The Crashing Series

by Kristen Hope Mazzola

  “I hope you’re right.”

  I grabbed a napkin from the counter and wiped Mags’ eyes. “Now suck it up and be strong for your soldier. He needs to know that you’re going to be ok while he’s gone so he can worry about getting home safely for you, and for all of us.

  Mags and I brought in the dessert, passing it around the table to everyone.

  After taking our seats, Mags looked over to me. “Oh, Cali, I wanted to ask you something kind of important.”

  “Of course. What’s up?” Mags was finally smiling so whatever she asked, I was going to have to say yes—we needed her happy.

  “Would you mind walking me down the aisle?”

  I furrowed my brow. “I thought you were going to have your mom do it…I mean, I would be honored, but won’t Elena be pissed?”

  Mags shrugged. “She is being a brat and I would rather it be you anyway. You know how much of a drama queen she can be; I don’t need her stressing me out to the max on such an important day.”

  “I am glad to. Thanks for asking me to do it.”

  The rest of the dinner went on more smoothly than it had started. We all finally got into a groove of light conversation and before we knew it, we were packing up leftover meatloaf and saying our goodbyes.

  As I was getting into my car, I heard Randy’s voice call to me from behind. “Cali, hey wait up a second.” Randy trotted over to me.

  “What’s up?” I leaned against my car.

  He rubbed the back of his neck before speaking. “I just want to thank you for helping Mags so much lately with everything. The wedding, this crap, her mom—it really means a lot to both of us and I am really glad to know that she has you and Mitch to keep an eye on her while Walker and I are gone.”

  He wrapped his arms around me. “Don’t mention it, Randy. That’s what best friends are for. Besides, you’ll be back before we know it and everything will be right back to normal.”

  “Anyway, thanks again. See ya later.” Randy made his way back up the front lawn to sit on the porch with Walker, who was smoking a cigarette. With a wave I pulled out of the driveway and headed back to my apartment.

  Seven

  The weeks rolled by and before we knew it, it was the day before the wedding. Mags was a wreck, as expected, and to add to all the normal stress, she and her mother weren’t talking, so I was trying to fill the void.

  “Mags, I know, but I’m going to walk with you down the aisle and if she shows up she does and if she doesn’t, oh well.” Heading to Liz and Jim’s house for the rehearsal dinner with Mags angrily weaving in and out of traffic was making my stomach knot. “I’m going to puke if you don’t stop driving like this,” I snapped at her.

  “Sorry.” She cooled off a bit and stopped riding the bumper of the Jetta in front of us. “I’m just so freaking over all of her drama.”

  “Just stop playing into it. It’s all going to be fine and you know it. With or without her.”

  With a deep breath, Mags threw her phone into my lap. “Will you check that?”

  I read off the text from Elena, Mags’ mother.

  Elena: Honey, I’m your mother. I should be the one to walk with you.

  Mags rolled her eyes as she turned down her street. “I don’t know why she is still hung up on this crap. Last night she wasn’t even sure if she was going to feel comfortable at the wedding since I am so close to all of Randy’s family.”

  “Do you want me to text her back?”

  We pulled into the driveway and Mags took a deep breath. “I’ll deal with it later. We have to do this rehearsal before the sun sets.”

  Liz, Jim, the guys, and the officiant for the ceremony were waiting for us in the backyard. The older woman, dressed in a dark blue pant suit, was no taller than Mags in her heels. Her bright pink blush glistened in the setting sunlight and her blue eyes sparkled.

  “Hi, you must be the bride. I’m Barb. I am so thrilled to finally meet you in person.” They shook hands and Mags introduced me.

  “It’s very nice to meet you.” I shook her tiny hand.

  “Well, shall we get this started?” Barb looked to Jim and Liz. “Will we be doing it right about here?” Barb headed to the spot in the middle of the yard where the arch was going to be.

  “Just about there. Mags and Cali will be walking in from our back doors, right there.” Liz explained the whole scheme of arranging the chairs in a half-moon shape to help all the guests see better, then showed everyone where the aisle runner would start and stop.

