Veronica, June 2021
When you're a teenager you have these wild fantasies of what your life will be like, beyond high school but reality has a way of creeping in, changing the plan and settling you into adulthood. I was just 15 years old when I first met Sam Lions, the devilishly handsome but very cheeky transfer student from England. I didn't know that that boy would alter my world so drastically, that we would create a life together that was filled with so much love, that he would open my eyes to new and wonderful possibilities. I never imagined that he could be my soul mate but I'm so grateful that I was given the second chance to find out.
In my alternate life I played it safe, I never ventured out of my home town and even took a job at the same school I had attended. I didn't gamble with risks because I was afraid of what might come from stepping out of my comfort zone, I kept myself secluded and closed off, only allowing my sister and my best friend, Kate, limited access to my life. I dreamed of travelling the world yet kept making excuses to hold myself back.
Love was my biggest fear, after having my heart broken so young, I never wanted to experience that pain ever again so I created distance between myself and the men I dated, only allowing them in so much and then cutting them off when I could feel they needed more from me. It never made me happy to live like this but it spared me getting hurt in the long run. Marriage was never something I aspired as a goal for myself, not that I ever came close to that point in any romantic relationship.
I honestly believe that if I told my alternative self that I was getting married today, she would tell me I'm asking for trouble. If I told her who I was marrying, she would laugh and repeat some gossip that she read about Sam in one of the many glossy magazines that Bridget would scatter across our coffee table. I am proud that I am no longer that woman, that I opened my heart and allowed Sam in, that I know him for who he truely is, not what they print about him.
Most brides are nervous on their wedding day, wanting to make sure every aspect is perfect and not just enjoying the magic that is two souls joining together to form one. This is my one and only wedding day, I don't want to get caught up in every small detail we've put into this day, stressing over the cake, the flowers, the guests, the music, the weather, none of that mattered because a the end of today I would be married to my soul mate.
The only thing that made me sad today was that neither Kate or Hamish could attend our wedding. With the international boarders still remaining closed they were unable to fly in, which was a shame but it was out of our control. Kate had personally designed and made my wedding dress, a stunning, white sweetheart neck lined dress that flowed out from the hips with a sweep train. Every glass bead had been hand stitched by Kate, creating such beautiful detail.
There was a slight chill in the air, which was expected for winter but other than that Mother Nature had blessed us with an abundance of sunshine, not a cloud littered the sky. The small park, at the end of our street, was transformed into a makeshift wedding venue. A long, crushed velevet, royal blue carpet had been laid out, with fold up chairs on either side and there, at the very end of the carpet, stood Sam, his best woman, Shayla and groomsman Lucas.
The music begins to play, Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud, the song that Sam picked because he said it spoke exactly how it felt to fall in love with me and I find myself listening carefully to the words and imagine it is Sam speaking directly to me.
Bridget bends down and hands Samantha a small, wicker cane basket, filled with white rose petals.
"Remember how we practised yesterday, throw the petals out as you, very slowly walk towards mammy." Bridget instructs her daughter, my gorgeous flower girl who is so excited to take the basket and begin her slow walk down the aisle, throwing out clumps of petals along the way. Once at the end of the carpet she abandons the basket and runs into Shayla's waiting arms, earning her a round of applause from our guests for a job well done.
