Father of the Bride

by Jennifer Dione

  “I’m going to call him tonight.”

  She kissed me on my cheek. “Good luck baby.”

  “Thanks Auntie.”

  We parted ways, I watched as she jumped in her car and I got in mine.

  Chapter 2

  I had an exam that I still wasn't confident I had studied enough for. My best friend Mya couldn't make it to my fitting because she had rehearsal but had promised to make it up to me by coming over later and cooking. Mya was the best cook I knew outside of her mom, me not so much. When Omar and I first started dating I would have Mya cook dinner for us, we all grew up together and he had always loved Mya’s cooking. I walked in my apartment and threw my keys in my purse and my purse on the vanity near the door. The apartment was filthy, the sink and counters were covered in dishes, utensils, and pots and pans. The living room had all types of books, papers, and other random things strewn about. I thought about cleaning until I walked into my room. There were clothes everywhere, empty wrappers on the dresser, and old cereal bowls on the nightstand. I gave up before I started, tossing myself onto my bed.

  I knew Mya couldn’t stand a mess. She would come in and clean before she even started cooking and she wouldn’t complain. It was pretty much a ritual whenever she came to visit. Then she would pour wine into these fancy stemless wine glasses that she insisted on buying for me even though she couldn’t afford it on her modest dance studio instructor pay. I made sure to stock the best and most expensive wine for her whenever she came to visit.

  I buried myself into my statistics books and flipped through index cards until I heard the lock on the door turn. I didn't get up to see who it was, only three people had a key to my apartment. Yaya, Mya, and Omar, and I always knew when they were on their way. I heard Mya say something about how she was going to start cleaning before she even made it to the doorway of my room.

  “Hey Smelly.” She said giving me an ugly smile, which was probably in reaction to the sight of my room.

  “Hey Stinky.” I said rolling over in bed so I could see her face.

  “What do you want to eat?” Music to my ears.

  “Please just surprise me, but preferably make it something I can eat with one hand.”

  She made a face at me. “OK, but right after I get this house clean.”

  “OK, that's why I love you Stinky!” I shouted as she turned and left out of my room.

  Just as I was about to bury myself back into my studying, she popped her head back in the room.

  “I miss the old days when your aunt would to pay me to clean up after you.”

  “Oh, lucky you, you actually miss college, meanwhile here I am still in the struggle.”

  “You choose the struggle, I told you not to go to graduate school. You could’ve got a great paying job with the engineering degree you already have.”

  “OK, but remember I looked for a job for a year and I didn’t find anything ‘great’. I think the best offer I got was for a supervisor position at the grocery store.”

  She laughed, I could tell she had tried to hold it in, but it came bursting through her mouth as she doubled over.

  “Omar got the same degree you did and from the looks of things he's already running shit at his firm, you just had to give it more time.”

  “He found that job in three weeks. He didn’t even start as an intern.” I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes, “Men have life so much easier.”

  “Right, we're the ones who have to have periods, lower pay, lose our bodies having children, get eye-fucked walking down the street, and we have to work twice as hard to earn a position we are twice as qualified for.”

  “All true, except no kids for me.”

  “No kids?” Her face twisted as if I wasn’t speaking the same language.

  “No.” I sat up on the bed, “You know I don’t want kids. Omar and I agreed a long time ago, no marriage and no kids.”

  “Except he surprised you and changed his mind on the marriage part.”

  “Yes, and it was a happy surprise but I'm not going to be changing my mind about kids. I’m more interested in working and traveling, just me and him.”

  “I have a feeling that one more happy surprise is on the way, or two, three, or four.”

  “Yeah, well don’t get too excited ‘Auntie Mya’, you'll be pushing a human out of your body before I even think about it.”

  “Yeah I’m definitely not having kids.”

  “Great, then you can come along with us on our travels, just like we always planned.” I clapped my hands bouncing up and down on the bed in over exaggerated excitement.

  “Calm down Smelly, that was before you were, like, a thing. I am not going to be your guy’s third wheel. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit thinking about it.” She mocked gagged and I hit her on the arm.

  “You romance hater. Why don’t you get married too? Double date vacations for days! Psych! I don’t even remember the last time you had a man.”

  “Hey, I may not be getting married anytime soon, but I will have someone...” Her voice trailed off.

  “Well, I hope so. All you do is dance, drink wine, and play with your cats.”

  “She smiled mischievously. “First of all, leave me alone. Secondly, that’s all you need.”

  “If you say so, and I thought you were going to clean, go.”

  “Don’t push it pretty girl, I only do it because I love you, but right now I don't like your attitude.”

  “Seriously Mya, I’m starving so hurry up and do something cook, clean, write this 35-page paper, something.”

  “Yeah, I’ll leave you to that paper, & I’ll get to cleaning before some of this mess comes alive to clean itself.

  “You know what, it’s not that bad!”

  She slammed my own door in my face before I could finish yelling at her.

