Something Old, Something New: A Storybook Park Short Romance

by Carol E. Ayer

  SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

  by Carol Ayer

  Cover illustration by Letiziag84

  SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

  “Mark and I are getting married!”

  “Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry. My condolences.”

  I didn't really say that, of course. I bit my tongue to stop myself. I knew my niece wouldn't appreciate my true feelings.

  "That's...great," I said into the phone, hoping I sounded at least halfway sincere. I had the feeling I wasn't even a tenth of the way there.

  Luckily, Cassie had begun talking over me.

  "Since we met when we were both working at Storyworld, I want to have the ceremony and a fairy tale reception there! Do you have any openings in June?"

  I pushed aside my Alice in Wonderland paperweight and skimmed through the special events calendar. We had June 12th and the 19th open, and I told Cassie so. She chose the 12th.

  I lost focus as my niece gushed about her plans for a “wedding weekend.” Something about a softball game, volleyball, and a rehearsal dinner.

  "...and just so you know, David is going to be a groomsman."

  That I heard. David Arellano, my ex-boyfriend. Not exactly the person I most wanted to see. But how could I expect that Cassie and Mark wouldn't invite him? After all, he was Mark's "uncle"--his father's best friend. It's how David and I met in the first place. Mark introduced us.

  "I still don't know why the two of you had to break up," Cassie mused.

  "Oh, Cass. You know why. He wanted to get married."

  "Yeah. The guy adored you, gave you a gorgeous ring, and promised to make you happy for the rest of your life. What a jerk.”

  "It's complicated."

  "No, it's not. The guy asks, you say yes, and then there's a wedding followed by happily-ever-after."

  I wondered briefly if it was possible to pierce your own tongue with your teeth.

  "Look, Cass, I'm really pleased for you," I said. That sounded right. "Congratulations. To you and Mark." I was really getting into the swing of this. "I look forward to it."

  "Oh, thank you, Megan. That means so much to me. Mom's on the other line. I'll be in touch."

  I hung up, deferring to the call from my older sister. I wondered how Caitlin felt about the engagement. I'd have to talk to her about it soon.

  I looked out the window to the beanstalk from our Jack and the Beanstalk set. I had the irresistible urge to go climb it, even if a giant awaited me at the top. But I had to relieve Chloe at our Rapunzel's Castle entrance, and prepare the payroll after that. No time for climbing beanstalks.

  I heard from Cassie again only a couple of hours later. With a tinkling laugh, she said she'd forgotten the most important thing of all--she wanted me to be her maid of honor.

  "I really want you to do it, Aunt Megan. It's because of you that we met. You hired us both. Will you do it?"

  "Of course," I choked out.

  "What does a maid of honor do?" I asked my mom on the phone later.

  "Well, let's see. You'll plan the bridal shower, and you'll oversee the bridesmaids. On the day of the wedding, you'll help Cassie get ready. Oh, and you'll go with her to look at wedding dresses. Maybe you can help me with my dress, too. I know I'm just the grandmother, but I'd like something nice."

  "Mom, I already have a full-time job."

  Mom laughed. "Oh, honey. You sound so unhappy about it all. It'll be fun!"

  Fun hardly seemed the right word, but I let it pass.

  After discussing what Mom might like to wear, I said, "David's going to be there." As soon as the statement was out of my mouth, I regretted it. Mom and David had been close, sharing a love of gardening and baseball. She'd been heartbroken when I ended things with him. She was hardly going to sympathize with my distress.

  "That's great, Megan!”

  "Not really. No.” I shook my head, even though she couldn't see me. “It's really not.”

  "I know you care about him, honey. You still carry around that picture of him in your wallet."

  "Mom! How did you know that?"

  "I saw it last week when you paid for lunch."

  I gulped. I'd been meaning to throw that picture away, I really had. I glanced at my purse across the living room, lying on the floor where I'd dropped it after unlocking the front door of my cottage. I should just throw the picture in the trash right now. Probably. Maybe. Tomorrow, certainly.

