The Happy Couple

The One In White

LOICK

Today's come too soon. Way too soon for my liking. Since I found out the news, I didn't know whether to count down through excitement or whether to count down to get it out of the way.

It's been nearly two and a half years since Lily, my best friend since... forever, texted me and told me she'd said yes. Yes to the biggest question anyone can be asked. In short, she'd said yes to getting married. Her boyfriend of four years, Aidan, popped the question on Christmas Day. How un-fucking original.

Lily and I met when we were just four years old. We were in the same class at our private, day nursery, Storytimes. Both our parents worked full-time back then and we met on day one, but we had very different upbringings. While mine was practically devoid of parents, cold and sterile with a sprinkle of exuberant presents and travelling to make up for their absences, Lily's was full of love, warmth, happiness and mindfulness from Tommy and Adele - Lily's parents - to be there for their daughter. Being an only child, she was her parent's sole focus but I know for a fact even if they had other children, their upbringing would've been like Lily's.

My parents run a banking business empire, Lily's father worked in distribution and her mother worked in a marketing agency. Both jobs allowed them to be there for their girl. As parents should be. They retired at a reasonable age, while my parents still refuse to walk away, focusing all their time on work. It's probably why my sister hasn't bothered having kids with her husband. One because of our shared upbringing but because she knows they'd probably take a similar stance to their grandchildren as they did us.

Both of us started in the September, pre-school intake. I, being the sour puss I was, wouldn't stop crying because yet again, I was left somewhere else and not with either my mum or dad. Not that seeing them often was ever on the agenda while they ran their business empire, but still. I was four.

My younger brother hadn't been born then but after his arrival, he quickly realised that while my parents had three children, a lot of the time, they weren't around. Aside from the few stolen days here and there and the overly extravagant holidays, we were raised by au pairs. I didn't understand why back then. Being a grown adult, now in the business, I understand. It takes a lot to juggle the corporate world and have a family. Sacrifices have to be made and from my perspective, they made them with ease.

Still to this day, I can remember how Lily and I met like it was yesterday. Specifically, we met in a small, shell-shaped sandbox. I was sitting there, crying. Inconsolable, playing with the sand because it reminded me of the beaches me and my family visited that summer. Pulling memories of the holiday, my sister, parents and I had to the forefront of my mind. Upsetting me as I couldn't relive those moments...

"Why are you crying?" Lily asked, slowly climbing into the sandbox. Still sobbing, I lifted my eyes to the voice questioning me and watched carefully as she sat down in front of me, crossing her legs.

"The sand..." I trailed off.

"What about the sand?" she pressed.

Sniffling, I used the back of my hand to wipe my nose before sighing heavily.

"There was sand on the beach when I was on holiday. Me and my daddy built sandcastles together. But daddy's not here now. And I can't build a sandcastle with him... because he's working," my head dropped and my tears began to matt the sand together beneath me. Even then, I felt pitiful and so... small.

"I can build a sandcastle with you. My name's Lily," she said, moving closer to me. I raised my eyes to her greens, away from watching the sand fall between my fingers intently and instantly felt comforted.