Double Wedding

by Patricia Scanlan

  Carol looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked beautiful, she acknowledged without conceit. Her dress sculpted her body in a classical, sensual way that was almost Grecian in style. If Sean Ryan saw her he’d never look at Katie Johnson again, she thought defiantly, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin. She was going to walk up that aisle, head held high. Gary Davis didn’t know how lucky he was.

  * * *

  Bill paid for his meal, tipped the waitress and walked out of Chester Beatty’s happy in the knowledge that he was in plenty of time. The traffic was heavy, granted, he noted as he stood waiting to cross the road to where his car was parked outside the pharmacy. It was a lovely day. He squinted up at the sun. It was hard to believe it was the last week in September. It had been a hell of a summer and the heat in the sun gave lie to how late it was in the year. Kilbride church was the perfect wedding setting on a lovely autumn day such as today, he reflected, as he eased himself behind the wheel.

  He felt very optimistic that Carol’s hostility would fade when she saw him. After all, blood was thicker than water when all was said and done. Almost jauntily he started the ignition and pulled out into the traffic.

  * * *

  ‘I can’t remember the way to the bloody church. I know we were to turn right at some pub,’ Gary said bad-temperedly as they drove down a winding country road that had no sign of a church to the left or right of it.

  ‘Are you sure it was Jack White’s?’ his brother Simon asked irritably. ‘Ask that old lad over there.’

  ‘I’m not asking,’ Gary muttered.

  ‘Tsk.’ Simon tutted and rolled down his window. ‘Excuse me – could you tell me are we on the right road to Kilbride church?’ he shouted across the road at an old man who was walking his dog.

  ‘No, you’re on the way to Brittas Bay; go back the way you came and take the right turn at Lil Doyle’s pub,’ the elderly man instructed.

  ‘Thanks very much.’ Simon did a U-turn with difficulty.

  ‘You plonker.’

  ‘I knew there was a pub involved. I wish I was in it. Don’t hassle me. I’m getting married.’

  ‘Poor bastard!’ grinned Simon, scorching back on to the N11.

  * * *

  ‘Here’s Dad with the car,’ Katie called, as Peter’s maroon Vento swung into the drive.

  ‘Right, time for a quick glass of champers,’ Tara announced gaily, popping the cork on a bottle of Moët.

  ‘Nice touch, Ma,’ Katie approved, whipping some champagne flutes out of Liz’s drinks cabinet. She looked sexy and voluptuous in a slinky ruby gown with a fishtail frill. She exuded glamour.

  Jessica laughed as the bubbles tickled her nose. All her nerves had disappeared. She was excited and happy and longing to see Mike, and she felt gloriously special in her bridal dress.

  ‘Look at our girls, Tara,’ Liz said proudly. She was wearing a smart, chic navy and cream dress and jacket.

  ‘Stop that, Liz, and don’t get maudlin,’ Tara said crisply. ‘Otherwise we’ll all start bawling and our make-up will be ruined.’

  They all laughed and sipped their champagne, glad the moment was finally upon them after all the fraught tensions of the past weeks.

  The photographer arrived and took over, and the next twenty minutes were spent posing as he instructed, with Tara making witty asides that kept cracking them all up, much to his annoyance.

  * * *

  ‘Tell me the minute you see Jessie coming out,’ Carol instructed out of the side of her mouth as she stood in the back garden getting her photo taken with Nancy. Gary’s brother Vince snapped away, checking the results on his digital camera every so often.

  ‘Come on, get in the photo with your mam and sister,’ he invited Nadine.

  ‘I hate getting my photo taken,’ Nadine protested.

  ‘Me too, come on.’ Carol held out her hand.

  ‘Oh, all right,’ Nadine agreed with bad grace. ‘But I’m not doing any more at the church or in the hotel.’

  ‘OK.’ Carol didn’t make an issue of it. She was feeling terribly nervous. She wondered if Gary was at the church yet. Just say he jilted her and left her standing at the altar. She’d die. Stop it! Pull yourself together! She drew a deep breath, trying to compose herself, hoping her turmoil didn’t show in her face.

