Happily Ever After
We were all walking on eggshells after the news that Lindsay and her bridegroom had called off the wedding…
Lindsay was due back at work today and we were debating what to say.
Katy thought we should surround her in a group hug as soon as she came through the door. Maisie said we should give her tea and cake and encourage her cry it out. Steve and Gary voted to carry on as if nothing happened.
We stopped talking when Lindsay walked in carrying a large box which she plonked beside the photocopier.
“The top layer of my wedding cake,” she said.
“I thought I’d ask the canteen ladies to cut it up and put it out at the coffee machine.”
“That’s very… thoughtful,” I said.
“No point in it going to waste,” replied Lindsay.
We all watched, slightly aghast, while she took off her coat and switched on her computer as if it was just another ordinary Monday morning in Sales and Marketing.
“By the way,” she said, looking up from her screen, “I’d like to buy you all a drink after work. It’s the least I can do since you missed out on the party. You were all really kind, clubbing together for the wedding present vouchers you gave us.”
I threw warning daggers at Steve, who’d earlier asked if we’d be getting our money back.
“Are you OK, Lindsay?” I asked her.
She nodded. “I’m fine, thanks, Jan.”
To be fair, she did look calm and relaxed. Better than she’d been for a while.
“Are you really OK?” I asked again when the others had gone to lunch. “I was shocked when I heard the news. You and Josh seemed perfect together.”
She sighed. “We were arguing all the time.
“The wedding took over everything and somehow Josh and I got lost in the middle of it.”
“What about your parents? Are they terribly upset?”
She snorted. “They were part of the problem. When we got engaged, Josh and I were adamant we wanted a small wedding.
“With him growing up in care, with no family to speak of, we just wanted to have my close family and all our friends around us.”
“Your parents didn’t want that?”
“Dad saw it as a business opportunity. Most of the guest list was made up of his business acquaintances and Mum’s Ladies-Who-Lunch companions. Our own friends were relegated to the evening reception.”
“All the same,” I said, “They must be well out of pocket. Cancelling everything at the last minute.”
“Don’t worry about that. Dad had everything insured.” She smiled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a profit.”
“And your mum?”
Lindsay raised her eyes heavenwards.
“She was like a woman demented those last few weeks. Nobody could do anything right.
“The flowers weren’t pink enough. The cake was too white. The vicar needed a haircut.
“Can you believe she made the little flower girl cry at the rehearsal?”
“No!”
“She said she wasn’t graceful enough. She’s only five years old and my mother had her sobbing her little heart out, saying she didn’t want to do it any more.”
“I don’t blame her.”
“That was the last straw for me. Josh too. We all had a blazing row at the back of the church. Everything that had been building up for months came flooding out.
Even the vicar put his tuppence-worth in. It was like a scene from EastEnders.”
I laughed.
“Josh and I had a heart-to-heart that evening and agreed it had gone too far. Too many hurtful things had been said and it would be better to call it off.”
“I’m so sorry, Lindsay. Will you be all right?”
She nodded. “I’m looking forward to a night out with you guys.”
So we all trooped to the pub after work, determined to put on a good show for Lindsay’s sake.
We walked through the door and froze. There, sitting at a table, was Josh, surrounded by a group of friends.
“We can go somewhere else,” I whispered in Lindsay’s ear.
She ignored me and walked towards Josh, who in turn was walking towards her, in true romcom style.
Imagine it in slow motion; soft focus, slushy soundtrack.
They kissed.
“Have you told them?” Lindsay asked Josh, nodding towards his friends.
“No,” he said. “I was waiting for you to make it official.”
“Let’s do it then,” she said.
Josh put his hand in his pocket and produced two gold rings. He slipped one on Lindsay’s finger and she put the other one on his.
Then they burst out laughing.
“We said we’d called the wedding off,” said Lindsay. “But we didn’t say anything about the marriage!”
“We got married last weekend,” said Josh. “Just the two of us and a few of our closest friends.”
Everyone cheered. The bar staff, obviously primed, appeared with glasses of champagne.
One of Josh’s colleagues proposed a toast to the happy couple, wishing them love and success – and most importantly, a life lived happily
ever after.
Enjoyed this story? There’s more heartwarming short fiction in every issue of My Weekly. In newsagents and supermarkets every Tuesday, subscribe to have your copy delivered or enjoy a free trial of our digital magazine, straight to your tablet or laptop!