  After Randy, Walker and Mitch took their places next to Barb, Mags and I got into position and right as we were about to start our pretend walk down the aisle, the front door of the house slammed shut. We whipped our heads around to see the fuming face of Elena come into view.

  “Mom, what the hell?” Mags barked, spinning on her heels to gape at her mother.

  Elena marched over to Mags and wrapped her arms around her. “You’re my daughter and no matter what, I want to be part of all of this stuff.”

  Mags pushed away from her. “No! You don’t get to do this.”

  “Do what?” It was obvious how much the innocence in Elena’s voice boiled Mags’ blood.

  “Do this!” Mags twirled her finger at her mother. “You don’t get to be a bitch to me for months leading up to my wedding, not help with anything, and then think that it is ok to show up during the rehearsal and just miraculously be included in everything.”

  Randy jogged over and put his hand on Mags’ shoulder. “Babe, this isn’t the time to do this.”

  I felt like I was watching a train wreck in slow motion. Mags spun on her heels and glared at her soon-to-be husband, her chest slowly heaving in and out as she tried to take slow, even breaths. “You’re right. It’s never the time to stand up for myself. Am I supposed to just let her walk all over me for the rest of my life?”

  “Randy, take Mags inside. Elena, why don’t we go in the kitchen for a minute?” Mags looked like she was about to cry as Randy pulled her through the back doors and the rest of the group joined them.

  Elena followed me into the kitchen and before she could take a breath, I pounced. “You listen to me.” It felt odd to scold my best friend’s mother, but sometimes a maid of honor just has to do what she has to do. “You’re Mags’ mom and I will respect you because I have to, but so help me God, if you so much as sigh in a way that upsets her over the next twenty-four hours, I will kick you out of this house so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

  My heart was pounding in my ears as I glared into Elena’s wide brown eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, pulling at the hem of her blouse. “I never meant to cause a scene.”

  I shook my head at her. “Yes you did. You knew what you were doing the moment you walked into this house today, but let’s put all of that behind us and make this an amazing time in Mags’ and Randy’s lives. They deserve this.” Taking a few deep breaths, I glared at Elena. “Ready to go back out there?”

  She nodded and followed me back out to the yard where everyone was chatting about music and the vows.

  “I think it’s wonderful that you have written your own vows.” Barb’s cheery face strained to keep its smile as we made our way over to the group. “I guess we can try this again.”

  I grabbed Mags’ hand and Elena went to go stand next to Jim and Liz where their seats would be the next day. We stood in the doorway and waited for Liz to play our music.

  “So how did it go?” Mags and I slowly started to walk down the pretend aisle while everyone beamed at us. Randy was already getting teary and Mitch and Walker were teasing him.

  “I told her to stop acting like a child. Hopefully she listened.”

  Mags pulled me a little closer to her. “Thanks for that. She just gets under my skin.”

  Right before we were in front of Barb and Randy, I whispered, “Don’t mention it.”

  The rest of the evening went smoothly. After a quick dinner, some last minute planning and seating chart tweaking
and making sure we had all the timing perfectly organized, Mags and I drove to the hotel where we were spending the night.

  The bellhop took our bags up to the room, but Mags insisted on holding on to her dress.

  “I can’t let it out of my sight, Cali.”

  I laughed at her while holding the elevator open for her. “That’s totally understandable, love.”

  We got into the room, laid out everything we were going to need the next day, double-checked that the steamer was working properly, and took our showers.

  “I cannot believe I am getting married tomorrow!” Mags shrieked, hopping into the bed with her hair still swaddled up in a towel.

  “Well, I can!” I giggled, climbing under the covers on the other side of the bed. “You and Randy are perfect for each other.”

  She sighed and sipped her sleepy-time tea. “Isn’t it sweet how he was already crying today?”

  “Yeah, too cute for even a Care Bear.” I threw my pillow at her. “This is going to be an amazing event. So how many hot guys are going to be there, again?”