  TWO HOURS LATER THE entire apartment was clean. I mean everything, kitchen, refrigerator, bathroom, floors, walls, she would clean the ceiling if she could, but she did dust the ceiling fans. I walked into the dining room to find that she had set the table with some of the expensive china my aunt bought me when I moved into this apartment to live closer to my school. There were candles lit, fresh flowers were arranged in a vase that I didn’t even know I owned.

  “It’s taco Tuesday!" I yelled as I realized she had done all this to serve me my favorite meal.

  Not just any tacos would do though, Mya made her tortillas completely from scratch, just like her homemade taco seasoning, tacos sauce, and Pico de Gallo. I appreciated Mya’s Hispanic heritage no more than when she cooked traditional and authentic Hispanic food and when we went to Tijuana and she was able to translate for all guys trying to hit on us.

  We sat down at the table and I started loading my tacos, I always ate at least three, Mya at least five, she was thicker than me for a reason. She was quiet as she ate. She had seemed a little down since she had auditioned for the Dance Academy of New York and not been accepted. It was the only reason she had moved to the city just three months before, as well as the fact that I was living in the city too. She could've gone to another city and auditioned for another school and maybe she would have gotten in. I choose my school before she did and I only decided on my school because Omar’s job was based here. I followed Omar and she followed me. The only difference was she was still working a low paying job at a dance studio and hadn't gotten into her school of choice. Meanwhile I got engaged only days before she found out she wasn't accepted.

  “How was your date with that guy you met at Ronnie's kickback?”

  “I canceled.” She said flatly.

  “Why?” I whined at her chewing slowly, mouth open.

  “He wasn't my type.”

  “Do you have a type?”

  “Yeah.”

  “OK so what is it?”

  “Not him.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Yely, I didn't even want to give him my number, you practically gave him my number yourself.”

  “Did I tell
him yes to going out?”

  “No, but also I'm a grown woman and I can make and cancel dates as I please.”

  “You sure can.”

  “I just want to make sure you're not lonely. I know all of your family is in California, you don't make friends and you never even go on dates, even just to get free food and movies, and just have some fun.”

  “Good point on the free food and entertainment, but I’m not in the mood to talk about all of my issues. Let's talk about yours.”

  “Fine.” I winked at her playfully and she rolled her eyes, I knew she was calling me corny in her head.

  “So, talk, unless you're too busy stuffing you face you glutton.”

  “I know you’re not talking!” I yelled at her with a full mouth, gesturing towards her plate piled high with tacos, beans and rice.

  “Talk or I won't make my churros.”

  I almost choked as I threw up my hands up in mock surrender, “OK, OK, OK! I'll tell you everything. I miss Omar, I hate school, and I'm over wedding planning, fittings, seating, looking at flowers, and all of it.”

  “No one told you to say yes.”

  “Actually, everyone who was there when he popped the question told me to say yes.”

  “I was there and I promise you I didn't say a word. I honestly recorded it only because I thought you were going to say no.”

  “You whore!”

  She laughed. “But honestly, I want to know everything.”

  “Really, that's everything.” I thought for a second. “Oh yeah, I hate my job too.”

  “No Yely, Auntie texted me?”

  I immediately knew what she was talking about.

  “Oh, about my dad.”

  “Oh!” She said eyes rolling wildly as she mocked me.

  “Mya, I was going to tell you. I just didn't think you would care.”

  “I wouldn't care that you were looking for your father. You really thought that?”

  She got up from the table with her plate in her hand, as she walked by she grabbed mine too. I managed to grab a taco off of the plate before she snatched it away from me. I got up to follow her to the sink.

  “Mya give me the plate back.”

  “No, Auntie said not to let you eat too much, she said you fit perfectly in your dress and she didn't want you to gain or lose a pound until the big day.”

  “Since when do you encourage me to listen to what Auntie says?”

  “Since it's the biggest day in your life, and it means a lot to her that it's perfect for you.”

  I took a bite of the taco I had in my hand. She scraped the dishes into the trash and sat them on the counter next to the sink.

  “When were you ever going to tell me? Or was I just going to be at the wedding like ‘Who the hell is that guy walking Yely down the aisle?’” She filled the sink up with sudsy water and dropped the dishes in.

  “I was going to tell you.”

  “When?” She walked away from me and the sink to get the rest of the dishes off of the table, I took another bite of my taco. “I mean obviously you've been looking for him for a while.”

  “Since Omar proposed.” I admitted with a mouthful of taco.

  “& you never told me.” She dropped the rest of the dishes in the sink, I cringed at the thought of having to explain to my aunt why the beautiful china she bought me was busted.

  “Easy there bull. I can't afford to replace that, and I know you can't.”

  “I’m sick of all the shade you’re throwing me about my love life, and my pockets. I don't come in here talking shit about how filthy it is. We're talking about you, remember?” I nodded swallowing the last bite of my meal.

  “Good, focus.”

  “OK.”

  “I wash, you dry.” She ordered.

  Now I was sure she was mad. She was making me clean. If she left the mess for me entirely I would pretty much assume our friendship was over.

  “Why do you feel the need to have your father there for you to get married?”

  She handed me a plate and looked briefly into my eyes.

