Requiem of the Ivory Bride: An Ode to the Seven Deadly Sins

First Movement: Janeli's March

First Movement:

Tempo di Marcia

Janeli's March

Janeli Jones leaned against the driver's side of her old Toyota Corolla, letting the warming spring breeze run its fingers through her light brown hair and spin the tassel on her graduation cap around. She watched other graduates funnel out of the coliseum with their parents and families in tow. She looked down at the shoes she bought herself from the local Goodwill for this special occasion as tears threatened to make her mascara run.

"Janeli, what are you doing?" a familiar voice asked. It was Brenden Jones, a friend she had known since freshman year of college. It was also the man that would marry her in an instant if she'd let him. But, he was called to a vocation that she did not want to partake in: traveling around the United States and the world as a military police and security officer. Moreover, she knew he didn't truly love her, just felt sorry for her lot in life.

Janeli shrugged as she purged the tears back down. "Well, I was just trying to decide what to do." She could always swallow the tears down into the chasm that made up her core. Nothing was in it but darkness, loathing and fear.

Brenden stepped closer and leaned against her car with her, eyeing the family portraits being taken with the coliseum in the background. "What do you mean?"

"I have no income until the fall when my teaching job starts. I suppose I'll be looking at summer jobs as soon as the parking lot has cleared."

Brenden shook his head and laughed. "Always so serious, Janeli. What do I always tell you? Live a little!" If he only knew how she lived, what she did to get through each fucking day.

She scowled at him arduously, pushing down the thoughts that always haunted her every step, and could not pretend anger with him for long. His shaggy blond hair with bright blue eyes would make anyone cheerful.

"You just graduated from college! Don't you want to celebrate?" he asked playfully, a curious twinkle in his eye. She looked back at all the proud families, posing with their daughters, and she felt out of place again.

"What are you up to?" she asked, turning back to him.

"Just come with me," he replied, putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her toward his car. At least it had air conditioning.

Janeli dutifully got in the car and Brenden was able to navigate his way through the droves of people. He was taking the familiar route to their old study and hang out spot: The Outhouse Pub. It was probably the closest thing to a British-style pub in all of Iowa, but they took what they could get.

Once he pulled up in the parking lot, he immediately told her to stay in the car. "Wait here," and with a smile, he jumped out the driver's side and opened her door for her.

Janeli started to laugh. He was a lovesick puppy sometimes. "What are you up to, you punk?!" she demanded.

He gleefully guffawed and held the door open for her. She hesitated for a moment, but the grumbling of her stomach responded to the smell of fried, salty foods and stale beer.

As Janeli walked in, she saw a table with balloons in the corner. He had planned something for her!

This unexpected kindness of someone that wasn't even family threatened to invade her shell, the person she pretended to be around everyone else. Seated, waving at she and Brenden, was her roommate, Sarah.

"You little shit," Janeli started as Brenden playfully pinched her shoulder. He extended his arm, letting her walk first toward the back. Janeli smiled, outwardly happy as her inside was trying to understand what happy was. Yet, immediately her eyes locked on the one thing that never failed her.... food.