An Invitation to a Wedding, a day of celebration should mean a day of joy and sharing, should it not?

This is a work of adult fiction

No resemblance to reality should be inferred or expected. Mostly.
The names have been changed…
Copyright KLS 2008.

An Invitation

By Kristina.L.S.

"Hey Yvonne, wait up…"

I turned to see Cheryl heading my way with that wriggly almost run skip, step, step, step thing she had going when she hurried. Both hands clutching her bag strap near her right shoulder as her body swung in counterbalance to her hips. Cheryl was a classically bubbly blonde, a pinch overweight but nobody cared because she was just one of those people that everyone liked. She was a beautiful person. Cute and bubbly 'was' Cheryl, nice too in the best sense of that word.

I had to smile as she breathlessly skipped to a halt and looked up at me smiling. I was a good eight inches taller and as many years older and could in no way match her easy exuberant femininity.

"Thanks for waiting for me, I wanted to catch you before you went home. We got a bit busy this afternoon and I didn't get a chance to talk to you earlier." She was rummaging in her bag as she spoke glancing back and forth from me to a bunch of envelopes held by a fat red rubber band.

"Here we are…" as she smiled widely and held out a square parchment style envelope.

I reached out to take this seemingly simple thing yet my heart was beating madly and a strange mixture of joy and fear fluttered in my stomach.

Yvonne Anderson and partner… printed in fancy cursive script, which told me what I had already guessed. This was a wedding invitation and it was formally printed, so was not an afterthought.

There was a strange catch in my throat as she took my hands in hers and still smiling whispered, "Please say you'll come, if only to the service. Greg and I would like you to be there."

I coughed to get my voice and smiled a little crookedly, "Still trying to save me Cheryl? You know I'm not particularly religious. I wish you both every happiness, but are you sure you…"

"Oh shush. You don't need saving in that sense. I do wish you would let God into your heart, but everyone has to find their own way to him."

"Are you sure Cheryl? I don't want to cause any trouble for you two. You know I like you both but I don't know that the general congregation at St Stephens would be so thrilled to have someone like me…"

"Oh come now Yvie, we might be a little fuddy duddy in some respects but this is the nineties. Someone like you is hardly news anymore, it's not like we're stuck in the fifties or anything… well not all of us anyway." This said with a big grin and a small giggle. No one else would call me Yvie so utterly innocently, like girls together. Much as I might wish others would, there was usually a bit of reserve, a knowledge that ok I might be now, maybe, but that wasn't always true, was it.

Cheryl had been the one from the first day to make me feel welcome. It took maybe half an hour before I became Yvie instead of the Yvonne everyone else used, not that I minded that, either way. At least nobody called me Tynan anymore. The dark one and how true that had been when I had come out to the extended family that Christmas several years ago.

A few simple words about personal belief and future and… Jesus, the chill that had hit the room as the evil spirit floated in. The near total silence after the almost constant mad bubliness of a few seconds earlier was just nuts. Even the kids that had no clue stopped as the atmosphere engulfed them.

An aversion of eyes as my own mother turned and walked out of the room looking wounded.

Here six years later the silence continued and an envelope in a car park punched me in the guts.

"Yvie, come on don't be like that, you are part of gods plan as much as I am. I know some may have trouble with that idea, but it's my wedding. I asked him and Greg agreed. Please say you'll come. "

Oh Christ… huh, even silent blasphemy made me wince in regret, because the Cheryl's were what all that crap was about. The do unto others as… bloody devout little bitch and there was no way I could say no because she had no agenda, she was just damned nice.

"Oh Cheryl, you know there is no way I can say no, but the partner thing…" Her eyes twinkled at me.

"No! Don't you dare. No match making. You promise you won't set me up with cousin whoever and I will come to the ceremony. I'll even wear a bloody dress. Don't want to scandalise the church mavens too much."

She did that wounded girly look and ducked her head a little before looking back up at me with a slight pout before grinning.

"Thank you Yvonne, both Greg and I will look for you to make our day more special."

She bounced a little on the spot then turned and began to move off in a slower version of her arrival trot. "I'll make sure Greg saves you a dance." And she giggled.

"Don't you bloody dare….." But she skipped off laughing and I had to smile. She would, he would too…. crap, I don't dance.

I whispered to her back from twenty metres, "Thank you."

Two months to a Spring wedding, November in Sydney. If you're lucky a pinch of humidity without too much heat and a blazingly clear blue sky unlike almost anywhere. I haunted the sales and markets trying to find something I could live with that would fit the day. Finally found a nice light floral print in a classic scoop neck sheath top with a slightly flared A line skirt just below knee length. Good thing about Paddington markets, there were often fashion students from the local College trying to get a leg up and they knew about tall models and… others. Thank Christ I had shoes and bag that would work just fine.

I followed the weather hoping the day would be fine and mild and as such things go every once in a while, that's how it turned out. A lovely mild Saturday, with a temp in the low twenties, virtually no breeze and moderate humidity. Nice one Cheryl, helps to have God onside.

