Love Sucks

I felt something being slid onto my left hand, and I looked down. There, on my ring finger, was the most
gorgeous diamond I had ever laid eyes on. It sparkled as the sun’s rays hit it, and I was at a complete loss
for words yet again.

“Gia, are you going to answer?” said Henry, smiling back at me.

I couldn’t make any sound come out of my mouth. If he could hear my thoughts, he would know that I was screaming, “YES!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TAKE ME DAMN IT!!!! LET’S GET MARRIED RIGHT NOW!!!!!”

“Okay, you don’t have to answer just yet,” said Henry, knowing I wasn’t keeping him on tenterhooks on purpose. “For now, let’s just walk back up to the house…”

We walked back in utter silence. I kept glancing at the beautiful ring on my finger, and wondering how the hell Henry could afford that much, and why he would waste his wealth on me. We reached the house, and walked inside to see a very busy Mrs. Carson in the kitchen. “Back so soon?” said Mrs. Carson cheerfully. “I’m making some homemade apple pie for later. It’s George’s fav-”

She stopped, and gasped, and took my left hand into hers. “OH MY GOODNESS! OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!” shrieked Mrs. Carson. “My little boy… GOODNESS! You’re going to be my-”

“She still hasn’t answered yet,” said Henry gently. “She’s still in shock…”

“Come now Gia,” said Mrs. Carson putting her arm around my shoulder. “I mean, why not make it official and be a REAL part of our loving family? Please say something Gia… And make it yes!”

“What’s going on?” said Rollo as he burst through the door, Mr. Carson bringing up the rear. “I can’t hear anything right now, which is so weird because I can usually hear everyone’s thoughts. “What’s the commotion?”

“We better give Rollo as sedative,” said Henry jokingly. “I’ve just asked Gia to marry me…”

Rollo’s mouth hit the floor. “You playboy! You were planning to propose, and you didn’t tell your dear brother? NO! You BLOCKED your thoughts so I wouldn’t be able to know of any of it! That’s even worse!”

“No, the worse part of it all is that Gia won’t give her answer,” said Mrs. Carson impatiently. “She’s still in utter shock…”

“How about you let the girl breathe,” said Mr. Carson. He hesitated, then said, “It was just a figure of speech… Just let the girl be for a minute or two without any of you on her case.”

Henry kissed me before he left with everyone. “Come into the family room when you’ve made your choice,” said Henry.

I stood there, alone in the kitchen. I pinched myself to check to see if I was dreaming. Nope, this was the real deal. At the present, I was a vampire, I had a diamond engagement ring that must have cost ten times the amount Bill Gates has in his account, and I had to make a choice that would change my life forever.

I knew what my choice would be, and I finally decided to let it be heard. I walked slowly to the family room, and cleared my throat. “Yes?” said Henry anxiously. “What’s your answer?”

“My answer is YES!” I cried, running towards Henry and covering him with passionate kisses. Mrs. Carson screamed, and hugged Mr. Carson tightly. Tears of joy fell down the sides of her face, and I felt like I was being levitated towards her.

“Get over here!” laughed Mrs. Carson as she wrapped her arms around me. “Ooh! My daughter-in-law! OH MY GOODNESS! We now have so much to do! I didn’t realize! There’s the church we’ve got to book, the reception, the guests, the invitations, the food, the decorations, the-”

“Mom, calm down,” smiled Henry. “We’ll be okay with all the preparations. All we have to do is set a date…”

“What day would you like?” asked Mrs. Carson.

The both of us mulled over the perfect date. Any of the winter months were knocked out because there would be a possibility of a snow-in. Summer was also ruled out because the heat would be too much for the guests, and I didn’t want someone to pass out amongst the vampires if you know what I mean…

So that left us up to either spring or fall. “Henry, what do you reckon?” I asked. “I think we should go with the fall. What do you think?”

“That’s perfect,” smiled Henry as he kissed me. “We can have it in October. It will be great, Gia, I promise you… I’m going to start booking the honeymoon and the church.”