  I hung up with Mom, and headed into the bedroom. I dived onto the bed, which I'd neglected to make that morning, and covered my head with my pillows. Unfortunately, this didn't keep the thoughts of David from coming.

  The thing was--I did care for David. I loved him, even. But what I didn't love was the idea of marrying him. Or anyone. Marriage was a grind, a trap, a surefire way to end up hating the one you loved. It's what happened to my parents. It's what happened to fifty percent of couples, and not something I wanted to happen to me. This way, I could continue loving David, and no one got hurt.

  But I'd forgotten that when you break up with a man, you don't see him anymore. I missed David. A lot. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to see him at the wedding.

  Life at the storybook park I owned and managed moved fast as summer approached. I lost myself in a sea of schedules, payrolls, and birthday party bookings. On Mother's Day, we hosted a special Alice in Wonderland tea, held outside the Wonderground Tunnel. A Wind in the Willows picnic kicked off the beginning of June.

  Before I knew it, the wedding was only a few days off. I'd been burning the candle at both ends, running the park and helping Cassie--which included overseeing all the plans for the wedding, both as maid of honor and events planner. In place of volleyball, we'd decided on a scavenger hunt at the park, which, mercifully, Cassie had designed without my assistance.

  Before we opened on the morning of the tenth, I toured Cinderella Courtyard, where we were gearing up for Cassie's reception. The ceremony would be held in the Storyworld Chapel, in the center of the park. We'd set up tables in the courtyard, and decorated with twinkle lights and paper lanterns. The weather forecast promised no rain, so we had no backup plan. If we should be visited by a freak rainstorm, I supposed we could all huddle in Cinderella Castle balancing plates and glasses on our laps. The thought made me smile. Weddings really should be accompanied by stormy weather, as a harbinger of things to come.

  I remembered something then, and the memory inspired a jolt of something I couldn't quite place. Was it regret? Desire?

  Almost exactly to the day a year earlier, David had brought me here and proposed.

  "I want to be your Prince Charming," he'd said, and somehow the words didn't come across nearly as cheesy as they should have. He was wearing a tuxedo, and had handed me a bouquet of roses before getting down on one knee.

  I knew I'd never get over the disappointment in his eyes when I declined his proposal.

  He'd just nodded solemnly, closed the velvet box with a snap, risen from his knees, and walked away. I hadn't seen him since. We'd shared a couple of uneasy phone conversations in the ensuing months, but that was it.

  It was the great irony of my life that I worked at a place that celebrated fairy tales and happily-ever-afters, and I didn't believe in any of it. While my childhood friends and my sister had played dress-up bride over and over again, I'd spent my time reading every book I could get my hands on--except for the fairy tales.

  Perhaps I should start offering divorce parties at the park. Instead of the chapel and Cinderella Courtyard, we could stage the events at the knave's beheading trial at the Alice in Wonderland Area or the gangplank at Pet
er Pan.

  I realized I'd been staring at the castle for at least ten minutes, oblivious to the fact that my staff would be arriving and we had to open the park. I turned away and proceeded down Charming Circle, shaking off my morbid thoughts.

  I retraced my steps to the castle after closing, making sure we were ready for the onslaught of deliveries beginning the following morning. Again, I thought of David, and was so involved in my memories that I didn't notice someone come up behind me.

  "You're late," a familiar voice said. David.

  I spun around. "How did you get in?" I gulped. Had he always been so attractive? The dark hair, the blue eyes? The dimples?

  "You never took back my key...see?" He handed over one of our gate keys.

  I nodded, accepting it.

  "Cassie sent me. You're late for the baseball game."

  I sighed. I'd forgotten the softball game, the first event of Wedding Weekend. Tomorrow night we had the scavenger hunt, after which we'd return to our respective homes/hotels and dress for the rehearsal dinner.

  "I'll follow you over there," I said.

  "Why don't you just come with me? I'll drive you back to your car after."

  My heart was already thumping, and I considered the possibility of an actual myocardial infarction if I agreed. But what excuse could I give? The park was only a few minutes away.

