“Emily, you will be the most beautiful bride,” Bobby said.
“Thank you,” I answered, embarrassed by the compliment.
Our stop at the caterer took the longest of all of our stops. The caterer would not only take care of the food and beverages, but they would also provide all the rentals—tent, tables, chairs, linen, and of course the cake. We tried many flavors and since we were going to have a four-tiered cake, each one of us chose a flavor. I chose one for Jake in his absence. The caterer would send linens over to the house tomorrow morning so we could pick out color schemes.
The three of us had accomplished much today with the time allotted. Sandy and Bobby dropped me off at the restaurant just in time for my dinner with Sarah, Charlie, Peter, and Max.
“Thank you for all your help, Mom and Dad. I’m honored to be joining your family,” I said, giving each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“We’re really happy to welcome you into our family as well,” Bobby and Sandy agreed with a hug and kiss in return.
We parted and I walked into the restaurant bearing gifts for my closest friends.
“Em, over here,” Max said, as I searched for them. They were hidden away in a corner table.
I ran over to them and gave them all a big hug.
“Let’s see the ring,” Sarah exclaimed. “OMG! Why is it so big?”
“I know, I said the same thing to Jake when he gave it to me. It’s almost embarrassing to wear this ring, especially with the band on the other hand. Jake says I have to wear both, and I told him I’m asking for a mugging.”
They all laughed.
“Hey, where’s Peter?” I asked surveying the dining hall.
“We have this tough doctor who’s been working all the students. Peter got called in right as we were headed out the door,” Max explained. “He should be at General Hospital by now.”
“That’s where Jake is today. Maybe they’ll run into each other.” Of course my face lit up talking about my fiancé. I didn’t want to appear too giddy, so I turned to all of my friends and announced, “Presents!”
Sarah opened her gift and her face immediately turned red.
“You like?” I asked.
“I really like!” Charlie affirmed.
Charlie thought his architecture book paled in comparison to the lingerie gift that was more for him than for her.
“Max, this is for you,” I said handing him his gift.
He opened it and flipped through the book realizing that it was Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities from 1918. He read my inscription on the second page.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for giving me four wonderful years of your life. You challenged me to grow as a person, and I hope I made you as happy as you made me. I will never forget your love. You will always hold a special place in my heart.
Love,
Em
Max turned and hugged me. I knew he understood how much he meant and still means to me.
During dinner, I told everyone about Paris and how Jake proposed. Max showed a sadness that made me conscious of my glow. Rather than continue with wedding talk, I turned the conversation on my dear friends and asked them about their lives. “What are you and Peter doing during your summer vacation?” I asked.
“What summer vacation? Only the teachers get time off. We are in the hospital working every day. In fact, I have to go in for a midnight to 6:00am shift.”
“What a bummer. I thought that everyone was off during the summertime.”
“No. I wish. I’ll probably see Jake if he’s at GH the whole time. I’m sure they’ll send me up to the OR at some point.”
Charlie talked about the newest house that he was designing. It was for a big movie star whose name he couldn’t reveal. We all begged for a hint. Even Sarah had no idea who he was working with.
Sarah’s advertising firm kept her busy all the time. I seemed to be the only one with not much to do on a daily basis.
“Oh, Sarah, I brought your dress.” I interrupted Charlie’s flow. “The hostess is holding it for me in the front so you need to take it with you, OK? Also, can you come by Jake’s parents’ house? I want to show you where the wedding will take place.”
“I can come by after work,” she answered.
As soon as dinner was done, my head started nodding and I kept apologizing to my friends for falling asleep on them. We decided to part and Max drove me home before his midnight shift.
“Thanks for the book, Em. I really love it.”
“You’re welcome. Jake actually wanted to buy the book for you, but I didn’t let him. I wanted it to be a gift from me.”
“Tell Jake I said thanks, as well.”
“You tell him if you see him tonight. Also, if you see him, tell him that I’m pining away for him at home.”
That probably wasn’t the most sensitive thing to ask my ex-boyfriend to tell my fiancé.
“Sorry. TMI, huh?”