The Bride Experiment

by Mimi Jefferson

She was about to go upstairs and get the ring when she saw an envelope on top of one of the suitcases. She grabbed it. After glancing at her wedding planner, she decided not to read it . . . yet. Anna gave a stern hurry-up-we-need-to-get-you-to-your-wedding-now look while simultaneously talking on her cell phone. Raquel walked upstairs, leaving Anna to her phone call.

  Raquel walked to her linen closet. The fabric of her dress felt smooth against her skin. She imagined James’s reaction the first time he saw her in her magnificent dress. It was going to be priceless.

  She rushed and retrieved the ring. She was about to rejoin Anna downstairs when she realized this was the perfect time to take a peek inside the envelope. Raquel took a deep breath and tore the seal on the envelope. Just then, Anna appeared like a mother who had caught her eating a cookie without permission. Raquel put the halfway opened envelope underneath her arm and followed Anna downstairs and back into the limo.

  As soon as they were seated, Raquel stuffed the envelope in the compartment right next to her seat. If she read it now, they would expect her to read it out loud. Anna looked at Raquel and her four bridesmaids. “You ladies look absolutely beautiful.” She used a sponge to blot Raquel’s face. Raquel agreed with Anna, but deep down she felt nobody looked better than she did.

  In the limo, it was clear that Raquel didn’t really know any of her bridesmaids. They talked to each other, but they barely spoke to her. Since Karen had backed out, all of the bridesmaids consisted of wives and girlfriends of James’s friends. These were women she had barely taken the time to get to know. She wanted them in her wedding because they were the props she needed to put on the opulent production she had planned.

  Things had gone well. They showed up when she suggested and managed not to get on her nerves, too much. They also put together a really nice shower for her. Raquel found herself wondering what they thought of her.

  Of course, they envied her, Raquel decided. Shellie was a doctor who was married to James’s friend Luther. The poor thing couldn’t have kids, despite years of trying. She also left a lot to be desired in the looks department. Good thing she was a doctor.

  Roselyn was petite and beautiful. She was almost too beautiful to be in Raquel’s wedding. However, the girl had no curves; she was as straight as a stick—no hips, no thighs, no butt, nothing. On top of that, Roselyn was as dumb as a rock. Everybody knew she had dropped out of high school and couldn’t manage to pass the GED tests, despite taking it multiple times. She worked a dead-end job at a parking garage. That’s where James’s friend Lionel met her five years ago. She’d been working in the boring, dull garage since then.

  Carol was a college professor who had never met a doughnut she didn’t want to inhale. She had a beautiful face, but that was hard to notice, for her body was consumed by multiple rolls of fat. Things had gotten worse ever since she had twins three years ago. The twins had left a permanent mark on poor Carol; she still looked like she was carrying them.

  Charlene was the youngest of the crew and six months pregnant. Raquel was sure the pregnancy was going to cause issues with her dress, but the expert seamstress whom Anna had found didn’t have any issues accommodating Charlene’s growing stomach. Charlene idolized Raquel. She was currently in beauty school and didn’t hide the fact that she wanted to open her own business, just like Raquel. She treated Raquel like a celebrity, sometimes getting so nervous around her that she could barely speak. Raquel enjoyed that very much. She pondered the thought of offering her a job as she looked outside the window of the limo.

  Charlene’s boyfriend was in a new band. When she suggested they listen to his CD, everyone looked at Raquel for a response. Raquel didn’t object. If they were listening to a CD, she didn’t have to pretend to be interested in them.

  Raquel figured out how to make sure nobody was late for her wedding. She deliberately put the wrong time on the wedding invitations, ensuring that even the late guests were on time.

  She had arranged with the hotel where she was having her reception to offer delicious appetizers upon the guests’ arrival at the church. Once they walked into the foyer, they were greeted by twenty waiters with trays of sparkling apple cider, stuffed shrimp, crab cakes, and salmon cream cheese rolls. When Anna gave the call, the staff would usher guests into the ceremony site, without them even realizing that the wedding was forty-five minutes late.

