Page 8 of Allure
“Absolutely not.”
“Well, second question. The wedding is this weekend. We don’t like to prolong the process too much. You come to us because you’re tired of the traditional route and the waiting, so we don’t want to keep you waiting too long once we find the one for you. Finally, your cost for the services; we will handle the wedding for you. In your case, your future husband only had one request.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“He wants to wear shades of brown, but the rest is up to you. He specifically wanted the planning to be your dream. That was something he mentioned a few times during our conversation.”
“That’s very easy to give, mainly because that and burnt orange were the colors I was going to choose, anyway. I want pampas grass, copper orange silk drapery with brown and cream mixed in. I want it to feel homely, but romantic, if that makes sense. I don’t think I have much else in mind. Very intimate. I don’t have a big family or a lot of friends.”
“I got it all down. With only a few days before I do, I think you might want to go dress shopping,” Joy responded.
I smiled to myself because the feeling was setting in. I was getting married this weekend to a stranger.
“Uh, Joy, I know you don’t allow contact before the wedding, but can I send a present to you to make sure he gets it before the wedding?” I asked.
The line got quiet, but when she answered, I heard the smile in her voice.
“Absolutely. On your wedding day, I will head to your dressing room to get it.”
“Perfect. Also, I know he wants this day to be perfect for me but I want the same for him too. Tell him the first dance song is all his, and the food. I’m not picky at all and I trust his opinion. If you picked him, we must have something in common.”
“You got it, and congratulations, Lore.”
I smiled as we ended the call, then looked over at Mahalia. She had the biggest smile on her face as if she knew exactly what I would say.
“I’m getting married,” I told her.
She cupped her ear and leaned forward dramatically.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that. What did you say? Say it a little louder.”
I threw my head back and lifted my arms above my head like I could reach the sky.
“I am getting married!” I shouted.
The people who passed by us smiled.
Mahalia wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight.
“So, dress shopping?” she asked.
I groaned at the thought. I loved to shop like the next woman, but sometimes, it was a bit challenging to find things to fit my unique frame. Which only made me wish we had a little more time than a few days, but I understood the process.
“I guess. But you know Jia would kill us if we went without her,” I joked, referring to my mother by her first name.
“I’m already ahead of you. I shot her a text, and she is on her way to the shop with your dad now. So get your butt up and let’s go,” she said.
I smiled, loving my friend all the more. She proved to me every day why it wasn’t necessary to have more than just her. She was all I could ever need in a friend. But now that I thought of it, she would have to make room for my husband because this relationship had to be more than a romantic thing. He needed to be my friend too, if we wanted this to last.
DRESS SHOPPING
We walked into Ever After Boutique, and wall-to-wall was covered with different styled dresses. I knew for sure I wanted something that would lie against my frame, not missing a single curve.
One of the women who worked to help pick the perfect dress walked over to introduce herself until my mother rushed over.
“Thank you so much. She is with us,” she told her.
My mother was a very dainty woman, who always wore her hair loose around her shoulders, highlighting her porcelain skin. Her English was practically seamless because of moving here from Thailand when she was a baby with her parents. I knew this moment was extremely important to her because her parents passed before she could do wedding planning when she fell in love with my dad. He was the average black man, hardworking and beyond intelligent. According to my mom, when she saw him, it was an instant connection.