Authors: Renee Matteo
“Are you uncomfortable?” His tone, soft and sensitive.
“Nope. Not at all.” A half smile crossed her face as
her cheeks warmed.
“I can’t sleep with a s
hirt on. Too confining.” He laid
down, resting his head against the pillow. He slid his left arm under her neck and used his right arm to pull her in close to him. They settled into one another other, kissing, laughing and talking
before snuggling up and falling asleep until the sun rose the next morning.
Three
“Gina?” A soft voice ripped into her thoughts of Grant, abruptly closing the production in her head. Gina concealed the quick startled feeling that swept her. She looked up to see a woman in her late fifties, dressed in a pale blue skirt suit, flat navy shoes and short blond hair perfectly framed around her aged face.
“I’m Betse.” She extended her hand out with proper posture. “
Sandy is a little under the weather today. She asked me to go over the final details with you.” Her tone was warm, but seemingly fake as she looked Gina up and down slowly.
Gina snapped herself back into the moment and did her best to shake away the thoughts that had consumed her mind as she sat in the waiting area. The night she met Grant Foster had been burned in her memory. Eight
Yeahrs had passed since she fell in love with him, but somehow every time she thought about that night it felt like it was yesterday.
“Hi Betse.” Gina offered her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” She stood up from the black leather barrel chair where she sat in the center of the hotel lobby. The sounds of dishes clanking caught her ear from the ballroom down the hall.
“You too, dear. Lets walk into my office and we can get started.”
Gina followed her out of the lobby, past the elevators and down a narrow hall. They turned into a small office on their right decorated in warm gold tones and hunter green. Betse took a seat at the desk in front of the window while Gina seated herself at one of the two throne
-like chairs across from her.
“Will your fiancé be joining us today?”
“No. He’s busy today,” Gina replied. She looked around the small office. Pictures of what appeared to be children and grandchildren were scattered across the edge of her desk. Betse looked up from her computer with a small smile.
“Less than four months from the big day,” Betse mildly exclaimed. She sounded like a broken record, repeating a phrase she had said a hundred times before.
“Yep,” Gina countered, mustering up somewhat of a smile.
Three and half more months until this whole mess is over.
“Okay, here we go,” Betse said looking at Gina’s file. “Three hundred guests.” She looked back to Gina, “Goodness dear, that is a big wedding.” She looked back to the file, adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. “Before I put the order in, let’s confirm. I have that you will be renting cream floor length linens, our crysta
l candelabras, cream white linen napkins and an accent drapery for the stage where your band will play.” She paused, rummaging through the file. “I have your food choices as filet mignon, salmon, or chicken wrapped in phyllo and cheese. All come with the select side dishes…” She was moving her mouth but no words were coming out anymore. She continued on reading through the list silently. “I’ll tell you what,” she handed Gina the folder, “all of the details are outlined and the I’s seem to be dotted and the T’s crossed. Why don’t you take one last look, just to be sure and then we can be all set.” Betse stood from her chair and flicked her hands quickly down the front of her skirt a few times, smoothing out the wrinkles that took shape while she sat. “I am going to grab some coffee while you review. Would you like anything? Coffee, water?”
“No thank you," Gina smiled. She took the folder from her and set it on her lap.
“Okay then, I will be right back,” She quickly scooted out of the door making a left on her way.
Gina opened the folder, skimming through the details. She exhaled a breath of air, pursing her lips together as she finished.
Looks good.
All she needed to do now was send out the invitations that had recently been addressed and stamped. The night she and Ali, her best friend from college, stuffed the invitations turned from time on the couch with a movie in the background to a wine intoxicated evening on the porch. They finished up the last of them close to 2:00 a.m. as the weather broke for the night. Exhausted, they put the completed invitations on the counter, and fell asleep on opposite couches in the front room.
“How are we doing
?” Betse reappeared in the doorway holding a navy mug with the hotels logo on it. She walked around her desk and took a seat back behind the computer.
“Perfect. Thank you.” Gina handed her the folder.
Betse placed it in the bottom of a two tier black tray on the corner of her desk. “There is someone in the ballroom now, but in just a minute we will be able to do a quick walk through. It’s pretty basic. We review the china, silver and table set up. The servers should have a mock table done in just a few minutes. Any changes you’re going to want to make now.”
Gina nodded her head.
“You have beautiful skin, dear. Very youthful. How old are you?”
Gina quickly decided that the curiosity in her voice hinted towards judgment. Either that or she was overly sensitive
to this lady, or maybe the wedding, probably all three. “Twenty-five,” she finally replied.
“And your fiancé?”
“He is twenty-six.”
“Awfully young to be getting married,” Betse advised.
“Although when I was a young girl, if you were not married by your age, you were considered an old maid.” The woman reminded her of her grandmother. They both had the ability to pass off an insult as an intended compliment.
“I bet.” She replied with a forced smile on her face.
“What do you do for a living, Gina?”
“I teach history at Ellbrook Middle School.”
“That’s nice. Teaching is a good job for a young wife.” She paused. “And where will you be honeymooning?”