  Raquel looked at the clock in the limo as they pulled up to the back entrance of the church. Raquel’s heart started to race. It was almost time. Anna called her assistant. Everything was set. The groomsmen, James, and the children were all in place. Anna stepped out of the limo, taking the bridesmaids with her. She didn’t want to risk anyone seeing Raquel until she was walking down the aisle. She instructed Raquel to stay in the limo.

  As soon as Anna and the bridesmaids got out of the car, Raquel checked her makeup. As she was adding more lipstick, she remembered the envelope. She was convincing herself not to open it when she heard a knock on the limo door.

  Raquel looked up. It was Karen, looking like her old self. She had ditched the mom jeans and bad weave. She was wearing an emerald green dress and unbelievably high silver stilettos, with a matching handbag. She had a big welcoming smile on her face. Raquel didn’t hesitate to open the door.

  “Wow, Raquel, you look amazing,” Karen said as she peeked inside the limo.

  “Thank you, Karen. You look good too. I’m so glad you decided to come.”

  “You know I thought about it, and we go too far back for that. You have worked your butt off for this day, and I want to be here to support you.”

  “Thank you, Karen. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

  “Well, let me go. I want to make sure I get a good seat. I can’t wait to see the show you are about to put on.”

  With that, Karen walked away. Raquel really started to get excited. The guests were probably being rushed into the sanctuary now. After that, Anna or someone on her team would line up the bridesmaids.

  Raquel needed something to do. She could feel the tears of happiness wanting to flow down her eyes. She would have to go ahead and read the envelope James had left. She would explain it to him later. He would understand. She needed a distraction. She couldn’t walk down the aisle with raccoon eyes.

  Raquel opened the letter and unfolded the papers inside. The first piece of paper was on letterhead from a place called Emerson Diagnostic Clinic. It had James’s name and their address at the top of the page. The middle of the page had a list of tests and a bunch of technical jargon. Raquel skipped to the bottom of the page and read: In the case of Morris, James is not the father. In the case of Alexis, James is not the father. In the case of James Jr., James is the father.

  The second page was in James’s handwriting and it read:

  What did it feel like at the altar when you thought I was about to read my vows, only to read the results of the paternity tests? What did it feel like when you saw the two high-definition screens turn to the paternity results letting everybody in the church see the type of woman you really are? What did it feel like when “ I’m a Ho” started playing on the sound system? That was good, wasn’t it? I paid a lot of money for that. And finally, what did it feel like when I pulled out one single, dead, brittle rose and crumbled it up in your face, signaling the end to our relationship and our fraudulent family right in front of all those people you desperately wanted to impress?

  You deserved it. You deserved that and more for what you did to me. Now all I ask is that you get out of my house. Yeah, your name is on the mortgage, but when people find out the type of woman you are, they are going to leave your business in droves. Then when you can’t keep up your side of the bargain, I’ll be there to buy you out. I already packed up a bunch of your clothes. The sooner you get out of my house, the better. And yes, I did splurge for that condo. Now all I have to decide is who gets to share it with me. Will it be Joan, Pam from your salon, or maybe your girl, Karen? I’ve always thought she was especially
hot. Farewell, Raquel. Good-bye and good riddance.

  Raquel heard the limo door open. It was Anna, with a big smile on her face. “I’m so pleased everything has gone flawlessly. Your sweet little flower girl is on her way down the aisle now.” Anna reached for Raquel’s hand. “It’s time to make your entrance, you beautiful bride.”

  Chapter 15

  Raquel stepped out of the limo elegantly, just like she had practiced. Her jeweled peep toe sling backs hugged her feet perfectly as her long train drifted behind her. There were only a few steps from the back entrance to the hallway leading to the elevator. Raquel had given Anna specific orders not to come and get her until Alexis started her trek. After Alexis finished her journey down the aisle, a soloist would start to sing “This Is the Moment,” acapella, at the center of the church. Then the ushers would begin to adjust the seventy-five-foot customized aisle runner, slowly. Raquel wanted her guests to have sufficient time to stare at it as they waited for her arrival.