  Her Aunt Freda and Uncle Packie arrived to take Nancy to the church, and Carol was thrilled when she saw the flash of surprise and admiration in the older woman’s eyes. Freda and Packie had notions about themselves and thought they were leaders of Arklow’s high society. They’d always looked down their snooty noses at the Logans. She’d show them all that she was just as good as they were, she thought bitterly, remembering how her relatives had left Nancy to get on with it when Bill had walked out on them.

  Despite their affluence, they’d ignored her wedding list and bought a duvet set that had come out of a catalogue. They were as mean as misers and always had been.

  ‘Will you be all right coming up the aisle on your own? I could ask Packie,’ Nancy murmured.

  ‘That mean old walrus, no, thanks,’ Carol whispered back. ‘You look lovely, Ma,’ she said awkwardly. Nancy’s taupe trouser suit with the little black camisole was very elegant on her mother’s slender frame.

  ‘Thanks, Carol. You look lovely too. Really beautiful.’ Nancy’s face broke into a rare smile. And Carol caught a flash of the old Nancy as she had been before depression, stress and drink had taken their toll.

  Impulsively she leaned down and kissed her mother’s cheek. ‘See you at the church,’ she said, squeezing her hand.

  ‘We should go,’ Freda said bossily. ‘We want to get good parking. Can’t see why you didn’t have it in Templerainey where there’s a decent car park.’

  ‘Jessie’s father was buried from that church. It has sad memories for them,’ Nancy said coldly. Freda looked taken aback at her sister’s tone. It was most unusual for Nancy to argue with her.

  ‘Ma, would you like to come in the limo with us, there’s loads of room?’ Carol asked, flashing a look of disdain at her aunt.

  ‘No, I’ll be fine with Freda and Packie, but thanks. You three enjoy it.’ Nancy gave her the tiniest wink.

  ‘Ma, don’t forget your handbag,’ Nadine reminded her, handing her the elegant black clutch that Nancy had left on her lounger.

  ‘Oh, thanks, Nadine, enjoy your trip in the limo.’

  ‘I will – and, Ma, I got you another packet of Polo mints. They’re in your bag,’ Nadine whispered.

  ‘They’re a great help,’ Nancy whispered back, and felt a wave of love for her youngest child. ‘Thanks, hon, I don’t know what I would have done without you.’

  Nadine watched her mother follow her aunt and uncle out of the side gate and hoped against hope that just this one day she’d manage to get through the rest of it without a drink. Nancy looked so smart. As smart as Liz. It would be great if she could look like that all the time.

  Carol was having a photo taken with Amanda when Nadine spied movement across the street through the gap in the half-open side door.

  ‘Here’s Jessie. Ooh, she’s gorgeous!’ she exclaimed, completely dropping her cynical façade about weddings, brides, and all the palaver.

  Amanda and Carol hastened into the house and peered eagerly out of the window in the front room.

  ‘Her aunt made the dress?’ Amanda exclaimed in wonder. ‘It’s awesome.’

  Carol couldn’t believe the vision across the road. Jessica’s champagne wedding dress looked as expensive and exclusive as her own, if not more so.

  ‘Nice dress Katie’s wearing,’ Amanda observed.

  ‘Huh, she looks like J-Lo!’ Carol sniffed. ‘Oh good, here’s the white limo,’ she exclaimed, her confidence restored when she saw her big car glide up the road. It looked so swanky compared to Katie’s dad’s ordinary maroon Vento. She would certainly make the most dramatic entrance, Carol thought, satisfied with that small victory.

  * * *

 
; ‘Posh car, pretentious wagon,’ Katie derided as she watched the white limo pull up across the road.

  ‘Stop it. If it’s what Carol wants, let her have it. It’s her wedding day,’ Jessie chided.

  ‘I don’t care if she gets to the church on her broomstick,’ Katie retorted huffily.

  Jessica laughed as she got into the car beside her. ‘Cow.’

  ‘I can’t help it,’ grinned Katie. ‘She just gets right up my nose.’

  ‘Right, girls. Have you got everything?’ Her father got into the driver’s seat and turned to look at them.

  ‘I think so,’ Jessie said.

  ‘Wave at the neighbours, then, and let’s hit the road,’ Peter chuckled, starting the engine.

  Jessica beamed broadly at the neighbours who had gathered around to wave her off. She wondered if Mike had arrived at the church yet. She had promised him that she wouldn’t be late and it was a promise she was determined to keep. She couldn’t wait to walk up the aisle to him. She knew she was the luckiest woman in the world.

