The other night I awoke from a dream where one of my friends, while standing at the alter, decided to leave his bride...for me.
Clearly, I was very confused upon consciousness. Sure, the guy in question was, in fact, getting married quite soon, but it wasn't like I was pining for him. There wasn't any part of me hoping he was going to marry me instead of his bride-to-be. I thought about the dream for the majority of the day, analyzing it from every angle as if it were a book for me to devour.
The other day I went to his wedding. The air was crisp, cool for Florida, and clear. The ceremony was outside deep within the side roads of Monticello. Cows roamed by my car as the tires stomped on the twigs.
Next to me sat a roommate from college. Having not seen her for a while, we caught up animatedly while waiting for the wedding procession. When the music started, we interlocked arms, smiles and nerves showing for our friend about to walk down the aisle.
As he approached the gazebo, black suit lose against his body, I remembered my dream. I remembered the feeling I had afterwards and remembered why. This was the first time I was watching a former crush get married. Not just any crush, but a crush that never prospered into something more. There was never dating, never snuggling, just late night talks, long circus practices, and naps sometimes near one another. We shared jokes no one else knew, much like secret handshakes or undisclosed combinations, and although sometimes I caught lingering gazes, it was never meant to be. I knew that, but the finality, the fact that there was no possible way anything would ever happen, intrigued me. I remembered those feelings, long forgotten and shelved with other remnants from my 19-year-old self. But when I saw him standing there, I didn't feel them.
He took his bride's hands slowly, eyes looking deep into hers, and circled her thumb with his. Then, he looked back at me. I saw him there, distinct, and my mind flashed to Samir, back at home studying. That felt right, nothing else. The finality of it all was okay. Smiling, I thought look back to her.
Smiling, he did.
And they said their "I dos."
And all was good.
6 comments:
Wow. So you only remembered at the wedding you had a crush on him? Wow. What an experience. It can be awkward for me to even bump into my past crushes somewhere, much less attend their weddings.
Aw! Cute story.
There is nothing like a wedding to unearth all kinds of dormant or confusing feelings in a person, whether you are married or not. Nice story!
*sigh* well told, my friend :D
Dude, that story would have been so much better if he left her at the later for you. ;-)
What a wonderful story and a fitting end, I think!
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