  After they had completed the task of rolling it and securing the sides, the soloist, now holding one candle, would start to sing “At Last,” accompanied by a pianist. After a few bars, Raquel would come walking down the aisle, alone.

  Anna pushed the button on the elevator. While they were waiting, they ran into the florist and her staff. All five of them gasped and began to compliment Raquel all at once.

  “Look at her hair all decked out in perfect little roses and jewels.”

  “Oh, look at her shoes. They look like Cinderella’s slippers.”

  “Her makeup is perfect. I love the bronze and brown. It’s so royal!”

  Anna smiled, then looked around the room for the security guard. She motioned for him to join them. Raquel had insisted on hiring a security guard after going to a wedding where one of the guests had arrived drunk. She ended up ruining the entire ceremony by talking loudly and often.

  Anna was a few steps ahead of Raquel, rambling on and on about how wonderfully everything had come together, when the elevator doors opened. The two of them stepped onto the elevator with the security guard.

  As soon as the elevator doors closed, while Anna was still talking and the security guard was staring at her cleavage, Raquel grabbed his gun out of his holster like a pro. She slapped him across the face with the gun before he had a chance to react. Several trickles of blood oozed from one side of his mouth. Anna stood terrified at the opposite corner of the elevator. Raquel had learned how to break someone’s arm in a self-defense class. As the elevator approached the second floor, she pushed Anna close to her and twisted her arm until she heard it crack.

  When the elevator opened, Anna was lying on one side of the elevator and the security guard was dozing in and out of consciousness on the other. Raquel slipped off her shoes and detached the train on her wedding gown. She took off running, surprised at how fast she could move wearing a heavy dress and weighing in at well over 200 pounds.

  Raquel didn’t know what she was going to do when she located Karen; all she could focus on was finding her. She was the only one who knew about her sexual relationship with Randall. After she found her, she was going to move on to James. She imagined the two of them working together to destroy, embarrass, and humiliate her. But today was not the day. She vowed to get the last laugh. They wanted to put on a show, and now she was about to give them one.

  Raquel stopped running and cocked the gun, seconds before she made it inside the ceremony site.

  She didn’t notice her guests running or screaming. The terrified looks in their eyes were also easily ignored. She didn’t hear Alexis and Morris screaming, “Mama, Mama.” She jumped over or shoved whatever was in her way—chairs, people, even the antique goldplated candelabras she had rented from a specialty shop.

  Nobody and nothing was going to stop her. She was like a raging fire consuming everything she touched.

  Joan unlocked her condo door, exhausted and confused. She walked her half-asleep son into his room and helped him into bed. She carefully took off his tuxedo while her mind raced. If she had not seen it herself, she would have been sure it was nothing more than an elaborate lie. She tried to piece together what she had seen and what she had heard. She and the other guests had been detained at the church for hours while police and reporters asked what seemed to be an endless barrage of questions.

  Joan had arrived moments before the wedding ceremony was to begin. She and all the ladies were given a single red rose as they were escorted into the church.

  A pianist was playing classical music as guests admired the beautiful decorations. It looked as if the wedding was taking place in a rose garden. It was fragrant and peaceful. One floral arrangement was more detailed than the next. The roses on the altar stood out from those on the pews and around the church. They had all been dipped in gold and arranged in such a way that it appeared as if they were hanging from midair.

  Once the guests had feasted on the beauty of their surroundings, James Sr., the minister, and the groomsmen took their places at the front of the church. Then James Sr.’s mother, Agnes, was escorted down the aisle by Miles. She wore a golden gown with a matching hat. She proudly took her seat in the front row before giving her son a big smile. Miles took his position next to his brother.