  I dried the plate slowly and deliberately. “I really don't know, it just won’t feel right to me if my father doesn't walk me down the aisle, it won't feel real.”

  “So right now, the idea of marrying Omar without your father walking you down the aisle. That is not real to you, not right?”

  “No, I'm not saying that. Obviously marrying him feels right. I just want my wedding to be perfect. I want to have everything and brides usually have their father walk them down the aisle.”

  “Many don't, and they're OK with that, or they are OK with having a cousin, uncle, aunt, or best friend walk them down the aisle.”

  “I get it, you're just here doing my aunts dirty work. She wanted to play the supportive role and she let you come over and be the bad cop because she thinks that I’ll listen to you and not her. Well guess what, I do not listen to either of you. I do what I feel is right for me. And so far, that has gotten me this far.”

  “I don’t care what you do. Like you said, you’ll do whatever you want anyway. I just feel that this is deeper than wanting your father to walk you down the aisle. I mean this man will be a stranger to you and you to him. If he does agree I would think he is as crazy as you!”

  “Well he should be, because he is my dad right Just leave Mya.” She looked shocked as I motioned for the door.

  She looked down at the half-washed sink of dishes and turned and walked out. She grabbed her bag on the way and turned to me.

  “I really think you should evaluate why you're getting cold feet about getting married, instead of trying to mask them with this whole ‘building a relationship with your absentee dad thing’.”

  I tried to slam the door in her face. She stuck her foot in the way. I love you Smelly Yely. Be careful, and think about what I said.”

  She moved her foot and I shut the door.

  I DIDN’T FINISH CLEANING the kitchen, instead I went right back to studying, every now and then I would scroll through my contacts until I came to the one that was named Father of the Bride. There were two numbers, I checked the clock. 7pm. 6pm his time. Too early to call I decided and I went back to my studying. I only got to get in 15 more minutes before I heard the front door unlocking and opening again.

  “What brought you back, the dishes in the sink?" I yelled out turning my head towards my bedroom door.

  “Actually, I just wanted to see you.” A booming baritone voice filled my room and then Omar stepped through the door.

  He was tall and thick, at time I felt like he was twice my size. I scrambled from the bed and ran into his arms. He scooped me up as I buried my head in the soft spot between his shoulder and neck, kissing him gently there. He pulled his head back, still holding me in his arms, my legs wrapped around his waist, his broad hands locked securely under my behind. I kissed him hard on the lips, and he kissed me on my nose.

  “I missed you so much Ugly, I thought I wouldn’t be seeing you until the weekend.”

  “I know, that’s why I had to come back to see my Smelly. One of my meetings was postponed until Tuesday evening so I get to spend the next 35 hours with my baby. How are you?” He sat down on the edge of the bed with me still wrapped around him.

  “I’m good now.”

  “So, who was it that you were expecting to come and wash the dishes for you?”

  “Mya.”

  “She cooked?” His hopes were up.

  “Yeah, tacos, but she threw it all away.” I unwrapped myself from him deciding that I could take a break from studying for one night I could hardly focus anyway.

  “Wait she cooked, threw it away, and then left before she washed the dishes?”

  “Yup.”

  He waited for me to elaborate.

  “So, is everything OK?” He asked.

  “Yeah everything is fine, she just needs to mind her business.”

  He chuckled a little, “Don't you both kind of stay in each other's business?”
>
  “Yeah but this is different she was only being nosy because my auntie wanted her to be.”

  “Oh yeah, Auntie called me too.”

  I jumped up from the bed and sighed loudly.

  “Whatever she told you, I'm fine. I can handle it.”

  “Well, she didn’t tell me anything, but after that response to the thought of me simply talking to her I’m a little concerned.”

  I sat down again, relieved that I could tell my fiancé what was going on without him having any preconceived notions about it after having talked to my aunt.

  “I’m planning on reaching out to my father, that's all.”

  “Baby, that's great.” His face lit up with genuine support and excitement for me.

  “How did you find him?”

  I was thrown off, expecting to get the same kind of pep talk from him that I had gotten from my aunt and Mya. This is why he was the best best friend and even though we weren't married yet he felt like family to me. He really was my favorite I realized as I stared at him.

  “It took a long time. I’ve been looking since around the time you proposed and I literally got a name and number like three days ago. I've been holding it in because I was afraid of how everyone would react. I didn't want anyone to try to talk me out of it.”

  “Why would anyone try to talk you out of having a relationship with your father?” My fiancé was raised by a single father along with his three brothers, he knew the importance of fathers.

  His dad had done a terrific job after their mother abandoned them. All of the Ball boys were intelligent, respectful, and accomplished. The oldest, my fiancé is the best. Of course, I may be biased.

  “Auntie and Mya.”

  “Maybe they just want to make sure you're careful.” He paused for a moment. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Yea baby.”

  “I know you said you started looking for your father around the time I proposed, but was it before or after?”

  “After.”

  He nodded.

  “I knew you had talked to my aunt, and now you think me wanting to find my father just so he can walk me down the aisle is crazy.”