Learning How to Bend

April 2 - THE END

Okay, so this is getting posted in April, but in MY DEFENSE...I wrote this in March.  So technically I did meet my goal of finishing Learning How to Bend within the first three months of 2019.  Anyway...//

On the morning of November 10, I rolled over in bed so I faced the ceiling, legs tangled in the soft sheets the hotel had provided. My eyelids fluttered open, and I had to remind myself to breathe. I was getting married late in the afternoon. Thaddeus and I had originally discussed having the ceremony outside, but it was too cold for that. Instead, we had settled on the glass-enclosed, heated porch area on the hotel's roof. We could probably have found a location that was more...eccentric, but it was not what either of us wanted. The tabloids would expect an opulent affair and would probably aim to have an entire spread on Thaddeus's wedding. By having something less adventurous, maybe the article about the ceremony—when the reporters found out, which they would as they always did—would be small and inconsequential, which was exactly what Thaddeus and I both desired.

"Wake up, Lil!" Kat sat down beside my hip with an ungraceful plop. "You're getting married today!"

"Usually, a person's eyes being open means she's awake." I grinned then turned so I more or less faced her. "What's on the agenda?"

"You leave that up to me. As your matron of honor, it is my privilege to take most of the responsibility from your hands." She pulled on my hands hard enough to make me sit up. "We've got an appointment downstairs at the hotel's spa in under 15 minutes. Put this on." She dropped a button-down shirt in my lap.

"Does this mean I'm getting my hair and makeup done?"

"Yes, so get going! Lots to do, not lots of time to do it. Joe's got Betha till after the ceremony, so I want to enjoy this child-free time while it lasts."

"How is my little ten-month-old goddaughter?"

"Splendid." Kat tugged on my hand. "We can talk about this later. Let's go."

I did as she asked. The rest of the day rushed by in a blur. It was almost as if I had drank a little too much champagne before the ceremony had even started, for I remembered little of what happened between when I woke up to when I stood on Joe's arm for him to walk me down the aisle. There had been manicures and pedicures with Kat before she brought me back to the room for stylists to do my hair and makeup. I let them decide what would be best according to my dress. She pulled my hair back into a loose, braided chignon, speckled like snowflakes with the tiniest of crystals and pearls.

The designer of the garment had not been pleased when I said I wanted something simple, but she did not disappoint. Outside of that, the only thing I had requested was a corset back, which the woman had included. The A-line gown hugged me like a second skin, the ruching over the bodice exquisitely defined beneath a sweetheart neckline. A conservatively jeweled belt with two apple-sized flowers wrapped around me at the base of my ribcage, before the silk organza flowed down elegantly to the floor. The off-the-shoulder sleeves touched my upper arms lightly, so softly I barely noticed their existence. I wore long, dangling earrings that matched the crystals in my hair and a simple bracelet on my right wrist. My shoes were matte silver, with a two-inch heel and open toes. I imagined I would not be wearing them for long anyway, so I was determined to ignore the pinching they gave my toes.

"You look stunning," Joe told me as we waited for our cue.

"Are you...crying?"

"No." He cleared his throat unconvincingly. "You deserve this. I would've accepted no one else for you."