[MTM] Five days you never had and one day you did.
i.
She faced the mirror with a wide smile, and twirled slightly in the long gown, smoothing down the silk and pearls as she went. It had been six, long, excruciating, hectic months of engagement, but now she was finally here. In the church. Ready to pledge her heart and soul to her one and only, and honestly, it was a place she’d never thought she’d be. There were so many surprises and twists and turns along the way, but she was here and he was here and they were going to do this. They were really going to do this.
The door opened, behind her, and she turned in surprise, expecting one of the bridesmaids or her mother, but instead, there was a man in a tuxedo with his hand over his eyes. She shrieked in surprise, picking up one of the pillows in the room and tossing it at him, hard. “Ben, get out!”
“Oh, what, love? It’s not like it’s not anything I haven’t seen before.”
Her mouth dropped in a wide expression of surprise, and she stormed over, smacking him in the shoulder lightly. “Benjamin, we’re in a church.”
“Please, Bela, they say he sees all, anyway, so he already knows what we’re doin’. What’s it going to matter if I actually say it or not?”
She laughed slightly at the look on his face, before placing her hands on her hips, even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “You’re not supposed to see me in my dress before the wedding.”
“Well, it was a risk I had to take, darling,” he smirked, reaching forward and grabbing her wrist, pulling her closer, one hand still over his eyes. “Had to make sure you weren’t running out on me after all.”
“Clearly, I’m here,” she said with a smirk. “So you can go now, can’t you?”
“Kiss for luck?”
“Can’t wait a few more moments?”
“C’mon, love, just one?”
She sighed heavily, before leaning in to kiss him softly, placing both hands on the side of his face as he did. After breaking the kiss, she stayed close, whispering softly. “You good to go now?”
“Perfect,” he said with a nod and a smile, before pulling away from her completely. “Now, I better get out o’ here before your mum comes and beats the daylights out of me before my own wedding.” He gave her a grin, before leaning in and kissing her cheek lightly. “I love you, Bela.”
“I love you, too.”
ii.
“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?”
Ben turned to face her with a smile, cradling the baby lightly in his arms as he made his way over to her, perching on the side of the hospital bed lightly. “I believe the good doctor told you to rest, love.”
“Can’t help it,” she murmured, giving him a sleepy smile. “I can’t stop looking at him.”
“Neither can I,” he whispered, leaning over to kiss the top of her head lightly, as he continued to cradle their new baby boy in his arms. “Can you believe it? We’re going to have to raise him.”
“We’re going to have to name him first,” she said, giving him a pointed look.
“What, you mean we can’t just call him ‘him’ forever?” Ben replied with a smirk.
“We could, but we might get him confused with all the other ‘hims’ out there,” she said, giving him a look.
“I got it! We’ll call him ‘it,’ then.”
Bela snorted back a laugh, before shifting onto her back so that she was facing away from him. “I was thinking Alexander.”
“You had time to think of names? In all the pushing and the screaming, you thought of some baby names?”
“Do you like it, or not?” she said with a grin, before turning back to look at him again. He just grinned back at her before nodding.
“I think it’s perfect.”
“Good,” she nodded. “Because I would have overruled you anyway.”
“And how, exactly would you have done that?”
“All the pushing and the screaming? You could say anything you want, darling-I’d still win.”
“I’m sure you would, love. I’m sure you would.”
iii.
“We have to do something.”
“They were clear, Bela-no parties.”
“They’ve been married for fifty years, they’d be daft if they thought we really wouldn’t throw them a party.”
“You really think that.”
“I do.”
“Well, if this all blows up in our faces, if Mum and Dad are lookin’ for someone to blame, I’m going to send them running to you.”
“Not a problem, because this isn’t going to blow up. It’s going to be fantastic.”
“Says you, little Miss Go-to Girl for all the best parties in London.”
“I do know how to plan them, don’t I?” she grinned widely. “So does this mean you’ll help, then?”
“Fine, fine-I’ll help. But as I said-”
“Yes, yes, I know-everything goes to hell, I take all the blame.”
“You’re an incorrigible woman, you know that don’t you?”
“That’s what they tell me all the time.”
iv.
