Tears on the Runway

Ben nearly choked on piece of meat he’d put into his mouth. “A divorce?! How long have you been considering this?!” He rose fro his chair beside me and looked over his parents who just sat looking down at their plates.

“Ben, please sit down,” his mother insisted. “Let’s talk about this civilly.”

Reluctantly, and with his jaw set in a hard line, he dropped back down in his chair. His arms were crossed as he stared at his parents, shooting daggers at them through his green eyes.

“How long?” Bex finally spoke up. “How long have you guys been considering this divorce?” she repeated Ben’s earlier question with a slightly shaky voice, clearly wanting the answer that hadn’t yet been given.

Deborah glanced at her daughter. “A year… year and a half.”

“And you decided to wait to drop this on us until I come up here for my WEDDING?!” Ben shouted.

“Ben,” I murmured, resting my hand reassuringly on his forearm.

My fiancee glanced at me from the side and his features softened slightly. He placed one calloused hand on my knee and squeezed it, gently, in an attempt to keep his anger under control.

“We were waiting until both you and Bex were here at the same time,” Jeremy finally chimed in, looking over his children to assess their feelings on the information they’d just been given.

Ben’s jaw was still set in a hard line and his sister sat desolately pushing her food around her plate with her fork.

“Nothing will change our relationship with you guys or how this wedding goes,” Deborah volunteered. “Your father and I just won’t be together anymore.”

Ben, clearly having heard enough, pushed his chair away from the dinner table. The feet of the chair left shallow scratches on the hardwood floor and emitting a low screeching noise. Without a word, he stormed off in the direction of the front door. I think he was the most upset that his parents had dropped this news on him as he was getting ready for our wedding rather than the actual divorce itself.

Deborah and Jeremy shared a languished look as I stood to go after Ben.

I’d heard the opening and closing of the front door so that’s where I started. Sure enough Ben stood on the patio leaning against the building, a cigarette between his index and middle fingers. “Babe?” I called, softly, working my way towards him.

He didn’t look at me from his leaned position on the side of the house. He took a long, slow drag from his cigarette.

I inched closer to him, looking over the sprawling, bright green yard.

A long silence settle over us, the only sound being Ben’s breathing as he smoked his cigarette. Finally, he dropped the stick of ash to the cement and crushed it with his boot. “Right before our wedding, Dai… They are telling us about their divorce right before our wedding,” he broke the silence.

I reached out to touch his side, gently. “It’s okay, Ben,” I murmured.

“No! No, it’s not!” he nearly shouted.

I backed up slightly, shocked and hurt that he would yell at me over something like this. He hardly ever yelled at me and it’s not something I would like him to make a habit of.

His face immediately flashed with regret and he stepped toward me before he enveloped me in a tight hug. “I’m sorry, love. Really. I just hate that they did this to us.”

“Hey,” I whispered into his chest. “We’re still getting married, nothing could ruin our day.”

Ben sighed. “You’re right.” His chin rested atop my head, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist.

“Just focus on planning our wedding with me. We have plenty to do in only a sort amount of time,” I told him into his chest.

It was true. The only things we had decided and booked were the wedding venue and catering, along with the invitations we had already sent out to the people we wanted to share this day with. We still needed flowers, dresses, and everything else you could imagine for a wedding.

“Hopefully.” I moved my arms up to wrap around his neck. “I have an appointment at some dress shop tomorrow afternoon.”

He hummed in acknowledgment. “Have Bex and Mom go with you,” he suggested. “So you won’t have to go alone.”

“That sounds like a nice idea,” I said softly as I looked up into his pale green eyes with a grin on my face.

Our lips connected. He tasted like a mix between spearmint and cigarette smoke. He nipped at my bottom lip before pulling back while wearing a cheeky grin.

A small smile remained on my lips as I stared up at him, infatuated by the love of my life. “I cannot wait to be you wife.”

Ben’s grin widened. “Me either,” he said, giving me another lingering peck on the lips.