  * * *

  ‘Ma and Da are just ahead of us in Ashford. I told them to wait and we’d catch up with them,’ Mike told his brother as they bypassed the Cullenmore Bends and drove on to the new stretch of road that he was so familiar with. He was tense with nerves. It was weird not having any contact with Jessie. He’d picked up the phone a dozen times this morning to call her before remembering that it wasn’t allowed.

  He loosened the knot in his tie and swallowed hard. The journey to Kilbride seemed to be taking for ever. If anything had gone wrong, Jessie would have had to phone him, so he decided to assume that all was well.

  ‘Relax – enjoy the ride. You’ll be making your speech before you know it,’ his brother teased.

  ‘Thanks. I’d forgotten about that,’ Mike groaned, taking his well-thumbed speech out of his inside pocket and reading it over for the umpteenth time.

  His phone beeped and he saw that he had a message.

  See you soon. I love you.XXXX

  His heart lifted. It was from Jessie. All was well, and he couldn’t wait to see her.

  ‘Nearly there,’ his best man announced cheerfully fifteen minutes later as Lil Doyle’s appeared to the right of them. Their parents were in the car behind.

  ‘Some poor bugger’s got a puncture,’ Mike observed, as he saw a car bounce slowly across the meridian line and turn into the pub’s car park.

  ‘Don’t mention the P word,’ his brother warned. ‘Remember my wedding? I was half an hour late because I got one and I thought Val was going to clobber me. How are we doing for time?’

  ‘Loads of time, it’s just around the next bend.’ Mike stretched, very glad to have reached the church at last.

  * * *

  ‘For crying out bloody loud.’ Bill swore with frustration, struggling to keep the car under control as he swung into Lil Doyle’s car park. A fucking puncture was the last thing he needed. He jumped out of the car, took off his jacket, rolled up his shirtsleeves and rooted in the boot for the jack.

  The sun was beating down as he struggled with the nuts on the tyre and he could feel the perspiration between his shoulder blades. He badly wanted to be at the church before Nancy and Carol got there.

  ‘Just concentrate,’ he muttered, puffing with the exertion of trying to loosen the last nut. He saw a maroon car with white ribbons flapping in the breeze turn to the right at the crossroads. Was it Carol or Jessica? He didn’t know.

  ‘Why?’ he muttered as he finally managed to loosen the last nut and eased the wheel off the axle. What a disaster it would be if he arrived at the church and Carol had already walked up the aisle.

  * * *

  ‘You look really terrific, Nancy, that colour is fabulous on you. I’m so glad you bought it.’ Liz embraced her friend warmly. ‘Are you feeling OK?’

  ‘Not bad,’ Nancy murmured. ‘Sorry about earlier.’

  ‘Forget it. You’re here, you look great. And it’s going to be a happy day.’ Liz smiled.

  ‘Poor old Nadine told me she’d confiscated my bottle of vodka,’ Nancy said ruefully. ‘She told me to suck Polos if I got the urge for a drink. I’ve eaten half the packet already.’

  ‘If it gets too much for you, just tell me and I’ll help in any way I can,’ Liz said earnestly.

  ‘You’ve helped so much already,’ Nancy assured her. ‘I opened my little book and got the most amazing message, about casting the burden.’

  ‘Oh, that’s a great one. I’ve got that many times when I’ve been on my knees in despair missing Ray.’ Liz nodded.

  ‘Today must be hard,’ Nancy said sympathetically.

  ‘I’m trying not to let it be,’ Liz admitted. ‘It’s hard for you too. It’s such a special day for the girls, they don’t need wobbly mothers.’

  ‘No, you’re right. Come on, we’ll go up and say hello to our future sons-in-law,’ Nancy said, firmly linking her arm in her friend’s and walking up the aisle with her.

  * * *

  ‘Could you get a smell of drink off her?’ Freda hissed, digging her husband in the ribs.

  ‘I could smell mints off her but I wouldn’t say she’s been hitting the bottle. She looks very well,’ Packie answered.

  ‘That’s an expensive-looking suit. And where did they get the money for that limo? And that wedding dress was expensive, too,’ Freda said crossly. Nancy had surprised her with her finery, and she’d seemed very calm and in control, not the shaky, fidgety nervous wreck she knew so well. She watched her younger sister walking up the aisle laughing at something Liz Kennedy had said to her.

