Robbie & Jamie

Nineteen - The Wedding Part 2 - The Reception

A drop of water landed on Robbie's nose when they were taking photos, and she looked up to find some dark clouds were hiding the bright blue of the sky. At first the rain was only light, but slowly began getting heavier. Everyone laughed, no scowls in sight, and they all made their way to the pub for the reception just before the rainstorm hit. There, they ate from the buffet laid out, drank alcohol of all kinds, sat and conversed, and danced to the music DJ Lorna was blasting in the corner.

Rose couldn't stop crying with joy, Joseph kept offering to buy everyone drinks, and in the corner Claire was enjoying "secret surprise" by the glass whilst Matthew encouraged her to down as much as she could in one mouthful. There was no first dance as Robbie and Jamie didn't want that attention, so the dancefloor was occupied by plenty of the guests.

Margaret and Peter purchased some wine from the bar and nestled themselves at a table in the corner, striking up a conversation with a woman called Susan who worked with the brides. Although Margaret was curious as to the garden centre and its location, she didn't ask. Instead, she held her tongue, smiled politely, and nodded where appropriate. Slowly, Margaret realised that she didn't have to be so impatient to learn things about others and attract gossip; sometimes, it was nice to let others talk about what they wanted. Even if it wasn't what Margaret wanted to know, it was still drama of some sort.

"And that's the story of how I met my second husband," Susan finished both her sentence and third glass of wine.

"Lovely," Margaret smiled. She had never met Susan before, but the gossip was stored in her mind for safe keeping.

The night was taken over by Robbie and Jamie, without them knowing. Everywhere they stepped, congratulations was showered over them, along with plenty of hugs. Jamie insisted she and her new wife thanked every single person individually for coming, but that task was easier said than done when questions and compliments were being yelled over the nosies of blaring music and other guests. After a while, when they had completed half of their round, the brides finally sat down with glasses of prosecco, relieved to have a rest. Robbie managed to snatch a photo on her phone of Jamie looking dazed as she admired her ring, modelling Robbie's blazer that she had taken at some point during the afternoon.

Robbie showed her the picture.

"Oh no, I look dreadful!" Jamie's face blushed as she covered her eyes with her hands. "I wasn't ready!"

"I love it, you're so beautiful," Robbie responded, kissing Jamie's red cheek. Robbie's phone gained a new lock screen that day.

Margaret decided to quickly say hello to the girls and congratulate them. Peter gave her a nod of approval, the rest of his beverage, and a smile as she stood up and made her way over to the brides. The kind beam Robbie and Jamie gave her as she approached was unlike anything Margaret had witnessed from them before. A warm sensation filled her soul, and she almost forgot how to breathe since the experience was so emotional for her.

"Robbie, Jamie," Margaret touched both of their shoulders in a friendly manner. "Congratulations to you both, that was a really beautiful service."

"Thank you for coming," Robbie stood up. Her voice was relaxed.

"Thank YOU for the invite," Margaret beamed, "it was really nice of you to let us come. I know I haven't been the nicest in the past."

"It's okay," Jamie replied, "like you say, 'in the past'. Hopefully we can all grow from this."

"I really hope so," Margaret nodded. "Thank you again. You both look really beautiful in your outfits."

Robbie waved her hand as if she was embarrassed. "Don't flatter me, I'm a married woman now!"