The Flood

We were sitting in the dress shop and Molly was trying on her wedding dresses, right now it was between a very fairy princess like one, and a much more slim fitted one. Personally I liked the fairy princess one…but it was her wedding and I figured I’d hold my opinion back today, that was until she brought out the dress she wanted us, including me, as her bridesmaids to wear.

It was this awful shade of blue and was too short for a decent girl to wear in a wedding.

“Ummm….honey….”I said slowly and in as nice a voice as I could manage,

“See and I think this will be pretty with Loran’s eyes,” she said holding it up to Loran who had an expression of horror pasted onto her face, it was there for only a moment though before she controlled herself and put up a smile.

I gave her a look that said ‘don’t worry I got your back’, “Honey…” I said even louder, she was still prattling on, but now about the tulle that was sticking out of the bottom of the dress, “MOLLY!” I yelled.

She stopped and looked at me as if I had hit her, I softened my voice and smiled so she would know I wasn’t mad, “Honey…” I said in a soothing tone, “are you SURE this is the dress you want?” I asked.

“Well…it’s pretty isn’t it? And it looks so pretty with Loran’s eyes,” I smiled,

“It is a pretty dress Hun, but maybe just a tad inappropriate for a wedding.” I said holding it up against me, it came just barely to my knees, and I have a butt, so once I put it on it would go up about another 2 inches,

“Oh!” she said, “I see what you mean, but I love that color!” she said with a pouty face. I smiled and waved over the attendant,

“Do you have any other dresses in a blue like this?” I asked. “Yes, I’ll be right back” she said hurrying off.

“See Hun, all you have to do is ask.” I said,

I looked over at Loran who had been silent this whole time and I saw why, she had gotten a hold of my keychain which had one of those little ball maze thingies where you lean it back and forth to get the balls in. Molly and I laughed at her, she didn’t turn her attention away though just raised her middle finger at us and continued to play with the maze.

The attendant came back with a full length gown that was the same blue but not quite as gaudy, I smiled and looked at Molly who was already holding it up to Loran,

“This one’s perfect don’t you think?” She asked us. We nodded and tried them on, Shayla and Eden were flying in tomorrow for their fitting but we had come the day before so they would just have to be fitted rather than go through this process.

Loran’s fit her perfectly but they had to let mine out a little in the hips and bring it in around my waist. When we were done with ours we came back into Molly’s room where she was standing in the fairy princess gown with the pearl embroidery,

“You look gorgeous,” Loran said walking over to look at her from the back as well, I agreed and sat down on one of the poufs in the corner. Molly looked at the attendant who was looking at her with the look in her eyes they all get when they know they’re about to close a sale.

“I want this one,” she said,

“Great is there anything you feel you need altered on the dress?” she asked,

“Nope…it’s perfect” Molly said trailing off in a slightly dreamy voice.

We left Molly’s shop of choice and headed to mine across town, stopping at a McDonald’s to grab some lunch. We pulled up in front of the store and piled out. We were greeted by a cheerful sales attendant and my younger sister Aly, who had agreed to meet us here, if only because I knew she’d be brutally honest.

The sales attendant, Charlene, brought us back to a private room, I had looked at their dresses online the day before and picked out about 10 that I really liked, two of them were a crimson red, and 3 were an ivory color, with one a light, light pink that I had only chosen because my sister had been there over my shoulder and dared me, and the other 4 were the traditional white.

“Which one would you like to try on first?” Charlene asked.

“The pink one!” Aly answered for me.

I glared at her but I figured might as well get it out of the way. I ducked behind a curtain and Charlene helped me into it.

I grimaced as I looked at myself in the mirror all the pink instantly coming out in my face so I looked like a pig. Aly, Loran and Molly laughed at my expression and I headed back behind the curtain,

“So I take it that’s a no go?” Charlene asked.

“Yeah she’d never be caught dead in a pink wedding dress,” Loran answered for me.

“Thank you!” I called out to her.

“I got your back girl,” she said with a laugh.

Charlene helped me into dress after dress after that with each one having something wrong with it that I just could not get over. Finally she brought out the last dress, it was white and ruffled down past my hips revealing a lace petticoat beneath it with it all flowing nicely into a train that extended about 3 feet behind me.

“Perfect!” both Loran and Aly said in unison, with Molly nodding agreement with them. I agreed and asked Charlene if she had any veils that she thought would go nicely with the dress,

“I do, hold on one moment” she said scurrying off.

She returned quickly with a long tulle veil that had pearls embroidered onto it. She placed it on my head and I smiled, I knew this was the dress and with a look reminiscent of Molly’s turned to her and told her I’d take it. It didn’t need any alterations done so we left and headed over to a different shop entirely where I had already picked out the bridesmaid dresses, they just needed to be fitted.

Their dresses were a light blue and grey and tan mixture of tulle with a rose thrown in and it was artfully ripped, Loran loved it immediately, which is rare considering she hates dresses, Aly and Molly liked the dresses too. After they were fitted Loran, Molly and I exchanged hugs and promised to call each other the next day.

My sister was coming back to my place since her flight didn’t leave out till the next day. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye as I was driving down the highway back home, she had grown a lot since I saw her last she was barely 21 but looked 24.

Her hair had grown out and was all blonde again after a horrible hair dye mistake one summer where her bleach had had a darker color instead and she had wound up with black hair, she looked good though and I was proud to say that she had been accepted into Harvard, especially since there was always some wonder as to if she ever wanted to do anything with her life besides be a beach bum.

“So how’s Lukey duke?” she asked breaking the silence,

I laughed, “He’s fine, he’s been watching old episodes of Dinosaurs ever since I bought the set.” I replied.

We pulled into the house and she jumped out of the car running towards a little Luke who was standing on the front porch, with Craig holding Alise Rosalia, We had kinda taken to calling her Rosalia though or Rosy for short.

“Luke!” she said picking him up and twirling him, she put him down and I smiled at how much she had changed. She picked Rosalia up from Craig’s arms and gave her a little kiss on the nose cooing over how big shed already gotten.

“You know Robyn, I always thought I’d be the first to get married and have kids, and look at you! Married with TWO kids!” she said laughing.

I smiled, Craig wrapping his arm around my waist, “So I have high standards…” I said with a laugh.

“Yeah that’s for sure!” she said handing Alise to Craig who went inside Luke trailing behind him.

“I mean you only dated two guys before Craig.” she said as we followed him inside. I opened the refrigerator and pulled out some steaks,

“Whoa!” Craig said from the patio sticking his head back inside, “Only two?” I looked at him,

“Yes…Is there something wrong with that?” I asked,

“I just thought…I don’t know…never mind.” He said ducking back out.

My sister laughed and picked up Luke playing airplane. I smiled, it was nice to see that the family was all together.