Marriage Matters

Fifty-eight

Seeing Chloe in that dress was the strangest thing. Kristine felt as though her daughter had just been toddling around in diapers, wearing rubber ducky boots to first grade, winning first place at the science fair . . . When had she gotten so big?

Kristine looked at June, wondering how she felt about it all. It must be twofold to watch a daughter have a child and then see that child grow up. It was strange to think that soon Chloe would have a daughter of her own.

“What are you thinking about?” June asked, linking an arm in hers. “You’re looking awfully weepy.”

They were sitting in the waiting area, waiting for Chloe to get changed. After that first dress, she’d tried on several more, but she put the first dress back on and said, “What can I say? I love it.”

“I’m just thinking about the circle of life,” Kristine said.

June made a silly face. “Well, wrap your mind around something that matters.” Reaching out, she tucked a strand of hair behind Kristine’s ear and smiled. “We still have to find something fabulous for you.”

Kristine avoided her mother’s eyes. “Absolutely. But let’s just worry about you first. I can’t wait to see what you find. We’re not stopping until we find you the dress of your dreams.”

Once they’d put Chloe’s dress on order, it became obvious that June planned to take Kristine’s words seriously. She took them on a whirlwind tour of every wedding dress shop in Chicago, trying on dress after dress, debating their merits endlessly. There was the one with the empire waist, the brocade train, the fur on the sleeves . . . Even though they’d stopped for sandwiches at one point and then coffee, Kristine’s enthusiasm started to waver. Finally, at their tenth stop, she took a seat in a chair and accepted a glass of champagne from the salesgirl.

“Mom,” Chloe said, sidling up to the chair. “What’s wrong with you?” She stared down with a face that looked just like her father’s.

Instantly, Kristine felt guilty. “I’m fine.” She got to her feet. “Does June need help?”

Chloe glanced in June’s direction. She was in the dressing room once again, surrounded by a handful of salesgirls. Her thin shoulder was poking out of the curtain. “Oh, she needs help alright, but not the way you’re thinking.”

June cackled. “I heard that!”

Kristine suppressed a tiny sigh.

Chloe gave her a confused look. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said, quickly. “I just . . .”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want her mother to find the perfect dress. It was just hard to keep up her enthusiasm for all this today, especially now that they’d been at it for hours. As the day progressed, Kristine couldn’t stop thinking about Kevin’s promotion and how it would affect their lives, their marriage and . . . well, the wedding.

“I’m just not feeling well,” Kristine lied, touching Chloe’s shoulder. “I had a glass of champagne. It made me sleepy.”

“Do you want a diet soda?” Chloe asked, fumbling with her backpack. “I have one.”

Kristine felt a rush of affection for her daughter, followed by a flash of pain. If Kevin took this job and their marriage continued to unravel, she couldn’t bear to think how it would affect their daughter. She’d be devastated, that much was for certain. That thought alone made Kristine feel a renewed flash of anger at her husband. What was he thinking? Why was he doing this?

Just then, June burst out of the dressing room, decked out in a form-fitting white dress completely covered in feathers. She looked like a bird about to take flight. Waving her arms up and down, she laughed hysterically and Chloe joined in. Kristine felt nothing but exhaustion.

“You know what?” she whispered. “I think that champagne got to me. I’m going to go.”

Chloe eyed her with concern. “Okay. Call if you need us?”

“Of course.”