Antonette's Story A novel by Bronwen Welsh Copyright 2020

Chapter 10   A wedding

It had been over a year since I last heard from Gary, but I kept up a regular correspondence with his sister, Kate. We had become firm friends ever since she gave me her prize bride doll before leaving for Australia. Through her, I kept up with the news and knew that Gary had done well in his final school exams and was now studying for a Bachelor of Science degree at Melbourne University. He still wanted to be an astronomer. Kate had started to train as a nurse, which I thought was a very good idea. Nurses are always in short supply, and a good one can get a job anywhere in the world.

In her latest letter, she had some unexpected news; Gary had married a girl called Wendy and they were expecting a baby.

'It was a bit of a shock as you can imagine,' she wrote. 'The wedding was very small, mostly the two families. Gary's friend Michael was Best Man and I was the bridesmaid. I was bought a new dress made of shot silk in rose pink. It's really beautiful and one I can use for any special occasion.

'Gary's new 'in-laws', the Jamiesons, are quite well off, and live in a big old house in Surrey Hills. That was where we went after the ceremony which was held in St Giles' Anglican Church. We were the only ones in the church but they did get the organist to play. There is a one-bedroom self-contained bungalow in the back yard of their house, which I think a previous owner used as a studio, and that is where Gary and Wendy now live. I'm not sure what the Jamiesons thought about it all, but I know Mummy and Daddy were not happy, but they said at least Gary had 'done the right thing'.

'They are still very young of course, although Wendy is a year older than Gary. I feel a bit responsible in a way as Wendy was at the same nursing school as me and I introduced them. She has now left the school, but Gary is able to continue his studies as both sets of parents will support them until Gary completes his studies and gets a job.

'I wasn't sure about telling you as I know you were very fond of Gary before we left England, but I don't think he knows how to tell you, so I took it upon myself to do it for him.'

I sat back and read Kate's letter twice. It was true of course that I had been devastated when Gary left for Australia, him being my first love. However, the passing of time had healed the hurt as Mummy had said it would, and I hardly thought of him nowadays except to occasionally wonder how he was getting on. Two of my letters had gone unanswered, so I thought it best to let things lie.

Normally I replied to Kate's letters two weeks after they arrived, and she did the same for mine, but on this occasion, a quicker reply seemed appropriate, especially her remark about 'feeling responsible' for what had happened. I have no copy of my letter, but it went along these lines:

'Dear Kate,
Thank you for your latest letter and your news about Gary and Wendy. You must not feel responsible for what happened. They may be young, but they are adults and have to take responsibility for their actions. I hope that doesn't sound too unkind. I wish I could see a picture of you in your new dress, it sounds lovely.

You are right, I was very upset when Gary left, but as you know he was my first love and we were both very young. Time heals wounds, and while I still think of Gary with fondness, I'm not in love with him anymore, so I wish him and Wendy all the Very Best in their life together. If she doesn't know about me, it might be best not to tell her. If she does know, then I could send them a card and even a present for the baby if you think that would be appropriate. Please let me know about the baby when it arrives.

'I have mentioned Jack, my ballet dancer friend who I first met at the White Tutu ballet school. We have both been accepted into the Imperial Ballet Company school in London. Jack and I are very good friends but we are not lovers. We are both driven by our quest to become professional dancers. However, we do spend a lot of time together, and whenever either of us wants a partner to attend an event, or even go to the theatre, then the other is always there for them. I suppose you could say we are girlfriend and boyfriend but that's all we will ever be – friends.'

I thought that the final paragraph would make it clear to Kate that I was not lonely nor pining for Gary after all this time.

I finished off my letter as I always did:

'Love from Antonette and Jemima' (Jemima being the bride doll Kate had given me when she left for Australia, an act of kindness I have never forgotten.)

Kate sent me two colour photos of the wedding. The first was a picture of her in her gorgeous pink dress, and the other one was of the wedding party with Gary and Wendy, Kate, and the Best Man, Michael. It was strange to see Gary again. He was now a young man, not the boy that I knew, but he still had a boyish look about him and still wore the same style of thick black-rimmed 'Buddy Holly' spectacles that gave him a studious look. I was glad to hear that he was still at university and wondered if he would achieve his ambition to become an astronomer.

What can I say about his new wife, Wendy? For a start, she was wearing a white wedding dress which seemed a bit curious although its billowing folds did a good job of concealing her 'baby bump'. She had a pleasant enough face, neither pretty nor beautiful (does that sound bitchy?), with curly blonde shoulder-length hair. She looked older than her years (sorry that really does sound bitchy) and I felt that she could lose a few pounds, but perhaps that was because I had been around thin ballet dancers too long and took that as how everyone should look.

Turning back to Gary, it occurred to me that I hadn't felt the slightest twinge of feeling when I looked at his picture and that seemed a bit strange after remembering how much I was passionately in love with him when he left England. It was almost as if he was a stranger. I wished him and Wendy a good life together, but I certainly didn't envy her being married to Gary.

To be continued.

Next time. A prophecy comes true

Author's note: This is a rather short chapter, but the next one has a completely different subject. I will post it in two days to make up for the brevity of this one.