  "Okay,” I said, more confidently than I felt.

  David led me past Three Billy Goats Gruff, where he clucked at the live animals, and across the footbridge to Peter Rabbit's Garden. To my surprise, he pulled a carrot from his pocket, leaned over the short fence, and fed one of the bunnies. I'd forgotten how much David enjoyed Storyworld.

  Once we reached David's Honda in the parking lot, he opened the passenger door for me.

  "How have you been?" he asked once he'd turned on the ignition and pulled out of the parking space.

  "Fine. Good. Well, you know. You?"

  "Good. Work is busy. It's nice to have the weekend off." David was a ranger at the nearby state park.

  "How's Lisa?" I asked. This was his new girlfriend, according to Cass.

  "I have no idea. We broke up."

  This news made me unaccountably happy. Why should I care? Unfortunately, clearly I did. I mumbled the expected “I'm sorry.”

  "Thanks. It's great about Cass and Mark, isn't it?"

  "Uh, huh."

  "You don't sound all that convincing." He turned and raised an eyebrow at me.

  "No. It's great. I'm really happy for them."

  "I'm kind of surprised myself, actually." This time he didn't turn to look at me, his eyes fixed on the road.

  I knew him well enough to be sure there was something behind the statement. "Surprised? Why? They've been dating for years."

  "I know. It's nothing. Forget I said anything."

  "David."

  "Okay. It's just something Mark said to me."

  "What? What did he say? David, you have to tell me."

  "He'd been seeing someone else, too. He hadn't been able to choose between them."

  "What? Cassie said they were exclusive!"

  "Apparently not."

  I shook my head in disbelief. "But..." I paused. "Well, it doesn't matter now. Obviously now they're exclusive. That must have been ages ago."

  David didn't respond.

  "David!"

  "It wasn't that long ago. They announced their engagement not too long after that conversation. But it must be fine. He obviously decided on Cassie."

  "So he's not seeing the other woman anymore, right? Right?"

  "Truth is, I haven't seen him since that conversation, Meg. Not until just now at the game."

  “Swell. Anything else?”

  David blew air through his mouth. “Yeah. The woman was Jenny.”

  “Jenny?” I practically screamed. “Jenny, who has been Cassie's best friend since high school? Bridesmaid Jenny?”

  David nodded.

  We drove in silence until we reached the park, me fuming. This was exactly why people shouldn't get married. They never could quite commit, despite all their promises.

  When I got up to bat, I pictured Mark's face on the ball, hit it squarely on my first swing, and doubled into center field. Not bad for a near 40-year-old. Mark was playing second, and said hi to me as Cassie came to bat.

  "Great to see you,” he said.

  "Yeah, you, too," I answered gruffly. I knew this really wasn't sufficient, and I should extend my congratulations, but I struggled to form the words. Fortunately, Cassie proceeded to hit a single, and I had to start running. I scored, and David, up at bat next, gave me a high five. Touching his hand, even for that brief a second, electrified me, and I forgot all about Cassie, Mark, and Jenny.

  After the game, David and I drove back to my car. I found myself at a loss. What exactly did I want from him?

  I knew deep down, of course. I wanted to go back to dating him. I wanted to be his girlfriend, exclusively, forever. But I knew going backwards wasn't an option.

  "Look, Meg, I don't want you to take what I said too seriously."

  Could he be talking about the proposal? Did that mean he would consider getting back together as boyfriend and girlfriend, never to be husband and wife? Then I realized he was talking about Mark.

  "Okay," I agreed.

  "It's clear that he loves Cassie."

  "Right."

  "He's going to marry her."

  "Yeah. And that, of course, proves that he loves her." The hint of sarcasm I'd gone for ended up being a full-out clue.

  "For most people, yes." David was as serious as I was sarcastic.

  By now, we'd made it back to the Storyworld parking lot, and were stopped next to my car.

  "Why did you have to change your mind, anyway?" I asked, the bitterness in my voice hard to disguise. "We were fine."