  ‘She’ll be drinking before the evening’s out. You mark my words,’ she said caustically, turning around to study the finery worn by the rest of the guests.

  * * *

  ‘Here’s Jessie.’ Tara walked up the aisle to her sister, who was chatting to some of Jessie’s friends.

  ‘Excuse me, girls. I have to walk my daughter up the aisle.’ She smiled.

  She walked down the aisle into the porch, where Jessica was posing for a photograph with Katie.

  ‘Excellent,’ Frank, the photographer, said. ‘Liz, get in there now and seduce the camera.’

  Liz, Jessica and Katie guffawed. And Frank snapped away, delighted with their response. That would be a jolly photo that would bring back happy memories for years to come.

  Five minutes later Carol’s limo swept up the road.

  ‘Oh Carol, you look beautiful,’ Jessica exclaimed warmly when the other girl joined her in the porch.

  ‘So do you,’ Carol said enviously, eyeing her friend’s cleavage. ‘That bustier is gorgeous.’ She ignored Katie.

  ‘Are you feeling OK?’ Jessie asked, as Amanda arranged the other girl’s long floaty cathedral veil.

  ‘Yeah. I don’t feel as grotty. It’s wearing off. That’s why it’s called morning sickness, I suppose,’ Carol said ruefully.

  ‘You always wanted a baby,’ Jessie comforted.

  ‘I know, but not exactly like this. I’m not saying a word until after the honeymoon.’

  ‘Good thinking,’ Jessica agreed, as the two of them stood together for their photographs. ‘Nadine, you look brilliant. Mono’s inside, half-way up your side of the church.’

  ‘Thanks, Jessie. Your dress is really cool.’ Nadine couldn’t hide how impressed she was. She preferred it to Carol’s, but she wouldn’t dream of saying it.

  ‘Pop your head in the door and see if Gary’s here?’ Carol whispered tersely, half afraid her fiancé hadn’t shown up. Nadine did as she was told, peering up the aisle until she found him. She gave her sister the thumbs-up.

  Carol felt herself relax a little. ‘Thanks, Nadine, are you going in?’

  ‘Yeah, enjoy yourself, Carol,’ she said kindly, giving Carol a pat on the arm.

  ‘You too, and thanks for all your help.’ They smiled at each other, then Nadine clattered up the aisle in her high heels, leaving Carol to her solo entrance.

  ‘Are you all
right, Jessie?’ Liz smiled at her daughter.

  ‘Yeah – did you see Mike?’ she asked eagerly.

  ‘I did, and he looks dead dishy,’ Liz assured her as she gave the nod to Tara, who gave the signal to the organist.

  The notes of the organ filled the church and Jessie felt her heart leap in her chest.

  ‘Best foot forward,’ whispered Liz as she gave her daughter a little squeeze and they began their walk up the aisle.

  Jessica was aware of Mike turning slowly to look at her. She saw his eyes widen in amazement and pleasure and couldn’t hide her joy as her face creased into a huge grin.

  ‘You look radiant,’ he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her.

  ‘That’s because I am,’ she whispered back, wishing she could throw her arms around him and never stop hugging him.

  Gary gave her the thumbs-up and they turned to await Carol’s arrival.

  Carol took a last deep breath as Amanda adjusted her veil over her face. ‘Ready?’ she said briskly.

  ‘As ready as I’ll ever be,’ Amanda assured her, and turned in surprise as a car skidded to a halt at the church gates and a man jumped out.

  ‘Carol. Carol, I got here just in time,’ Bill said breathlessly, hurrying up the path.

  Carol couldn’t believe what she was seeing. After all she’d said to him, Bill had ignored her wishes completely. Why did he continue to treat her as though her feelings meant nothing? Fury erupted.

  ‘What the fuck are you doing here?’ she shrieked. ‘How dare you? How dare you ruin my wedding day, you arrogant bastard!’ She was shaking with anger.

  Amanda gazed at the pair of them in shock. What the hell was going on?

  A gasp of excited horror rippled through the guests as they turned to face the door at the sound of raised voices.

  ‘Oh, no!’ Nancy raised a hand to her mouth.

  Jessica stared at Mike in dismay as Carol’s profanities carried to the altar. Tears welled in her eyes.