“Twenty-five years, darling. Can you believe it?”
She looked up at him with a bright smile, sliding her arms around his neck more and moving closer. “I think I can. I lived every minute of it, after all.”
He grinned down at her, sliding his arms around his waist and pulling her closer as he did. “I’m sure you know that this is entirely your father’s fault.”
“Oh, I know,” she smirked. “He was so encouraging when he was chasing you down the steps of the front of the house with a cricket bat, trying to beat you brains in.”
She heard the rumble of laughter creep up through his chest and she grinned, looking up at him with a soft smile. He smiled back at her, reaching up to brush a bit of her hair back behind his ear. “I think he warmed up to me a bit after that.”
“After he fired you, of course.”
“I always find it incredibly strange that he did that. You’d think he’d want me to be able to support his daughter that I was going to marry.”
“I think that was meant as more of a discouragement than a help, Ben.”
“Eh, what does it matter?” He laughed, “We’re here, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” she nodded, leaning to rest her head against his shoulder. “Yes, we are.”
v.
She stood outside the cemetery, watching as the lowered the casket into the ground. She wasn’t necessarily welcome-being the person who brought about that person’s death will most certainly be grounds to your invitation to their funeral being revoked. But she wasn’t quite ready to let go yet. She wasn’t going to intrude, or make her presence known, but she did want to say good-bye, one last time before she disappeared for good.
She couldn’t get close, and she couldn’t be seen, so she was there, on the outside of the fence, with a scarf around her head and sunglasses over her eyes, watching at they went through the paces of saying their own, more formal good-bye to the one they had loved so much. They one that she had taken away from all of them, for reasons that she knew were justified, and that no one understood. Which was fine-she hadn’t expected them to, really. Grief was rather funny that way. But there was still that instinct, that desire to be close to them at this moment, where their grief was at it’s peak, because everything suddenly became so much more real-so much more permanent.
She quietly brushed a tear out from under her glasses, saying a silent good-bye to the one she had lost, and hoping that someday, sometime, those she cared about the most would find it in their hearts to forgive her. Or, at least, she could find it in her heart to forgive herself.
1320 words
She faced the mirror with a wide smile, and twirled slightly in the long gown, smoothing down the silk and pearls as she went. It had been six, long, excruciating, hectic months of engagement, but now she was finally here. In the church. Ready to pledge her heart and soul to her one and only, and honestly, it was a place she’d never thought she’d be. There were so many surprises and twists and turns along the way, but she was here and he was here and they were going to do this. They were really going to do this.
The door opened, behind her, and she turned in surprise, expecting one of the bridesmaids or her mother, but instead, there was a man in a tuxedo with his hand over his eyes. She shrieked in surprise, picking up one of the pillows in the room and tossing it at him, hard. “Ben, get out!”
“Oh, what, love? It’s not like it’s not anything I haven’t seen before.”
Her mouth dropped in a wide expression of surprise, and she stormed over, smacking him in the shoulder lightly. “Benjamin, we’re in a church.”
“Please, Bela, they say he sees all, anyway, so he already knows what we’re doin’. What’s it going to matter if I actually say it or not?”
She laughed slightly at the look on his face, before placing her hands on her hips, even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “You’re not supposed to see me in my dress before the wedding.”
“Well, it was a risk I had to take, darling,” he smirked, reaching forward and grabbing her wrist, pulling her closer, one hand still over his eyes. “Had to make sure you weren’t running out on me after all.”
“Clearly, I’m here,” she said with a smirk. “So you can go now, can’t you?”
“Kiss for luck?”
“Can’t wait a few more moments?”
“C’mon, love, just one?”
She sighed heavily, before leaning in to kiss him softly, placing both hands on the side of his face as he did. After breaking the kiss, she stayed close, whispering softly. “You good to go now?”
“Perfect,” he said with a nod and a smile, before pulling away from her completely. “Now, I better get out o’ here before your mum comes and beats the daylights out of me before my own wedding.” He gave her a grin, before leaning in and kissing her cheek lightly. “I love you, Bela.”
“I love you, too.”
ii.
“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?”
