A few weeks ahead of
the big day Holly and Steve were in the apartment eating breakfast and going
through the mail.
“I’m a bit worried
Steve” she said
“What about?” he asked
“The wedding” she
replied
“Why? Have we
forgotten something?” Steve said
“No everything’s
arranged, everything’s booked” Holly confirmed “Apart from my parents”
“So, what’s the
matter?” Steve asked puzzled
“The cost” she said “it’s
twice as much as we budgeted for”
“That’s because we
budgeted next to nothing” he corrected her
“I’m still worried”
she said stubbornly
“Well maybe this will
set your mind at rest” Steve said and handed her a solicitor’s letter.
It was from Uncle
Phil’s solicitor detailing a bequest and a cheque for the stated amount.
“That should cover it”
Steve said and stood up, he walked around the table and kissed the top of her
head
“Now you can get back
to worrying about whether I’m going to turn up or not” He said and left the
room whistling
“What do you mean?”
Holly said rushing after him “Why wouldn’t you turn up?”
The week of the
wedding was a little tense as Holly still hadn’t heard from her hippie parents.
She had left messages
at their various stopping off points and with friends she knew they were regularly
in touch with but had heard nothing back.
Also, during that week
were the Hen night and Stag do, though neither of them were reckless
exhibitionists so strippers and silly stunts were never on the cards.
On Wednesday night the
boys when out for a meal and a few drinks while the girls held the fort and the
following night they swapped.
On Friday night Steve
took Holly out for a romantic dinner and after delivering her home he went
across the road to the Abbeyvale Court Hotel for the night.
Saturday arrived and
Holly got ready at the pub, while Steve dressed at the Hotel, which would serve
as his abode for his last night as a single man and his first as a married one,
albeit in a different room for the nuptials.
The morning was very
relaxed, he took a leisurely bath and performed his ablutions but by lunch time
when Steph arrived with his suit and shoes etc. the nerves had set in and the
joke he made to Holly about not turning up was suddenly ringing hollow, what if
she didn’t turn up?
Holly despite having
been a wreck all week was calmness personified, and she had resolved to enjoy
and savour every moment of their special day.
It was everyone else
who were all at sixes and sevens, but she managed to impress her calmness on
everyone around her and they got through the morning unscathed.
Steve was sat at the
front of the church with Stephanos and his stomach was doing somersaults.
“Have you got the
ring?” he said
“Yes” Stephonos said “but
if you ask me again, I’m going to throw it out of the window”
“Sorry” he said “Nerves”
When they had arrived,
the Reverend Marshall had said
“Just sit down and
relax, when its time I will walk past and touch your shoulder and that’s your
cue. Ok?”
Steve just nodded
After about five
minutes he heard the Vicars footsteps and then felt his hand on his shoulder
which was his cue to get to his feet
“It’s alright I’m only
kidding” the Vicar said “she’s not here yet”
Steve could have
killed him at the time, but it actually stopped his stomach it its tracks.
The Vicar was on the
dais when he caught Steve’s eye and nodded and the bridal march began, so Steve
and Steph got to their feet.
“This is it man” Steph
said “now where’s that ring”
Steve just gave him a
sideways glance.
He could hear Holly
processing up the aisle and he was desperate to turn around and look at her,
but he daren’t, he thought his legs would give way under him if he saw her, but
then he could see her in his peripheral vision, a splash of white.
Steve stepped to his
left to join her and took a deep breath before he turned to look at her, and
there she was standing before him, a vision of loveliness, in a dress of
antique white silk.
“You look beautiful”
he whispered, and Holly smiled and giggled.
However, as they faced
each other there was a crash at the back of the church and without taking their
eyes off each other they said in unison
“The hippies”
And then after a
second or two they both turned to look at a middle aged couple at the back of
the church, Steve had no idea who they were but when Holly squeezed his hand he
knew it was her parents.
On Sunday morning Mr
and Mrs Berry left for their honeymoon in the New Forest, not however bound for
a B&B as originally planned, but courtesy of Uncle Phil’s bequest, to a
Country House Hotel and when they returned a week later they brought with them
a new chef.
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