WEDDING CEREMONY
1014 Words
Caoimhe
"Congratulations on your wedding sweet sister," Sarah said with a grin on her face as she entered the room I was in, all dressed and getting prepared for my wedding with William Madden.
I glared at her because I had no words to say to her. I knew why she was here, to see how I was coping and to derive joy from my misery.
"You look so pretty! You look perfect for Michael
Madden." She added and I rolled my eyes in return.
"My fiancée Jason is running late but don't worry, he'd be here to cheer you up as we are both happy for you," she remarked, making emphasis on the word 'fiancee'.
I felt the knots in my stomach tighten from the mention of her ex. She knew what she was doing and I refused to give her replies.
"It's time," my father entered the room.
"We have to leave now," he announced as he walked up to me.
"It is time sweet sister. Get up, we don't want to keep the gentleman waiting do we?" She smirked.
"I will take my leave now," she said before walking away.
"Behave Caoimhe. This is for all of us so don't make it look like this is a suicide mission," my father casually said as if it was no big deal, and of course, I expected that from him.
I walked with my hand, linking my arms with his as we walked towards the altar. I didn't look up not once and kept staring at the ground as I didn't want to believe that it was happening and that I was indeed getting married to an idler.
My father let me go and I climbed onto the altar but to my surprise, the groom was nowhere to be found.
"Where is the groom?" I heard whispers amongst the people present and I looked around.
This must be a joke! How dare he not show up on time? But then again, what do I expect from someone as useless as him? It's even worse that I don't even know his face.
Seconds turned into minutes and Michael
Madden was nowhere to be seen. Great, another reason to dislike the guy, as if I needed more.
"He is never on time. I'm sure he's drinking somewhere or perhaps collapsed," I heard someone utter loudly in the congregation and I cringed hard.
I sighed, irritated at this entire incident rising in me. It was bad enough that I was being forced into this, now my supposed husband-to-be couldn't even bother to show up on time. I was starting to get tense.
"The groom is here! He is here!" Someone announced and I looked straight at the entrance of the hall to see the face of my soon-to-be husband.
The closer he came towards the altar, the closer look I could see his face. Here he was, the man I was supposed to marry. The man I'd never met until the surprise announcement that landed on my lap just a few days ago.
My initial disappointment morphed into something akin to bewildered confusion. William Madden wasn't what I'd expected. Not at all.
He was tall, thin even, with a mop of unruly brown hair that looked like it hadn't seen a comb in days. His clothes were a two-piece black jacket yet he wore a rumbled t-shirt which screamed of a man who cared little about appearances.
Yet, something caught my eye. A glint of silver peeked out from beneath the frayed cuff of his shirt. My breath seized. It was a watch. A Patek Philippe Nautilus, to be precise. Not just any watch, but a limited edition, a collector's item.
At least the man had expensive taste
A bitter scoff escaped my lips. This was William Madden? The man my father had deemed worthy of becoming my husband? An idler, a troublemaker, and now, apparently, a man with expensive taste and a questionable way of acquiring it.
Jason, my now ex-boyfriend, had the same watch.
I shook my head, forcing the unwanted thought of Jason off it. I didn't have the time to think about that asshole.
He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat, the sound grating on my already angry mood.
"Caoimhe, I presume? I apologise for being late. Traffic was..."
"Abysmal?" I finished his sentence for him, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Or perhaps you simply overslept after a particularly eventful evening?"
He smiled politely, making me frown. "There were unforeseen circumstances if you know what I mean," he said.
He sounded slow and dumb. Of course, what was I expecting from a man who looked like this?
"Now that the groom is here, we will begin the ceremony," the priest said.
This was it, my heart began to race faster than normal as I thought of the fact that in about some minutes, I'd be a married woman and not a married woman to the love of my life but to someone known to have a bad reputation.
I didn't realise I was crying until I tasted my tears.
"Do you, Michael
Madden, take Caoimhe Hartman as your lovely wedded wife, in sickness, and health, for rich and for poor, until death do you apart?" The priest asked.
Michael
cleared his throat before he replied, "Yes, I do."
My heart skipped as the priest turned to me.
"Do you Caoimheh Hartman, take Michael
Madden as your lovely wedded husband, in sickness, and health, for rich and for poor, until death do you apart?"
This was it. The moment it becomes sealed depends on my response. Any decision I take now will determine the rest of my life.
I looked at the direction my father was sitting and he was staring intensely at me, as if warning me not to do otherwise.
"Yes, I do."
I said it and I felt my heart shattering into a thousand pieces.
"It is done. With the power invested in me by God almighty, I now pronounce you, man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
- Writer
