The diamond glinted in the sunlight. Victor smiled brightly. The silver band made the ring all the more spectacular.
I was transfixed.
“Well? What do you think, Casey?”
I raise my champagne glass to take a sip. I roll the band between my thumb and forefinger and watch it sparkle.
The woman at the next table makes a subtle nod in our direction. Her male companion is not quite so subtle as he jerks around. Both watching in anticipation. Their waiter pauses and joins the spectators.
I palmed the ring. The champagne dulls my dismay. On the edge of tears, I declared, “She’ll love it.” I looked up at Victor. His eyes were still on the ring.
“I wanted you to be the first to know.” He announced nervously. “After all, you’re the reason we’re together."
The waiter approaches and fills my glass then silently retreats.
“That would be me, wouldn’t it?” I smiled as a tear spilled from my eye. I closed my hand around the ring and rolled it over.
Instinctively, Victor reached out his. “I hope Petra would love it as much as you seem to.”
I drop the ring into his outstretched hand. “I know she’d be as happy to be your wife as much as I would, in her place.”
"She’s great, right?” He gives the ring one more look in the sunlight, sets it between the black velvet cushions. My heart seizes with the clap of the clamshell lid. It’s like a proposal in reverse. He sets the contemptible box into his coat pocket. “I mean, I’m doing the right thing, right?”
I wiped the tear from my cheek. “Of course, yes. We’re perfect for each other.” I fumbled. “You’re perfect for each other, I mean."
“Right… I’m on my way to meet with her and her family. I’m sure she’ll call you, afterward.” He paused, searching my face, “If you don’t mind, I’d like you to be my Best Man? Lady? Best… You know what I mean.”
I cringed.
“Hey, I know that the last thing you want is to wear is a suit ever again. I was hoping you’d make an exception?”
“I’d…”
“If she doesn’t ask you to be one of her bridesmaids. That is.”
“Perhaps…"
“I should go… Petra is waiting…” Victor stands and buttons his coat. He slowly pushes his chair in.
“Hey…"
“Yeah?”
“I’m… I'm happy for you.”
I watch Victor make his way down the rear steps of the restaurant and walk to his car. I watch his pace slow as he reaches in his coat pocket. He stared at that small box in his hand.
"You know, I can’t imagine why you would turn away a man like that.” The woman at the next table advised.
I stared at the lonely figure in the parking lot. Victor pauses, looks up at the patio where we had been sitting. Victor slides into his car and pulls the vehicle to the roadway. “I had to, he chose her...” I breathe out sadly.
The woman looked upon me skeptically but returned to her attention to her meal.
I picked up my phone and called Sarah, Petra's best friend. "Hey, I'm in..." I say raising the glass once more to my lips.
"Great! I hate doing this to Petra, but she and Victor are so wrong for each other."
"Who else is on board?"
"Everyone except Shiloh, even Petra's sister is with us. With any luck, they won't make it down the aisle."
"Good." I raise my glass and finish my champagne.
Comments
I...
Wha... wait she's gonna sabotage the wedding? Then why pretend your happy in the first place? This just seems mean and cruel to Victor and Petra.
I know who I am, I am me, and I like me ^^
Transgender, Gamer, Little, Princess, Therian and proud :D
Sabotage?
I didn't read it like that. Looks to me that the potential bride's friends & family just intend an intervention with the bride. I wouldn't call that sabotage.
Well, maybe I just am not understanding the situation.
Casey loves Victor and wants him to marry her, but she's friends with Petra, too, introduced them and encouraged a relationship?
Petra's friends and family think Victor is wrong for her and also have been working on Casey to go along with the intervention.
But Casey hasn't wanted to because she's friends with Victor. However, she's now heartbroken because Victor got serious about proposing to Petra, so she'll go along with it?
What am I missing?
My thoughts for you
Perhaps Casey is transgender and is Victors friend but had a serious relationship with Petra. Hence they were introduced. The family wanted Casey and Petra to marry but she couldn't say yes when Casey declared his intentions to live as a woman. The friendship started between Victor & Petra and blossomed. Casey was surprised that Victor was going to propose to Petra because he still loved her. He couldn't give her up even though Victor was his best friend. Casey also loved Victor and hoped he would propose to him/her. So he got neither. Casey decided to help the family sabotage the wedding to keep his chances open.
That's how I read the story since Casey was offered the choice of best man or bridesmaid and the woman on the next table assumed Casey had turned Victor down. Good story.
Jules
Bzzzt! Bzzzztt!
^^^ That's the sound of my synapses shorting out!
That sounds another level of more complications than my imagination can handle!
Thanks for the eye-opener.
Sad.
Sad.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
A Woman scorned
A Woman scorned does not mean clear thought will follow. Revenge comes to mind and this is a very passive aggressive example.
However, this must have been planned for a long time and not just her. He still does not think of her as her, but that maybe part of the reason she is doing this. As I see it there is way more going on then just her being slighted, rejected, and then naively asked to be there as if he could not see the pain he was inflicting.
This makes her very willing to ruin their wedding and life together even if they truly are not meant for each other.
Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Contemplation, yet duty
Death, yet the Force.
Light with dark, I remain Balanced.