  David didn't seem surprised that I'd switched the subject to the two of us. "I wanted to be with you every day,” he said. “I wanted to hold you as we fell asleep and wake up to see your smile. Kill me." He had a grin on his face, but his eyes were sad.

  I felt tears form in my own eyes, and I didn't want him to see me cry. "Thanks for the ride. See you at the dinner." I reached for the door handle.

  "Scavenger hunt," he corrected.

  "Right. Scavenger hunt. Tomorrow night, before the rehearsal dinner. How could I forget?"

  "I'll see you there?"

  "Yep. See you there."

  Driving home, I thought about what David had said. For the majority of our time together, he'd been in complete agreement with me about not getting married. Like me, he'd been a witness to a tempestuous union. His parents divorced when he was only seven. Did he really believe the things he had said to me just now? Or had he fallen into the brainwashing that everyone else had seemed to--believing that love could last forever, despite the overwhelming evidence it did not?

  Meanwhile, was there anything to be done about Mark? I had to admit I'd never liked him all that much. He'd come to Storyworld as a brash nineteen-year-old, who'd always thought he was too good to run the rides, the job I'd assigned him to. He'd always struck me as a little too good-looking, a little too self-assured. He and Cassie, who at the time was playing the character of Princess Storyworld, had hit it off immediately. But all that time he'd been hitting it off with Jenny, too.

  My stomach churned at the idea that Mark hadn't been faithful to Cassie. I wished Mark had never come to work at Storyworld. Sure, I never would have met David if Mark hadn't introduced us. But maybe that wasn't for the best, either. Perhaps Cassie and I both would have been better off if Mark Solomon had never come into our lives.

  I met my sister, Caitlin, for coffee the next morning before work. She seemed ebullient, while I sat staring at my coffee cup, bleary-eyed. I'd had a hard time sleeping. Every time I closed my eyes, a scene from my relationship with David played across my vision. Unfortunately, each one was pleasant. I couldn't seem to remember any arguments, though I kn
ew we'd had them.

  "You seem happy," I managed to eke out.

  "I am. My daughter is marrying a great guy, we have the ability to give her a wonderful wedding, I'll probably have grandchildren within the next few years..."

  I'd never understood why Caitlin had wanted to get married, given our shared history of our parents' disastrous marriage and subsequent ugly divorce. She had done the whole number. Multiple wedding events, a honeymoon to Jamaica, and a baby a year later. She and Don had separated a year ago, and their divorce was almost final.

  "She's only 23, Caitlin," I said quietly. I decided against telling her about Jenny, presuming--hoping--Mark's relationship with her was over.

  "She's in love,” Caitlin said. With her wavy blond hair framing her face, she looked younger than her 45 years.

  "That worked out so well for our folks. And for you, not incidentally."

  "Oh, Megan. You're so pessimistic."

  "You don't think I have reason to be? I don't understand how you can be so optimistic. Your marriage was a train wreck. How can you want that for Cassie?"

  "Because it can always be different, Meg. My marriage was different than Mom and Dad's. Cassie's will be different from mine. And if I remarry, that will be different yet."

  "Remarry?" I let my coffee cup fall into the saucer, splashing some of the pricey latte onto the table.

  "It could happen." Caitlin raised her chin in a gesture of defiance I remembered from our childhood.

  I shook my head. I just didn't get it. Unless it was the same kind of brainwashing David had apparently fallen victim to. Was I the only one who hadn't given in to it?

  I gazed at the giant pumpkin which served as our customer service center, and checked my watch. I was due to meet the rest of the group up at the Ferris wheel to begin the scavenger hunt. I didn't feel very motivated. I was exhausted from my work duties, and wasn't excited about running around the park in 85 degree weather. Not only that, I was ambivalent about seeing David again. I'd enjoyed spending time with him in the car, and couldn't say I was not looking forward to seeing him further that weekend. But contact with him was dangerous. I couldn't let all the old feelings back in. Then I shook my head. Who was I fooling? Those feelings had always been there, no matter how hard I'd tried to dispel them.