Cuts

15. The Wedding - Chris and Ellie

It was January. A little more than a year since they met at the party Andy and him had thrown to welcome 1989. None of them knew how it would change their lives, but it had been the best year they lived. The day chosen by them to become husband and wife was rainy and cold. The place they chose to make the ceremony and the reception was located in Bainbridge, in the middle of the woods because Chris and Ellie loved nature. On a day like that it could be scary. The surroundings were engulfed on a dense white blanket that stopped the vision a few meters ahead. A typical scenario of a horror movie. Despite that, the sound of the droplets that fell from the sky at a steady rhythm, spread an incredible peaceful cacophony as it landed on different surfaces. The smell of wet ground mingled with the scent of the cypresses enriched the air. It was soothing and fresh. The trees glistened with the water that feel over it and balanced back and forth as the wind gusted quite strongly. It wasn't a perfect day for a party, far from it, but the landscape was beautiful and as they say... a wet wedding is a blessed wedding.

Ellie was at the window, alone in her bedroom, watching the rain falling and taking in the amazing nature around her. After getting ready, she had asked to be alone. Though she was sure of her decision, as a usual bride, she was nervous. The battering of the rain against the window made her heart racing fast and the corset of her dress seemed too tight, as if her chest couldn't expand enough to breathe. She turned to the mirror on her right to check out her dress once more. She had spent quite some time choosing the right dress, thinking about details, and considering Chris's style too. It was her moment and she wanted to make the most of it though nothing mattered as much as him. Her dress was a strapless tight corset until her waist and then a skirt that fell almost until her feet on the back but cut above her knees on the front. A frill lace cascade adorned the skirt. On her feet, instead of the traditional heels, she ornamented her feet with a brand-new pair of white Doc Martens ankle size. When everyone found out what she wanted to wear on her feet, they all tried to change her mind but when they saw the final result they thought it mirrored her essence and her husband's to be. Her makeup consisted of light tones of rose and her hair was carefully caught in a pony tail adorned with white daisies. She took a deep breath and looked outside at the warmed tent where everything was going to happen. As it was raining people were inside it after a brief cocktail inside the hotel's dining room. They only invited their family and closest friends, but those were enough to fill the hotel. Her parents paid for everything. They had been that generous.

"El?" She heard a soft knock and the voice of her mother on the hallway.

"Come in..." She responded with choking voice. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears.

The door opened and Ellie turned around with her arms closed around her chest and trembling lips. Her mother closed the door softly and walked up to her with her usual soothing smile. Millie grabbed her hands and pulled her arms away, dismantling her defensive posture and looked into Ellie's gray eyes.

"It is normal to be nervous." Her smile opened wider. "But you don't want to get near Chris with your eyes all smudged, right?" Ellie released a giggle and started battering her eyelashes to dry the tears that would fall down her eyes if she didn't stop it.

"I am having trouble to breathe, mom." She complained.

"Because you are nervous or the corset is in fact too tight?" Millie curled an eyebrow, making Ellie laugh again.

"I am too nervous."

"Chris is a lovely young man who adores you. I was scared the first time I saw him..." Both women started laughing and Millie rolled her eyes. "...his style... he looks wild, Ellie. It is only natural that I was worried my daughter was getting involved with a troubled boy. Chris is troubled but not in the sense I thought. He loves you, that is so clear to all of us. He's sweet and kind and I don't think you could have chosen a better boy. As a mother, I know he will treat you the way you deserve. Besides all that, he is a stunning young man. Nothing can go wrong." She winked.