Driven to Distraction

Entering the small wedding dress boutique, Ketely’s doe orbs immediately began scanning over the white dresses on the racks. Behind her, Kelsi and Bree’s eyes quickly found the bridesmaids dresses, which were hanging along the left wall of the store.

“There’s so many to choose from,” Mrs. O’Callaghan said, coming to the bride-to-be’s side.

“I know. Where do we start?” Ketely asked breathlessly.

“Pick a rack and let’s get going!” Bree said, clapping her hands together.

Ketely nodded her head, and all four women took various spots throughout the first aisle, their hands and eyes wandering over each gown.

“Are you going for a more traditional or modern look, K?” Kelsi questioned, making a face at the fluffy dress in her hands.

“I’m not really sure. Something in between, I think,” she said, twisting her mouth to the side.

“This one is beautiful,” Mrs. O’Callaghan said, holding up a rather traditional looking dress, one that was much too old fashioned for Ketely.

Bree and Kelsi stifled back their laughter as Ketely tried not to make a face. “It’s … nice, but not exactly my style.”

Mrs. O’Callaghan laughed, placing the dress back on the rack. “Oh, don’t be worried about offending my feelings, Ketely. This is your wedding.”

As the hours wore on, Ketely began feeling nervous. This was the third wedding dress stop they had made in the past week, and she had yet to find the ‘perfect dress’, or one that really stood out to her. The wedding was less than six months away, and she was already feeling overwhelmed with the amount of invites that had been sent out a week prior, the cost of the hall that John had insisted they rent, and not to mention the fact that he had been gone for the past month, recording a new album with Kennedy, Jared, Pat and Garrett. This left nearly all of the planning on her shoulders, and she was just beginning to realize why planning and having a wedding was so stressful.

“What about this one, K?” Bree asked, holding up a simple, but elegant off-white dress, a long train coming from the back.

“It’s beautiful, but it’s … it’s too much,” Ketely stated.

Kelsi glanced at the price tag. “It’s not really that much.”

“No, no, I’m not talking about the price. Just the style of it … I want something simpler,” she clarified. Both girls groaned and the eldest woman laughed, shaking her head. “I’m sorry for being so picky. This is just – this is all so stressful!” Ketely had reached her breaking point, finally letting the long awaited tears escape her eyes and tumble down her cheeks as she fell onto a nearby chair.

“Oh, Ketely, honey,” Mrs. O’Callaghan cooed, placing a hand on the younger girl’s back. “We can take a break and try again tomorrow, if you’d like?”

Ketely shook her head, shaking with sobs now. “No, no, I need to find a dress today! The wedding is less than six months away and there’ll need to be alterations and fittings and – and I still have to find a caterer and-“

“Ketely, breathe!” Kelsi interjected, coming to her best friend’s side. “You know, it’s okay if you need to push back the date, K. No one would blame you.”

“Yeah, especially with John having been gone and you having to do everything. Everyone would understand if you need more time,” Bree added, coming to the other side of the crying girl.

“I don’t want to push back the date, either,” Ketely cried. “It’s just – this is so hard.”

“What exactly is hard, sweetie?” Mrs. O’Callaghan questioned.

“This – everything.” Taking a deep breath, Ketely glanced to a mother looking over her daughter twirling in her wedding dress, both wearing blissful smiles. “This is something that I always imagined having my mom be here to help me with, and – and she’s not. She’s not here to help me pick out a dress, she’s not here to tell me everything’s going to be okay … she won’t be there to see me walk down the aisle on my wedding day,” she finally admitted, letting out the troublesome thoughts that been niggling her mind for months now.

Either young girls could empathize with their friend’s pain, both having their mothers. But Mrs. O’Callaghan, having lost her mother two years prior, could, on some level, connect with exactly what Ketely was feeling.

Kneeling before Ketely, she tried to smile. “Now, my mother was alive when I married John, but she passed away a little over two years ago, Ketely. It’s okay to hurt and to feel exactly what you’re feeling, because you’re right: these experiences are things that you should have been able to go through with your mother, but she was taken much too soon. But, honey, let me tell you something: you’re marrying my son, my baby boy, and that means that you’re a part of my family now – you’re my daughter. I could never replace your mother, and I would never wish to, but I’m here, Ketely. And even better, you’ve got two great best friends right here – right here,” she stated, pointing toward Kelsi and Bree.

Hearing Mrs. O’Callaghan’s speech only brought more tears to Ketely’s eyes, but they were good tears; they didn’t hurt as they fell down her cheeks. With shaky hands, she wrapped her arms around the older woman’s slim frame, giving her a tight hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered into her ear, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Anytime, honey,” Mrs. O’Callaghan whispered back.

A loud gasp came from Kelsi’s mouth, and the other three girls immediately turned in her direction.

“What?” Bree asked.

Kelsi pointed her right index finger toward a dress hanging nearly right in front of her. “That dress!” She stood up and ran to grab the hanger. “Ketely, this – this is your dress!”

Ketely pulled away from John’s mother and stood up, taking the gown from Kelsi’s hands. She immediately felt her lips tug north, her eyes widening in excitement. “It’s perfect,” she concluded.

“It is! And now we just need to find a bridesmaid dress!” Bree exclaimed, rising to her feet.

Ketely laughed, wiping her eyes. “Sorry for being such a baby, guys.”

“Awe, it’s okay. We love you,” Kelsi said, pulling her friend into a side hug.

All four women laughed and went in search of a bridesmaid dress that would please Ketely, Kelsi and Bree, which proved to be a difficult feat as each had their own sense of fashion.

“What about this one?” Bree smiled, holding up a long, beautiful gown.

Kelsi walked toward her, examining the silky material. “I love it, actually. What about you, K?”

Ketely nodded her head in agreement. “I love it, too.”

After getting the assistance of a worker, all three girls were measured and fitted for their dresses, and at last, sent off their order slips.

Ketely felt a sense of relief wash over her as they exited the shop. One of the biggest things could now be crossed off her to-do-list.

And as she glanced at Kelsi and Bree laughing over a nostalgic story with Mrs. O’Callaghan, she was reminded of how despite the tragic loss of her mother, she still had many people who loved and cared about her.

And in the back of her mind, John’s voice sounded, “ You carry her in your heart, and she’ll always be with you, baby.”

It brought her an amazing sense of comfort.