Bird Shit

The day before the wedding 4th of July - 16:32 PM

'Isn't it a little bit early for champagne?' Poppie's Mother questions her.

As a reply she just shakes her head and swallows all the things she actually wants to say. It's hard for her to keep her mouth shut but she has to now. Her soon to be mother-in-law is sitting next to Poppie, her judging eyes carefully watching the champagne glass as Poppie sips it. In reality she wants to gulp it down.

Isn't the day before your wedding supposed to be fun, exciting and thrilling? Where are the nerves and more importantly; where's the fun?

'It's her bachelorette party Mother,' her oldest sisters says while sipping her own tea. The more appropriate choice at an afternoon tea, but opinions are divided.

'It's only extra calories. We've got an expensive dress laid out for you, wouldn't want to have- how did you call them? Back boobs I believe, now would you?'

Oh sure there are the nerves. The dress, the wedding, it is all coming so close, like a day ahead. Needless to say, Poppie gulps down the glass of champagne and already has her hand raised for another one before her mother can comment on her choice of dress again.

'I'm so curious to see the dress,' her almost official mother-in-law, Charlotte or as she likes to be called; Char, tries to save the situation but Poppie is finding it harder and harder to sit still and keep her lips sealed. After two hours of listening to how beautiful tomorrow will be, she just wishes she could have it over with.

'Sure,' Poppie says before she thankfully grabs the glass from the serving tray. The waiter gives her a somewhat knowing smile as if he can see from the group of people she's surrounded by, what she is going through.

And you probably can see as they're all dressed in the latest fashion, their hair is perfectly styled and their makeup is beautiful and just the right amount. There's not a thing that isn't perfect, from their manicure to their phone to their eyebrows. You can see that Poppie is slightly different than the rest of them. First of all her eyebrows aren't plugged into little lines, secondly her hair isn't bleached and it's all hers and thirdly she drinks champagne on an afternoon tea.

Honestly, Poppie had hoped that for once her family would have gotten a bit crazy. When her Mother asked what she wanted to do for her bachelorette she had jokingly answered she was expecting a stripper. Her Mother had of course scolded at her and Poppie had quickly laughed about it. Her fake laugh though which is a soft giggle, not the seal she sounds like when she truly finds something funny.

But afternoon tea it was and the bitchy remarks kept on coming as her second sister started to butt in.

'So Poppie. Have you and Henry thought about children already?'

Her sister, Ariana, very well knew that children were a touchy subject, but Ariana also saw that Poppie was on edge and she liked making it worse. It's what the sisters had been doing for their whole life.

'No,' Poppie deadpans gulping the freshly served glass down her throat.

She feels all eyes judge her but their mouths turn in to thin lines as they keep them shut.

'No? It was the only reason me and Jack got married. So it would be easier for the children to have his last name. In your case you must really be excited about that!' She shrieks as if she's truly excited for her sister but Poppie knows better.

Jack might be wealthy but he has got nothing on the family money Henry's owns. They're loaded and the only thing she has beaten her sister at. Which infuriates Ariana.

'I honestly don't care,' she replies and it's the truth for once. Sort of.

When she met Henry she had thought he was fun but a bit of a wimp. When she found out about his family being related to the founders of Tesco, she had suddenly seen him in a different light. The fact that Henry liked Poppie back only made it easier for her to fall in love with him. Because Poppie really loves Henry.

She thinks.

Her mother-in-law sighs at the mention of their family rather large funds as she thinks that's all Poppie cares about. Which in a way is true. She knows that if it wasn't for his money, she probably would have lost interest in him a long time ago. She already kind off did.

This is all getting too intense and she calls for the waiter again. There's no need in explaining her order as he already hurries down to their table with another glass. Poppie is the only one drinking as the rest of them only briefly sips their tea and watch the scones get moldy (calories, calories, calories).

'Poppie?' Her Mother asks her in a tone that basically says; do you think it is wise to get drunk in front of your very rich soon-to-be Mother in law? The answer is no, but Poppie will never admit that.

'What Ma? Don't like my drinking?'

'Please Poppie, I would like to come back here in the future so keep your volume down.'

'I don't see the point in keeping my volume down. Who EVER made it a rule to keep your volume down?'

Her mother buries her head in her hands after she gives her a wave to calm down. Poppie hates that hand gesture, it makes her feel ten all over again.

'Don't you shush me!' She yells as she stands up feeling the three glasses of expensive alcohol rise to her head.

It makes her body whoosh to the left and then to the right and she ends up bumping in to the table causing one of the teacups to fall and spill all over her mother-in-law. Bad luck, Poppie thinks. This is all bad luck for tomorrow.

'I'm so sorry!' Poppie's voice is high and doesn't sound like her at all.

She grabs her napkin and tries to dap the wet spot on Char's lap but she slaps her helping hand away.

'Go away you silly girl!' She yells just as loud as Poppie earlier.

Tears form in her eyes as Char calls her silly. Silly Poppie is what she has been called all her life and she is so sick of all of it. No one really cares for her in this family, they only care for her actions, not for who she is because she's only silly.

Poppie turns around as for once she listens to an adult and turns around to leave her family behind. They all come to Char's aid but they don't get called away by her. She lets them help her and that causes the tears to brim over the edge and stream down her face as she makes her way out of the restaurant.

Hot air almost makes her fall back inside the place as she steps outside. It's a warm day and the busy street is filled with people enjoying their meals and drinks outside.

Not Poppie's family of course because sun gets you wrinkles and Botox can only do so much.

No one follows her outside which is only prove to her that they don't really care about her. The only reason her family has been bearable to her the past months is because she finally succeeded at something. Silly Poppie got a man to propose. Poppie never finished an education or found a passion in life to be successful in, but a husband made up for the countless fights about her future. Especially a wealthy husband, but she might have just fucked that up by possible seriously injuring her mother-in-law.

Silly Poppie.

Poppie waits just long enough to know for sure no one comes running after her. She had hope that maybe her oldest sister Mary would come to make sure she's okay as well, but as she watches four boys finish their beers, she knows they are probably finally eating the scones, laughing soft giggles and talking about appropriate stuff which is not strippers Poppie!

The four boys on the other side of the road seem to be happy with their, what Mother would call, homeless looks. They don't even seem to realize that Poppie has been staring at them for probably ten minutes. Poppie feels eyes on her all the time, but they seem okay with it.

One of the guys laughs hysterically and he sets down his glass of beer with such a force that it spills over.

None of them seem to care.

Firstly Poppie wonders what is exactly in those beers because they seem truly happy. Secondly she wonders if Char came back for revenge because she feels something hot drip in the back of her neck and thirdly she wonders why one of the guys (the cutest in her humble opinion) suddenly gains her attention and is laughing to her. Or is he laughing at her?