Louisa Howerow writes prose and poetry. Her
latest work can be found in Write Side Up, Bent Pin and LitBits. She has
never stood anyone up at the alter or been stood up.
For Sale: Beaded Cinderella
Wedding Dress, $750 . . .
On the sixth day Vie finished beading the bodice of her wedding
dress. On the seventh day, she and Jake bought matching wedding bands at
Gold for Less.
On the eighth day, Jake said he'd
been thinking things over.
"We've had it good, you and me," he said.
"Better than most." Vie licked her fork. She was testing out a chocolate
cake for the wedding.
"We don't want to spoil what we got now, do we."
"No one's spoiling anything." She held out a plate to Jake. "Tell me
what you think."
"I'm trying to, darling. I'm trying."
On the evening of the eighth day, Vie ate the rest of the chocolate
cake. She stared at the beads she had sewn on her wedding dress, counted
each one. In the morning she called Jake. "You're going through with
it. Hear me."
Jake who was exhausted from his one attempt at rebellion, quietly said,
"If that's what you want, darling."
The day of the wedding Jake stood at the alter, waited for Vie to walk
down the aisle. The day of the wedding Vie was at a beach resort in the
Virgin Islands getting her toenails painted.
