A Wedding Affair (The Wedding Affair) (75 page)

I eye the Tiffany box on the table that comes with more than I have ever imagined
, so foolish was I to think
I could have it all.

The
harsh reality is with a ring on my finger and a ring in a box, the choices I have made are challenged, my brave face is tested and I can’t dispute or argue I’ve confronted my longing and subjected my heart and went knowingly into a
wedding affair
. They say heavy is the head that wears the crown, doesn’t come close to the one who wears the veil.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y
ou are cordially

Invited

To the

Wedding

Of

Aria Elise
Macy

To

Ian Thomas Bollinger

St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church

Cleveland Ohio 44113

Jun
e
30, 2012

Three O’ Clock pm

Reception to follow

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter40

MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE

June 30, 2012

My wedding day has finally arrived, it’s been two weeks of soul searching, illicit sex, old ex’s and new horizons. I still say sleep is over rated, I tossed and turned until I nearly fell out of bed. Thoughts and conversations that I have had for the past two weeks haunt me in my dreams and plague me all my waking hours. I have come to the conclusion that the sand man does not know where I live.

I look out as dawn is still another hour or so away, I take stock that this glorious day is finally here. A girl
dreams of her wedding day her whole life and finally that it is here I just want to take solace and saver the few precious moments that are still just mine.

I look around my bedroom and realize when I come back to this house I will be a married women, I wi
ll have a new life, a new role as wife and one day mother and I will be happy. Jeez am I going to have to tell myself this all the time?

I find it funny that I don’t
feel the reassurance of any of those statements. Oh well I am the eternal optimist with a smidge of pessimism for good measure. I know today will work out fine it has to right? They say that ‘
hope springs eternal’
and the one I remember ‘
happy is the bride the sun shines on’
let’s just hope the Mr. Sun keeps up his end of the bargain. The hair and makeup people will be here at eleven and if my memory serves me correct Oliver should be bringing them.

I have to say if it wasn’t for dear old Oliver I would not be where I am, he is the best partner, friend
, personal assistant and advisor in the world. He is so profound that his words echo the most in my mind
‘Aria do you love Ian?  Are you in love with Tristan?’
I am hoping today I will find the happiness that I have been looking for, this wedding is just the thing to focus and ground me.

I think coffee is in order.
On that note I grab my robe and I head to the kitchen and start my wedding day.

My cell rings
BATMAN BATMAN BATMAN

“Hello there my handsome groom
”

“Good morning my beautiful bride
”

“I knew you’d b
e up this early”

“So what are you doing today? I go for playful

“I thought I’d marry the most beautiful girl in the world today” “Aria what the hell is this?” oh shit Erika is up and she has the Tiffany box in her hand.

“You are so sweet Ian, I have to get
going”

“I love you Aria”

“I love you too”

We hang up and I walk over to the coffee maker and turn it on
. Erika has the Tiffany box open and she is looking at me,
shit shit shit
, why didn’t I put that ring away. I guess I better start talking before she goes ape-shit-crazy-bananas on me.

“Well Aria what is this?” I take a deep breath and bring her into the kitchen and sit her down bec
ause she has that look in her eyes like she can spit fire.

“Oh that old thing Erika got it from the bubble-gum machine” I go
for mocking and sarcasm to see if it lightens the mood.

“Aria you tell me where Tiffany engagement rings come out of bubble-gum machines and I’m there” ok so wit is not her thing today, so I go for the truth it has to rear its ugly head sooner or later.

“This is what has plagued me”

“Aria you gotta be a little more specific, you are wearing an engagement ring and I am holding one
hell of an engagement ring what the hell is going on? Please for the love of God fill me in?”

“That is Tristan’s ring”

“He gave you an engagement ring knowing you were already engaged?”

“No his butler Cheswick gave it to me yesterday at the store”

“So Tristan wants to marry you?”

“
Yes of course, that is why he is back” how do she not know this…oh maybe because I failed to mention that old ex-came back with more than just malicious intent.

“
Aria I thought Tristan came back into your life like the way he has always come back, with deceit and litigious intent to sweep in and wreak havoc, like he has always done to you!”

“Erika at first
I thought that was his angle, but no…um…no”

“Beautiful ring, so where does this fit in?”
her words are sobering and always gut wrenching.

“It doesn’t, he said
if I need him to send it to him” I look at her as nonchalant as possible

“Aria you know all you
have to do is say the word and I will shut this whole day down”

“
I know Erika, I know, and I love you for it”

“So what do you want to do with this?” I take one last look at my dream ring that I wanted f
or the past two years or so, I take a deep breath and sigh hard.

“Please take it, just get it out of my sight?” Erika puts it in her purse
on the table and hugs me hard

“We need coffee”

“Yes please!”

