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The
alarm didn’t awaken me this morning.
There wasn’t any need for it.
At the first shimmer of daylight my eyes opened. I waited until seven before rising and
running my bath water. I filled
the tub with bubbles and settled in for a long, relaxing soak. No need to rush. I had plenty of time.
I have
no idea how long my body had enjoyed the warm water, but it was long enough for
it to prune. I still needed to
wash and fix my hair. With thick
curly hair, this chore is time-consuming.
It was crucial that my hair looked perfect today. It took my normal hour to blow it dry
and make sure each piece fell properly around my face.
By the
time I finished no one else in the apartment had stirred yet. I glanced at the time and realized
there were still too many hours left, and I was almost ready. I wanted to crawl back into bed, but
knew that would mess up the masterpiece I had just created on my head.
Trying
to be considerate of those still sleeping, I went to the kitchen to prepare
some breakfast for myself. What
was I in the mood to eat? I
couldn’t decide whether I wanted to work for my meal or just dump some cereal
in a bowl. My stomach did a jig, and my decision
was made. Cereal would be the best
choice. By the time I finished I
finally heard the other girls stirring.
“Does anyone want to go to church with
me?" I asked them.
“Are you kidding?" my friend asked.
“You
are going to church on your wedding day?" my soon-to-be sister-in-law
inquired.
“I’ve
got time to kill. The wedding
isn’t until two. I need something
to do until then."
They
opt to stay behind while I attended Sunday School and church. When I returned, I was greeted with two
extremely unhappy attendants.
Jeanna, my fiancé’s sister, was lying on the couch looking like a truck
had just hit her.
“The
toilet is clogged," Luann announced.
“What?" I rushed to the bathroom and was
instantly assaulted with an aroma that twisted my insides and promised to send
the undigested part of my breakfast swirling to the floor. “Gross!" I squealed with disgust.
“I
would have gone next door to make my deposit at the bank," Jeanna said, “But
they are closed on Sundays."
The
three of us immediately giggled, and I sensed the tension seeping out of my
body. We did have a dilemma, but I
called a friend who quickly sent her husband over to rectify our situation.
My new
sister-in-law-to-be remained unmoved from the couch and though I was getting
annoyed at her, I tried to remain kind.
“I
don’t feel good," Jeanna said. “I
have really bad cramps."
“Oh
man. Do you always have this
problem at this time of month?"
“It’s
not that," she said.
“You
mean, you are getting sick," I asked, totally disgusted that she had chosen my
wedding day to get sick. I was
sure she just wanted some attention.
She got it, too. Everyone
was keeping their eyes on her and wanted to know if she was okay.
When we
finally made it to the reception, my new husband danced with his mother, and
then she made the decision to take Jeanna back to the apartment. I tried
not to let their absence irritate me, but I was failing miserably. It was my special day, and I wanted
everyone’s undivided attention.
Today was supposed to be about me.
When my
husband and I arrived back at our apartment to remove our wedding garb and grab
our suitcases, we were welcomed with a note.
“At the
hospital with Jeanna. Love, Mom."
Guilt
immediately flooded my heart. We
pulled into the hospital just before they wheeled my sister-in-law into
surgery. Her appendix had
burst. It would take her months to
fully recover from the poison that had spread into her body.
When
the pictures from our wedding day finally came, I was amazed to see how happy
and healthy Jeanna looked in them.
She made sure, despite her pain that every picture focused on the new
bride and not on her. She wanted
it to be all about me.
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