  “Other than Walker and Mitch, I don’t think there will be too many. I know Randy had to invite Kyle Powell and his parents since Jim and Kyle’s dad are old work buddies. I’ve never met him; maybe he’ll be hot.”

  I turned out my side table light, getting more comfortable. “Hopefully. It’d be nice to flirt with someone that isn’t going to get come in my hair.”

  Mags cuddled with her pillow while giggling. “Well, that you know of, anyway. This might be a new thing for you.”

  “Shut up! That’d be awful!”

  “It’s almost my wedding day.”

  I glanced over at the alarm clock next to me: it was 11:11. “Make a wish love, and get some sleep. I don’t want you to have huge bags under your eyes for your big day.”

  Eight

  The alarm blared in the hotel room bright and early. Yawning, I reached over Mags to smack the clock. She rolled over and hit my elbow, making me crash down onto her.

  “Oh, crap!” Her eyes shot open and I tried to push myself off of her.

  I giggled. “Sorry, I was trying to hit the snooze button.”

  She stretched and sat up against the headboard. “It’s better if we get up and get some breakfast before the hair and makeup people get here. Liz and my mom should be showing up in about an hour.”

  Rolling out of bed, I pulled the curtains open. “I am really proud of you for letting your mom take part in this stuff.”

  Mags grabbed the room service menu. “It’s better this way. I don’t want it to affect the wedding and I never want to look back on this day with any regrets. If I didn’t have her here, I know later on that would bother me a lot.”

  “Fair enough.”

  We ordered eggs, bacon, and coffee. We brushed our teeth, washed our faces, and got into our bride and bridesmaid silk robes that we’d had embroidered with our names on the back. Everyone showed up a little early, which was perfect, and the pampering commenced.

  Sipping on mimosas and getting our hair and makeup done was the perfect way to relax and get excited for the day’s festivities. Even Elena was on her best behavior, making sure to get tons of great shots of Mags getting all dolled up.

  “Oh, baby, you look stunning.” Mags was getting the final touch of lip stain put on.

  “Thanks Mom.”

  I grabbed the camera and got the classic shots of Elena putting Mags’ necklace on and them hugging.

  “I cannot wait to see this dress on you!” Liz was steaming the hems of our dresses, making sure they were perfect.

  Before we knew it, it was time to get into our dresses and get in the limo.

  With a deep breath, I looked into my best friend’s eyes. “Are you ready?”

  Mags squeezed my hands and nodded. “More ready than ever!” She glanced over to Liz, tears starting to well up in both of their eyes. “Thank you for raising the man of my dreams.”

  The four of us shared one drawn-out, sniffle-ridden hug.

  I climbed into my stunning plum dress that felt like butter and then cinched up Mags’ corset. “How bad is it?”

  She sucked in a deep, sharp breath. “I can barely breathe.”

  “That’s the point, honey.” Elena laughed a little, pulling Mags’ white dress off its hanger.

  It took two of us to get the heavy lace and crinoline dress on Mags. “I don’t remember it being this hard in the fitting room.” I huffed, zipping up the back.

  “I think it’s because you’re nervous this time.” Liz took a few final pictures and then it was time to head to the ceremony.

  Once we were tucked safely inside Jim and Liz’s master bedroom, we heard guests start to funnel in. Walker’s drawl came in loud through the door.

  “Mags, can I come in?” I opened the door for him, making sure there weren’t any peering eyes trying to get a sneak peek of the bride.

  “Randy wanted me to give you this.” He handed her a small box then turned to hand me one too.

  “I get something too?”

  Walker nodded. “You know how Randy is, no one can be left out. You two look stunning.”

  Mags gave him a quick hug. “Thanks. Tell Randy I can’t wait to see him. And here.” She handed Walker a gift for her groom.

  Once Walker left, we opened our gifts. A lump formed in my throat as I pulled out a pair of beautiful purple earrings that matched my dress perfectly. Mags sat on the bed staring at her gift, speechless. I peeked over her shoulder and saw a bracelet that had a charm on it that read: Of all our walks, this one is my favorite.

