'What? What do you mean Jenner isn't here yet?'
'Exactly that Amanda, everyone else is dressed up and ready for the day to begin.'
'We cannot begin without her, have you tried ringing her?'
'Several times. It goes straight to voicemail,' Stella, Amanda's best friend and maid of honour, responded.
Amanda was in disbelief because from the morning she'd been having so far, it was looking very dire. The décor crew were running late and had only started setting up thirty minutes ago, the wedding planner informed her that everyone was hard at work looking for the wedding rings, Lucas was said to be coming down with coughs and now one of her bridesmaids was virtually unreachable.
This was never the way to start what could be one of the biggest days of her life. On top of that, she still had not indulged in a bite of her breakfast.
Stell closed the door behind her and sat on the bed beside her friend, hugging her.
'Don't worry about a thing Amanda.'
'It's kind of hard not to when the day is already looking like it's going to be a disaster.'
'Hey! Don't speak like that, you are going to be fine. Let's not focus on the bad, leave that to me and the wedding planner.'
Amanda did not respond. Right now, all she wanted to do was cry and ask God why her day was already looking bleak. After postponing her big day by a full four months in a bid to get Lucas's brother to attend, it finally came, and it was not at all what she was expecting.
'Maybe it's a sign,' she suggested.
'Nonsense. Don't even get started,' Stella dismissed. 'It will all work out, okay? You've been waiting for this day and if I have anything to do with it, I will make sure it's a success.'
Amanda feigned a smile, and the friends hugged once more.
They met during the days at Stellenbosch University when they were both studying toward their Bachelor of Medicine degrees. It was a no-brainer that they would be friends. Stella and Amanda shared similar backgrounds – wealthy families, posh upbringings and had a lot of the same interests.
Stella was the first of the two to marry, only a year after graduation (when Amanda was named the maid of honour). It was an intimate affair hosted on the beautiful shores of Camps Bay in Cape Town, and all it did was make Amanda excited for when her big day would come. Now that it was here, it was just chaos.
Life is unfair.
Amanda tied her guest robe and they both heard a gentle knock at the door.
'Enter,' she spoke, hoping that it was going to be Jenner. The door creaked open and three people with moderate smiles on their faces revealed themselves.
It was the makeup crew.
Amanda was slowly giving up hope.
'At least the makeup crew is here,' Amanda sounded relieved. 'Now we can get you all primped up and polished for your big day!'
'I think I'll try Jenner on my phone.'
'No!' Stella grabbed Amanda's phone from her hands. 'I told you this is my burden to carry for you. You just focus on getting ready. Okay?'
It was somewhat assuring to know that Stella was keen on making the day a success, and when she allowed the crew in Stella stepped out. Amanda was invited to take a seat in front of the mirror and ring light set up they quickly installed. Her hotel room suddenly looked like that of a movie star.
