Part Of His World

Chapter Two

"The dress looks absolutely stunning on you Marlene! It was made for you!" Julia, my cousin exclaimed with excitement.

The dress was very tasteful. It was a strapless ball gown, and it was so white that if you dropped it in a snow bank, you'd never find it. The veil was simple and my mother insisted that I wear my hair up for the wedding.

I'm sure almost every girl has imagined what their future wedding dress would look like, this dress is nothing like I imagined when I was six.

"Yes this is the one!" Mother said clapping her hands together, smiling as if she were the one who created it.

My mother, Julia, and my aunt Alicia accompanied me to pick out the dress. We came to the best wedding dress shop in town, 'Wedding Belles.'

The smell of wedding candles and in cents were almost suffocating, and with the pink and magenta curtains hung throughout the place, it was easy to feel claustrophobic. But in my state of mind even fresh air made me feel like I was drowning.

I was trying to at least act happy. Pulling it off with a smile and short laugh here and there. I was already exhausted and it wasn't even noon yet. I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked misplaced and less than glamorous in the elegant dress. The dark circles under my eyes, and my hair tied into a rushed ponytail. I had no make up on either. I didn't have enough time because I had slept in this morning. So needless to say, I didn't have enough time to eat breakfast either. As if my stomach was on cue it growled.

"We'll take it!" My mom said to Bonnie, the owner of the shop. She stood there admiring the dress with the others.

"Okay!" She said grinning. "Ladies if you follow me into the next room we can have some juice and cookies. Let's give Marlene some time to change."

My aunt and Julia followed her out of the room. Aunt Alicia saying something along the lines of my wedding being 'the celebration of the decade.'

My mom stayed behind to help me out of the dress.

She smiled softly and looked at me like she was about to say something, but she shook her head and started taking my veil off.

"Marlene?" She finally said.

"Hmm?" I asked as I pulled the dress over my head.

"I just wanted to say, your father and I thank you. For marrying Mason. You're keeping this family's reputation in line."

"Its no problem really." I said flatly. I was getting dressed as fast as I could. I just wanted to get out of here.

"Good! Because... I um... I have something to tell you. It's just a tiny detail your father and I forgot to mention."

"What is it?" I asked slipping my flats on.

She hesitated, and bit her lip. She always did that when she was anxious.

"Well?" I asked putting my hands on my hips. What more could they throw at me?

"Well..." She dragged out. "You have from the Honeymoon night until exactly three months after to get pregnant. So by this time next year you have to have given birth to you and Mason's child." She didn't even blink as she said it.

Woah that was too much to take in. How could they?

I started feeling funny. Everything was getting fuzzy and I felt dizzy. I'm not sure if it was the candles, the curtains, or the news I just received, or a mixture of all. I felt myself falling and before I hit the floor everything was black.

***

"Marlene? Sweetie are you okay?" I heard my mother's voice as I opened my eyes.

"What the fuck." I sat up slowly and leaned on my arm. I saw that I was on one of the white sofas in the shop still.