“Oh no you don’t!” cried Mrs. Carson, preventing me from following Henry. “You are coming with us. George dear? Please get the car ready. We are going shopping.”

Rollo and I groaned. I didn’t want to go shopping! I wanted to find out where the hell Henry was taking me for our honeymoon! But, I figured, what the hell. I was going to need a dress anyway, so I might as well look around for one.

All four of us piled into the family station wagon, and Mr. Carson drove off. I looked at Rollo, who sat in the back seat next to me, and saw that he wasn’t looking forward to this at all. “If you make me look like a dork at your wedding, I will personally kick your ass,” growled Rollo.

“Rollo, calm down,” said Mrs. Carson. “I’m sure you’ll look nice in anything Gia will pick out for you…”

We got to the boutique, and walked inside. There were dresses and suits as far as the eye could see, and Mrs. Carson already was looking through the dresses. “Of course, cost doesn’t matter,” scoffed Mrs. Carson. “Anything your heart desires, it is yours…”

I cringed. I hated the fact that his family was going to pay for OUR wedding. I hate taking handouts, because I believe in the system that you have to bust your ass to get what you want. Taking things just makes you weak. But in this case, I had no choice.

As Mrs. Carson walked off to search for my perfect dress, I walked off towards the discount rack. I pulled off several okay gowns, and headed for the dressing room. I tried on the first gown, which was white and sleeveless. It clung to my body tightly, and I realized if I was going to wear this at my wedding, my chest was going to be falling out. That dress was now out of the question.

I tried on the next gown, but it was WAY too poofy. I want a big gown, but I don’t want to take out half the church in it! I groaned and screamed as gown after gown that I tried on made me look fat, ugly, old, and stupid.

I threw the last dress at the mirror inside the dressing room, and sunk to the floor. I started to cry. It was hopeless. I mean, I just don’t belong in a wedding dress. I am just too fat, ugly, and not meant to be married.

“Gia?” rang Mrs. Cullen through the curtain of my changing stall. “I found the PERFECT dress!”

“I give up, Mrs. Carson!” I said, wiping my tears on my sleeves. “I just wasn’t meant to wear a dress. Might as well wear a pantsuit and a bag over my head…”

“Oh, quit your yapping and try it on,” said Mrs. Carson as something white and sparkly flew over the stall.

I sighed, and closed my eyes as I tried it on. “I want you to come out so I can see it Gia!” exclaimed Mrs. Carson.

I zipped up the dress, and took a deep breath, and walked out, eyes still tightly shut. “OH MY GOD!” exclaimed Mrs. Carson happily.

I opened my eyes, and saw that Mr. and Mrs. Carson’s mouths were wide open. “Come here, and let me show you what I see,” said Mrs. Carson, pulling me towards a mirror. “This is what I see, a beautiful, young woman…”

I gasped. The dress was beyond anything I had ever dreamed of. A beautiful white corseted gown with white lace trim, the gown was a princess dress; the dress was absolutely perfect in every sense of the word. And for once in my life, I felt beautiful.

“Okay, how much will this cost?” I said, turning on Mrs. Carson. “Where is the damned tag? I want to know…”

I searched all over the dress for that stupid tag, and when I finally found it, I nearly shat bricks. “Oh no!” I said. “No NO!!!! So not happening, NO! Are you serious?!?! This dress is the same amount as a down payment on a house!”

“Gia, sweetheart!” said Mrs. Carson gently. “You saw how nice it looked on you! And I told you before, money is no objection. You are getting that dress whether you want to or not. I know you love that dress, and that you want to walk down the aisle wearing it. Now hand me that dress so I can pay for it!”

I groaned, and handed her the expensive dress. God, I felt so damn guilty, making her pay for it… but then again, if I were going to pay for it, I would be paying it off until the world would end.

“Okay, so what are you guys going to wear?” I asked Mr. Carson and Rollo, who finally showed his face AFTER everything.

Rollo shrugged his shoulders. “Ah, don’t worry about us,” smiled Mr. Carson. “We are going to look good no matter what…”