Down the road of memories

Ghost

Elle POV

I could not believe my eyes!  My flight back to LA was canceled!  I had been in Greece for 2 weeks for a conference and I had planned a quiet day at home with Noah to recharge before the 2 completely crazy days that were going to be the day before and the day of Lee and Rachel’s wedding.

I called Noah in complete desperation an hour ago when I found out my flight was canceled to ask him to help me find another one.  But as much as he could calm me down, the stress of the conference hadn’t completely passed yet and the stress of Lee’s wedding was starting to get to me.  Noah agreed to do many of the tasks I was supposed to do before the wedding like picking up bridesmaids dresses and flowers.  He told me not to worry and to just get back to LA as quickly as possible.  He was as disappointed as I was at not having this quiet day together to recharge our batteries before facing our responsibilities as witnesses at the wedding.  But what could we change about the situation?

I was sitting at the gate of my flight and thought about the last wedding I attended, my father’s…

Mike’s wedding flashback, 3 years after the breakup

I have never had such conflicting feelings as I do today.  On the one hand, I was happy for my father that he met someone like Linda who understood him and made him happy.  But on the other hand, I realize that my mother is really gone…

It’s crazy how the realization of a person’s departure occurs over time and not completely at the moment of their death.  As if you are losing a piece of yourself day by day and even years later.

Despite the fact that I was seeing someone, I came to my father’s wedding alone.  Mark couldn’t come with me because of his soccer championship… and the news of his departure for Rochester in 6 months made me reconsider a lot of things.  And I was happy not to have to tell anyone that he and I are currently on a break.

There was also something else, so obvious but which I had been trying to avoid for 3 years.  Mark would have been an excellent distraction during this difficult day and served as a buffer for Lee’s new girlfriend, Alyssa, who doesn’t have me in her heart.  The reason I’m relieved he’s not here is… Linda told me the Flynns confirmed there would be 5 people.  This necessarily implied that Noah would be there.

I hadn’t seen Noah since our goodbyes on the beach 3 years ago.  And I admit that the prospect of seeing him again today, in addition to all my other emotions to deal with, put a little pressure on me.  Thinking about Mark again, I was grateful that I wasn’t experiencing a confrontation between my ex and my current suitor today.

I was also happy to be paired with Brad in the bridal party and not Duncan, Linda’s nephew who tries to convince me to go out with him every time our paths cross.