The Lonely Wife

It was August sixith, On what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.. Her wedding, Tollie was anything but happy. Marrying her high school sweetheart meant never leaving. Never leaving this town of 92 people, everyone knows everybody. “I had dreams” Tollie thought, while looking at her reflection. “ I was going to go to college, get a degree, that’s out the window now” she realized. While putting her earrings on Faith walks in, her mother-in-law, “my dear, you have two minutes, Paul is waiting for you.” She gathers herself walks towards the chapel doors. The music starts playing, you hear everyone stand up. She wanted to run, she wanted to hop on a train and never come back. One deep breath and kiss on the forehead from dad and their off. They reach the alter, Tim gives her daughter one last kiss and hands her off, for the last time to Paul. The beginning of the rest of her life. What everyone at the wedding was not made aware of, the real reason they were wed. Tollie was pregnant, “you can’t have a child out of wedlock” their parents proclaimed. Growing up in a small baptist town, no s*x before marriage is taught. Tollie and Paul being 19 would be the talk of the town. It would ruin the family name.