“Hawaii.”
“Of course, dear."
Her voice was patronizing. Gina could feel her agitation for Betse grow at a rate that was uncommon for her.
Almost done, almost done, almost done.
Gina nodded her head and pursed her lips reminding herself once more that the planning would soon be behind her.
“All set
, Betse.” A young girl in a white dress shirt and black pants popped her head in the door.
“Thank you, Katelyn,” Betse smiled. “Follow me.” She stood up, making a right out of her office towards the ballroom. “You’ll notice the brand new carpet. And the walls have been freshly painted. They keep this place in tip top shape.” She rambled on, not paying any attention to Gina walking behind her.
Gina kept quiet following her as they walked into the ballroom anxiously waiting for the moment her visit was over. Directly in front of the double doors that marked the entrance was a single table, set exactly to her specifications.
“Looks great!” Gina produced a genuine smile for the first time since she had arrived at the hotel. She examined the details of the table she found to be exquisite. “The candelabras are beautiful,” she whispered. Gina silently fell into a vision of the ballroom full of the people she loved and adored enjoying themselves. She could almost hear the band playing the set list she had put together as laughter filled the room. Her impromptu fantasy held her soft and light expression.
“Yes they are,” Betse paused, smiling back to her. “Well then, all seems to be well. If you need anything else, feel free to contact me. We will see you the night before your wedding for the rehearsal. Thank you dear.” She nodded her head with hands cupped together in front of her chest and a soft smile across her face. She began walking towards the door and turned back to Gina, “You know the way out, right dear?”
“I do.”
“Bye then.”
Betse said, before disappearing out the door they had come through just a minute before.
Gina
gazed around the ballroom envisioning the night of the wedding once more. Thoughts of excitement and happiness quickly made way for feelings of overwhelming anxiousness. The room suddenly felt a bit smaller than it did a moment ago as she let the anxiety of all things wedding take over. Gina closed her eyes attempting to relax in a moment of clarity through a deep breath. She took a last look around the lavish ballroom once more and then made her way for the door.
Gina exited the ballroom passing Betse’s office on the way out. She was on the phone engaged in what seemed to be a business conversation with another employee. Gina took her purse off her shoulder and opened it as she continued her walk to the elevator.
Of course, dear! Oh, the nerve.
Her happy moment had seemed to leave as quickly as it came as the irritation for Betse’s patronizing ways crept back. Frustration and aggravation swept through her. This wedding and apparently this woman were getting the best of her in ways she couldn’t describe.
The large steel doors parted just as she approached the elevator. She
moved in, pushing the button that took her to the parking deck and continued her search through her purse. A lipstick, a compact, a wallet. Finally, her cell phone. She pulled it out and punched in the code to unlock it, scrolling through her contacts before pushing send.
“Hello?” A voice broke through the low background
noise.
“Oh, I’m glad I caught you. I thought you’d be on the
slopes.” She looked around at the elevator as she felt a little jolt.
“Nope, taking a quick break. How was the
appointment? We still getting married?” He laughed.
“I am so irritated!” The doors to the elevator opened up leading her onto the third level of the parking deck. She took a left and began walking up towards the forth deck where she parked earlier that morning. “
Sandy was sick today so I worked with someone else. This lady named Betse.”
“People get sick Gina.”
“I know that, Adam. But she talked to me like I was
sixteen and beneath her.” She huffed like a little girl in mid-pout and then looked around the full garage to make sure no one was watching her ridiculous antics. She couldn’t control the anxiety and anger that was filling her body. There was really nothing to be all that worked up over, but she couldn’t help it. Unfortunately for Adam, he was going to have to take the brunt of it.
“Why didn’t you say something? I would have said something.”
“It’s a little hard for you to say something if you’re not there.” Gina hoped the annoyance in her voice was obvious. She normally didn’t fight with Adam, however, his lack of interest
mixed with her growing agitation was brewing an argument. She rummaged through her purse, pulling out her keys. She clicked the button unlocking the doors. Gina opened the door, slid into the driver’s seat, and sat for a moment clenching her teeth.
“This is the last ski of the season Gina.” His tone
hadn’t changed which told her he wasn’t really paying attention.
“I forgot skiing is more important than our wedding.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” she said, huffing into the phone. She put her keys in the ignition, started the car and threw it into reverse pulling out of her space a bit quicker than she had anticipated. Remembering the breathing exercise she practiced in yoga, Gina took a few inhales and exhales in a quick attempt to slow her body.
“Why are you picking a fight with me?” Adam countered. His words had grown in volume as his attention seemed to be now more focused where she wanted it. “Gina?”
“What? I’m sorry. I am just a bit irritated. I feel like everything is going wrong.” She slumped down in her seat feeling defeated.
“What is going wrong besides this, what’s her name Betse? Besides her being a bitch?”
“I found out some of my family can’t come in from Florida, my dress came in wrong three times, we had to re-book our honeymoon because the agent never booked it, and the band we wanted wasn’t available so we went with a back-up. I feel like nothing has gone right.“ She paused realizing how obnoxious she must sound. “Sorry.”