We enjoy a cup of coffee,
and just bask in the serenity of the calm before this day proceedings, the look on Erika’s face makes me nervous, she knows how I loved Tristan and she knows how Ian loves me, I got a feeling this day is going to be hard for her to take too.

“I am going to soak in my tub till I am needed” I rise and walk out of the kitchen and back up st
airs to the master suite.

I
fill a bath with Chanel mademoiselle and sink into luxurious skin soothing essence that can only come from Chanel, I look at my Cartier ring, three carats total weight. I would say this ring is way beyond the realm of a modest professor’s salary, a pear shape that to me looks like a tear drop and has Ian’s red ruby stone on the side of the diamond. So it’s not my dream, no one gets their dream, not everyone gets to keep their first love, I have to deal with that and then I am brought to the day that Ian proposed to me and placed this ring on my finger, I was not expecting it at all, I was so happy and elated, that day was honest and perfect.

Then I am immediately brought to Tristan as the familiar
smell of my own perfume reminds me of him, it is both comforting and disturbing.

What he has done with himself, what he h
as achieved, how amazing is that? What really got to me was the wonderful time we spent together, him bringing me home, him playing the piano for me, the concert, the Ritz, oh God the Ritz! the car chase, our office antics, my backyard last night, it all comes front and center and I sink in the tub under the water away from the world and from my own thoughts, they are too painful to think of anymore.

-------<>-------

It’s eleven am and we are now joined by Oliver who brought the two makeup and hair people with him to get Erika, Sabrina and I ready for the wedding.

We
are all head quartered in my closet, the make-up lady Lisa who did the makeup for the fashion show the other night is here and she is just the best, no smoky eyes or big over the top makeup just simple elegant and well put together.

Erika doesn’t really
wear makeup so when she does she is so over the top beautiful and gorgeous she could have been a model.

Ron the hair stylist puts Erika’s hair
in a French twist her ivory and black floor length satin sheath is form fitted. She looks just beautiful, she is smiling and I have to say she looks like she walked off the pages of Vogue in that dress, yes Oliver and I made it.

Sabrina is in the same dress and her hair is done the same as well her blond hair and those amazing eyes she looks beautiful.

A note about how fashion is my thing my whole situation may be a mess, but we nailed the clothes perfectly, the bodice of their dresses are ivory like my dress the bateau neckline flows high across their neck to her shoulders and low in the back, their long sculpted arms look amazing, and at the wrist a huge chunky bracelet that sparkles and shines, the black form fitted satin skirt meet the Chanel black heels with the white sole that make them look statuesque.

Ian is wearing tales
all in black he is over six feet tall he will look awesome in that suit that Oliver and I have made for him. His tie is black but with an ivory pinstripe to match my dress and his vest is black. Christopher who is his best man is wearing a black tux with white vest to match Erika.

I
am the last to get dressed, my gown is on a bust form in front of the three paneled mirror, and my lingerie is just beautiful an ivory bustier trimmed in lace, lace panties, thigh high ivory silk stockings and my Chanel bridal shoes all ivory satin and crystals. The dress itself is three layers for form, silhouette and style, Oliver stands on a chair and it is lifted over my head and then the process of all the crystal buttons down my back begins. No pearls on this bride my mom has warned me

pearls are tears through the years

I look at myself in the three paneled mirror and I am the blushing bride to be.

The dress has a silhouette that is spectacular, the bateau neckline is classic and the tiny sleeves are perfectly respectable for church. We went for cinched waist but when it came to the skirt of the dress I wanted a ball gown and that is why the beading was so crucial in its placement. I am so proud at what we did it is simply remarkable from far away it looks like the design is in the fabric until you get close and see it is all intricate beading. My dark auburn hair is curled and piled high upon my head, my single layer veil is pinned in place, the veil is long to match the train of the dress, very sheer with just the tiniest crystals that look like a tiara at the top of my head all of this was made by yours truly and Oliver of course.

“Oh Aria you are beautiful”
we are the three girls from high school giggling and blushing as Erika and Sabrina takes picture after picture with her phone. Oliver gets one with the three of us and we are happy and smiling.

“The limo is here,
Aria gotta get you to the church on time”

“
Oliver you are too cute” I look around at my closet one last time as I say goodbye to the single girl in the mirror; I’m going to miss her. 

Oliver walks behind me and helps with my dress and carries the train as
I walk down the stairs, my family has gathered and we are heading over to the church, Oliver has confirmation that Ian has just arrived with his parents and they are in their places. I look at my mom who is all smiles, my brothers and sisters, my nieces and nephews who have all gathered to watch me marry my best friend. My mother is taken to the church first with my nieces and nephews. Then the rest of my family goes and then it is just Erika, Sabrina Oliver and I.

“You are just beautiful Aria, how are you
holding up?”

“Erika I am ok, I think the dress has definitely lifted our spirits.”