Ben turned to face her with a smile, cradling the baby lightly in his arms as he made his way over to her, perching on the side of the hospital bed lightly. “I believe the good doctor told you to rest, love.”
“Can’t help it,” she murmured, giving him a sleepy smile. “I can’t stop looking at him.”
“Neither can I,” he whispered, leaning over to kiss the top of her head lightly, as he continued to cradle their new baby boy in his arms. “Can you believe it? We’re going to have to raise him.”
“We’re going to have to name him first,” she said, giving him a pointed look.
“What, you mean we can’t just call him ‘him’ forever?” Ben replied with a smirk.
“We could, but we might get him confused with all the other ‘hims’ out there,” she said, giving him a look.
“I got it! We’ll call him ‘it,’ then.”
Bela snorted back a laugh, before shifting onto her back so that she was facing away from him. “I was thinking Alexander.”
“You had time to think of names? In all the pushing and the screaming, you thought of some baby names?”
“Do you like it, or not?” she said with a grin, before turning back to look at him again. He just grinned back at her before nodding.
“I think it’s perfect.”
“Good,” she nodded. “Because I would have overruled you anyway.”
“And how, exactly would you have done that?”
“All the pushing and the screaming? You could say anything you want, darling-I’d still win.”
“I’m sure you would, love. I’m sure you would.”
iii.
“We have to do something.”
“They were clear, Bela-no parties.”
“They’ve been married for fifty years, they’d be daft if they thought we really wouldn’t throw them a party.”
“You really think that.”
“I do.”
“Well, if this all blows up in our faces, if Mum and Dad are lookin’ for someone to blame, I’m going to send them running to you.”
“Not a problem, because this isn’t going to blow up. It’s going to be fantastic.”
“Says you, little Miss Go-to Girl for all the best parties in London.”
“I do know how to plan them, don’t I?” she grinned widely. “So does this mean you’ll help, then?”
“Fine, fine-I’ll help. But as I said-”
“Yes, yes, I know-everything goes to hell, I take all the blame.”
“You’re an incorrigible woman, you know that don’t you?”
“That’s what they tell me all the time.”
iv.
“Twenty-five years, darling. Can you believe it?”
She looked up at him with a bright smile, sliding her arms around his neck more and moving closer. “I think I can. I lived every minute of it, after all.”
He grinned down at her, sliding his arms around his waist and pulling her closer as he did. “I’m sure you know that this is entirely your father’s fault.”
“Oh, I know,” she smirked. “He was so encouraging when he was chasing you down the steps of the front of the house with a cricket bat, trying to beat you brains in.”
She heard the rumble of laughter creep up through his chest and she grinned, looking up at him with a soft smile. He smiled back at her, reaching up to brush a bit of her hair back behind his ear. “I think he warmed up to me a bit after that.”
“After he fired you, of course.”
“I always find it incredibly strange that he did that. You’d think he’d want me to be able to support his daughter that I was going to marry.”
“I think that was meant as more of a discouragement than a help, Ben.”
“Eh, what does it matter?” He laughed, “We’re here, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” she nodded, leaning to rest her head against his shoulder. “Yes, we are.”
v.
She stood outside the cemetery, watching as the lowered the casket into the ground. She wasn’t necessarily welcome-being the person who brought about that person’s death will most certainly be grounds to your invitation to their funeral being revoked. But she wasn’t quite ready to let go yet. She wasn’t going to intrude, or make her presence known, but she did want to say good-bye, one last time before she disappeared for good.
She couldn’t get close, and she couldn’t be seen, so she was there, on the outside of the fence, with a scarf around her head and sunglasses over her eyes, watching at they went through the paces of saying their own, more formal good-bye to the one they had loved so much. They one that she had taken away from all of them, for reasons that she knew were justified, and that no one understood. Which was fine-she hadn’t expected them to, really. Grief was rather funny that way. But there was still that instinct, that desire to be close to them at this moment, where their grief was at it’s peak, because everything suddenly became so much more real-so much more permanent.
She quietly brushed a tear out from under her glasses, saying a silent good-bye to the one she had lost, and hoping that someday, sometime, those she cared about the most would find it in their hearts to forgive her. Or, at least, she could find it in her heart to forgive herself.
1320 words