  Next a quartet of female violinists, garbed in long, flowing gowns, was seated on one side of the church. As soon as they started to play, the first bridesmaid began to walk down the aisle. Three more followed, each wearing a different red gown suitable to her physique. They each carried bouquets of multicolored roses, with the tips dipped in gold. James Jr. and Morris were next; each one was wearing a tux and holding a ring bearer’s box.

  After that, Alexis appeared. She was escorted down the aisle in an all-white wagon pulled by an usher with white gloves. She wore an embroidered white gown with a train. She methodically tossed rose petals out of the wagon. She seemed not to notice the other people at the wedding. She was only concerned with getting her flowers out of her basket and onto the floor. She was so serious, it was funny; the guests couldn’t help but chuckle as she passed by them.

  After Alexis made it to the front, there was a rush of movement. The ushers rolled down a custom-made aisle runner. The guests gasped. The aisle runner had been monogrammed with Raquel’s and James’s initials, along with the date of their wedding. It was hand painted with golden flowers and rich earth tones. It looked as if it had taken months for an artist to make it.

  While the ushers were rolling out the aisle runner, the violinists left; then a soloist, with a rich soprano voice, began to sing. The guests looked around in anticipation for the bride’s entrance. That’s when things got crazy.

  Joan put her head in her hands and tried to remember what she had heard from vendors, the police, and the other guests at the wedding. The few people who saw Raquel first said she had looked stunning as she stepped out of the limo and walked along the short hallway leading to the elevator. In hindsight, they said she didn’t seem to acknowledge or even notice their admiring words or glances. She was mumbling something to herself. It may have been the same thing over and over again.

  Raquel, the wedding planner, and a security guard got into the elevator. Nobody is clear what happened after that, but when the elevator door opened at the second floor, the wedding planner was in tears and her skin had turned a bright red. The security guard was bloody and motionless.

  Raquel walked out of the elevator, carrying nothing but the security guard’s gun. She stopped for a moment to take off her shoes, then took off running wildly into the sanctuary.

  Joan was in the very back row. She was one of the few guests who could see the wedding party before they actually took the aisle. Joan braced herself to see Raquel in a beautiful gown. When she looked up, Raquel did have on a beautiful gown, but she was also running barefoot, with a gun. The other guests in the back row all took off running in different directions. Joan tried to move, but she was too shocked to make her body cooperate.

  After the gu
ests in the back row started to run, the other guests, who didn’t know why the guests in the back row were running, started to run too. With people running back and forth in chaos, Raquel ran until she arrived at the altar. She then proceeded to fire gunshots in the air. Now everybody, including James, could see Raquel. He yelled to one of the bridesmaids to take the children and run, which she did. The rest of the bridesmaids left too. Joan still hadn’t moved, and neither had James, Miles, or the other groomsmen. Since Raquel was now in the front, and everybody in front of her had run away, Joan had a clear view of Raquel.

  Raquel’s eyes scanned the crowd. She was clearly looking for somebody. Most of the people were hunched down in the perimeter of the room. They could have run out of the room, but like Joan, they were too curious to leave. Suddenly James Sr. and Miles started to walk toward Raquel. Their mother tried to stop them, but they kept moving. Agnes followed a few steps behind them. Raquel didn’t seem concerned with them. She started walking around the room, waving the gun in the air. She passed James and Miles, and hordes of other people, until she found a lady in an emerald green dress. Eventually Joan found out this lady’s name was Karen, apparently one of Raquel’s former friends. Raquel yanked Karen by her hair and she hit the floor.

  By this time, James had made it to Raquel. He used his body as a barrier between Raquel and Karen. Miles tried to take the gun; then Raquel kicked him in the groin. Raquel turned back around to Karen. James Sr. was still acting as a barrier. Then gunshots went off in what seemed to be several different directions. Everybody, including Joan, started running out of the church by then.

  Some say Raquel became more agitated and shot a few more warning shots in the air. Some say she aimed and shot on purpose. Whatever happened, when it was all over, Miles lay in a pool of blood. Agnes lay on the floor next to him, her pretty golden dress lifted high above her knees.