the events today. The maid of honor, a small petite girl by the named of Natalie, kept asking about the groomsmen. Who they were and if they had wives. Fiona didn't know any of that, Peter Lancomb could have a car full of brothers and she wouldn't know their names yet. In reality, she'd only known Peter half the year.
Gina scrolled through Twitter underneath table while she crunched on toast and nudged me discreetly. The O'Claren bridal hashtag was trending and my entire body cringed. Now I was giving the look saying my eggs were dry.
Breakfast was short lived because of the incessant need for the bride's maids and I to begin prepping. Hair and Make-Up. I wasn't excited. The double doors leading into the dining room burst open with a loud smack. My mother appeared, she was already dressed and patted with her morning face product. She looked around the room like a shark smelling blood in the water.
"Good Morning, my girls." She greeted and waved. All 6 of them smiled and wished her good morning while finishing their plates.
She came to Fiona's side and kissed her cheek lovingly and told her how she always dreamt of this day. Fiona patted the hand on her shoulder in a fashion to hurry her away from breathing down her neck while she ate.
Lydia met eyes with me and my stomach now was turning knots into my chest. She abetted the girla to continue their chatter and her heels clacked against the marble as she set her sights on me.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Gina said softly and she rushed to slip her phone underneath her leg.
I braced for impact and squinted my eyes as I felt the virtual pressure of the oncoming snap.
"What am I going to do with you, Cella?" She said with a very tight and emphatic mouth that meant she was stifling a snarl.
I could feel the heat from her detest of my curls being loosened prematurely and I tried to downplay as best I could,
"I still have curling cream ontop, Mom. It will be fine."
She didn't believe me and almost choked hearing that response.
"Well, you'd better hope so." She said using that appalled pitch in her tone that gave me an uncomfortable sense of urgency, "You wanna look your best today because I have lots of single bachelors on this guest list that I'm sure would dream of making your acquaintance."
She turned to Gina and smiled sincerely the way she always does. I guess Mom did have one upside I always felt grateful for, she loved Gina.
"Good Morning, Regina. How are you, ma chére?"
Gina hated being called by her grandmother's name but enjoyed Lydia's perk in attitude to her regard.
"I'm well, madame. I can do Celeste's hair. It's no problem."
Lydia gently hugged Gina's shoulders, she thanked her for the help.
"When are we gonna find you a boyfriend, girl? I can send an army your way too."
"Boys' have cooties." Gina said cheekily and my mom winked. She began to strut back towards the doors in a rush to greet the stylist inside,
"Oh but honey, their bank accounts do not. I love you." She kissed Gina's head sweetly and kissed mine having said the same.
"15 minutes till hair and make-up, ladies. The stylists are arriving soon!"
Mom answered her phone as she took her leave and Gina took a sigh of a relief.
"When are we gonna tell your mom that I'm a lesbian?"
Now that I think about it, my Mom really never asked. But, one thing to understand about my mom is that she believed what happens in marriage, stays in marriage counseling. "Be married on paper and not an inch further." She always encouraged that to my oldest sister, Odessa.
I smiled and assured her to the negative as we stood to return to my room, "Lesbian or not, that woman doesn't quit."