  “He’s a keeper for sure.”

  Mags looked up at me and wiped the tiny tear away from her cheek. “Let’s not keep my man waiting. I have a very important walk to get to.”

  Liz popped her head in. “It’s time ladies. See you out there.”

  Right as Mags’ eyes locked on the arch and she saw everyone looking at her, tears flowed, which of course cued my waterworks.

  “Let’s do this.” I handed her the bouquet of purple orchids and looped her arm around mine, gripping my flowers in the other hand.

  Mags took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.”

  Our walk down the aisle felt like it took forever. Flash after flash went off, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the entire yard as Randy took Mags’ hand. He mouthed “Thank you” to me as I took my spot right next to my best friend.

  Barb smiled at Mags and Randy. “Please be seated.” She waited a few seconds before continuing. “Today is a wonderful celebration, one of love, commitment, partnership, family, and two people who are in it for forever. All of us here today have our own love stories. Some short, others extensive. Some are yet to be written, while others are just getting to the good part, just like Margaret and Randall. There are chapters in all our stories that are sad or disappointing, and others that are thrilling and full of adventure.

  “I have had the pleasure of getting to know this young couple a bit in preparation for this joyous occasion, and their love story is one that is beautiful. Starting in college, this couple has blossomed into a strong union that will withstand the test of time and the trials that life will throw at them, together. And that brings them here. A time to pause, look back, and smile at all the moments that brought them here. A time to look ahead at all the moments that are still to come. Without further ado, Randall and Margaret have written their own vows. Margaret, we’ll get started with you.”

  Mags cleared her throat and looked into Randy’s eyes, clutching his hands in hers. “Today, encircled by all the people who love and support us, I, Margaret Ridgeway, choose you, Randall McManus, to be my life partner. I am so proud and excited to be your wife and to join our lives together. I vow to support you, push you, inspire you, and above all, love you, for better or worse, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, as long as we both shall live.”

  Randy’s voice shook. “All right, my turn.” He cleared his throat. “I do have to say, doesn’
t my bride look stunning?” He twirled Mags around, smiling at her while everyone clapped. “Okay. Here it goes. I, Randall McManus, take you, Margaret Ridgeway, to be the wife of my days, the companion of my home, the partner of my life. We shall stand together and face whatever trouble or sorrow life may lay upon us, and we shall share together whatever good and joyful things life may bring us. With these words, and all the words I possess in my heart, I marry you and bind my life to yours.”

  The rings were exchanged and the rest of the ceremony was short and sweet. It passed by in a blur as I continued to smile so much my cheeks hurt and cried to the point that I knew my eyes must have been bloodshot.

  “With the power vested in me by the State of Florida, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Randy, you may kiss your beautiful bride.”

  The crowd erupted into cheers and clapping as Barb yelled, “It is my great pleasure to introduce, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Randall McManus!”

  Nine

  Cocktail hour was mostly taken up by pictures and greeting tons of people I had never met before. Mitch and Walker were already desperately trying to hit on Randy’s cousins, and I was scanning the crowd for anyone that wasn’t married, too old, or one of my womanizing friends.

  “Cali, I have someone I’d like you to meet.” Randy walked up to me with a tall, handsome man on his heels. “This is Kyle. Mags told you a little about him. She wanted to make sure I introduced you.”

  “Hello.” My hands started to get clammy as I got a good look at just how good-looking this guy really was—he was downright herculean. Perfect ice blue eyes, sandy blond hair, very tall, extremely toned muscles that his button-down clung to perfectly—everything I ever wanted. I had always said that all I wanted was to find a blond-haired, blue-eyed guy so our kids would have blond hair and blue eyes; here he was standing in front of me and I was frozen, stammering like an idiot.

  “Can I grab you a drink?” We walked over to the bar where I ordered a glass of wine and he got Scotch on the rocks.