Only you, just you

White lies and promises

A/N. I would like to dedicate this chapter to my wonderful mother who died while I was writing this chapter. It was delayed because I was running back and forth to the hospital every day so I could be with her in her final days. She was my biggest fan and was proud of my writing. She even bragged to the doctors that her daughter was a writer.  I  read to her while she lay in her hospital bed . It will be a cherished memory I will hold on to forever.

'Let us carve gems out of our stony hearts and let them light our path to Love...Rumi

Rey's heart drops in disbelief at the order, not a request or a suggestion ....but a order.

His mother's wedding dress? She was momentarily rendered speechless by his demanding tone.

When she finally found her voice, she tried her best to sound firm, but failed miserably.

"But Duke, she's already been married twice!"

Rey was very superstitious and worried that it would be bad luck to wear the dress of a woman who's first marriage ended in divorce.

The fact that she had been fantasizing about her own wedding dress since the day she first got interested in boys, and already had that fantasy wedding dress hanging in her bedroom closet , disappeared like all her other unfulfilled dreams.

What good would it be to tell him now?

Then, as if on cue and had been lurking in the shadows, Padme' Roadrunner stepped forward without hesitation, holding a old, crumpled and faded box from the prestigious wedding boutique Klineflelds .

Rey didn't have to guess what was in it as it was thrust into her hands. She looked down at the lid and felt another of her girlhood dreams fade.

Padme' lifted the lid and smiled indulgently then said, " I wore it , my daughter wore it and I want you to have the same pleasure, darling Fay!"

Rey bristled at the mispronunciation of her name, but held her tongue. This was her future mother -in -law and she demanded respect.
The lid was lifted with all the pomp and circumstance of revealing a hidden treasure.

Rey looked down at a lacy confection, yellow and stiff with age. She tried her best to smile up at Duke as he gave her a reassuring squeeze.

The rest of the engagement party was just a hazy blur. People shaking her hand and saying ' congratulations'. Yet she didn't hear any of it.

Rey took the dress home and cried the tears of disappointed dreams. Then she straightened her shoulders, took a sustaining breath and pulled the offending object out of the box.

Out fell a matching head piece. A bird cage veil with a plastic crown studded with imitation pearls.

Icky.

What was she to do? This dress was butt ugly, yellow with age and obviously at least three dress sizes to big.

She stuffed down her emotions and thought up a romantic reason she should wear this moth eaten relic.

As she pulled the lace over her head, her nose caught the scent of 'been in the back of the closet for thirty years' odor.

She took another long sad breath and looked longingly at her own dress hanging in her closet.

It was made of pure white satin. Embellished with crystals and shimmering silver thread. The sweet heart neckline accentuated her small bosom, while still being in good taste. She would have looked stunning in it.

'Oh well,' she thought . 'Maybe I can sell it on eBay or somewhere.'

There was a knock at her door then Poppy came quickly into the room.