I took it easy having brekky and stuck to one cup of coffee, which was tough, but hey I didn't want calls of nature interfering at inopportune moments. Everything was ready so I took a last inventory of the bod and face, then took twenty to make said face look fresh and happy. Nice clean white virginal undies with a hint of lace on the cups and waist band. Virginal, yeaah right, well not too far off, hey I can do innocent. I laughed out loud at my inner quirky and slipped on the dress shirt style doing all the buttons up the front, top to bottom. Slipped on the soft leather slippers with a small wedge heel and spun to the mirror with a flourish. Well Yvie girl, not too shabby even if you probably get asked to stand in the back row of any pics. Glanced to the bedside clock, forty five minutes for a half hourish drive, no prob.

Quick brush and a squirt courtesy of Miss Lauder, one last look in the mirror as I grabbed the thin shoulder strap of the cream coloured bag, cocked my hip and swung it front of me. Really Yvie, don't be naughty, virginal remember. Another short laugh and I headed out.

I drove slowly past the front and glanced across at the church. Had to admit it looked the part. It was that lovely old golden sandstone with wide steps leading up to an equally wide paved path and the old heavy wooden doors. The grounds were almost park-like with smaller pathways left and right. The right, to a car park that was seemingly full and the left to the narrow side-street. I headed down there and lucked a park about half way down.

There were people walking up in small groups or couples, everyone nicely if conservatively dressed. Weddings were like that. Not that I'd been to many. I locked up and strolled up the road to the path and headed up. A small laugh bubbled up. Why so bloody nervous Yvie, you're not the one getting married.

A couple of ladies were on each path greeting the arrivals and a tall man in a somewhat old fashioned suit stood near the doors and nodded to all.

I smiled to the greeting lady as I came up to her, "Good morning, lovely day for the two of them."

Her face pinched and she called without turning, "Mr McGuire."

The tall man in old fashioned hurried across looking equally pinched and somewhat flushed. I doubted he hurried much.

A sinking feeling began in my stomach as he stopped to stand directly in front of me.

"You will not desecrate this holy church with your offensive mimicry. Your kind is not welcome here." He almost barked the words under his breath in an attempt not to be overheard.

The blood drained from my face as my stomach rolled and tears threatened.

"I have an invitation from the bride and groom, so get out of my way you miserable old bastard." I spoke a little loudly with emotion and fear pushing the words. He winced slightly but growled back and grabbed my arm as I went to move past.

"If you so much as attempt to set foot in that church I will stop you and that will create a scene. Do you really want to ruin this holy day out of your own misguided selfishness? You are not welcome and should not have been invited. Leave before you disturb everyone else, your presence here is offensive to God."

I stood there for a few seconds seriously debating thumping this obnoxious arsehole as his pinch faced crony sneered from the high moral ground to my left. But I guessed he was serious and he would try to stop me. Whether he could or not was not the issue. I had no right to mess up Cheryl and Greg's day. I couldn't do that…. They wouldn't miss me.

He must have seen it because he let go my arm and looked at me almost placidly as I turned and walked away.

The day had turned and become darker and misty and I got a few curious looks from people I passed on the way back down the street. Strange how they all seemed unaware the sun had dimmed. I just sat for a while as thoughts of all sorts vied for attention. Then I caught sight of a man in the grey black morning suits of the groom's party, it wasn't Greg and I didn't know this guy. I started up, reversed and drove the other way so as not to pass the church. It took twenty minutes of wandering small backstreets until I found a road I recognised and headed home.

The dress went in a charity bin the next day.

A month later I heard a squeal from the front of the store followed by a couple of others and looked across to see a few of the girls jumping all over Cheryl in that excited giddy way girls do. I felt old and lonely and stupid as I watched for a minute. Thankfully a customer asked me something, which had to be repeated but at least it was a distraction.

It was another fifteen minutes or so as I kept busy up the back. I felt her before her hand touched my arm.

"Hello Yvie, I missed you at the ceremony, why didn't you come? It was a lovely day and everything was perfect and I wanted to share it with you. You said you'd be there, why weren't you? You would have been welcomed…"

Despite myself I snorted at that and stepped back. This actually angered Cheryl, I'd never seen her angry.

"I invited you out of friendship and I hoped you would share our day. I'm sorry it meant so little to you. That you would turn your back." She paused and took a breath to calm herself.

"I hoped you would find a peace and warmth amongst my family and friends, that it might help you toward God to be a part of such a day. You are a lonely person Yvie and the church could help you."

I meant to say nothing and leave it lie. Better she think I'm at fault than damage something that means a lot to her, something she believes in. But…

"I may be a lonely lost soul Cheryl, but I'd rather that than stand beside the hypocrites that call themselves Christian."

"Why do you insult me Yvie? I thought we were friends. My belief and my church is important to me, you know that and I thought you understood and accepted it." She looked wounded and a little sad.

I felt the tears that I hadn't cried that day start. I almost bit my tongue.

"You know I accept who you are, what you are Yvonne because I believed you to be a kind and decent person. I know the church would welcome you even if some had a little trouble at first. But you did not give them the chance…" she turned as though to go "… you disappoint me, goodbye, God bless."

Well that did it, I hadn't meant to, but damn them…

"I was there Cheryl…" she stopped and looked at me slightly puzzled, "… I did go and even if I was nervous I wanted to be there for you and Greg. Because you invited me and that meant a lot and sure I was nervous but I wanted to be there. I got dressed all nice.. well I thought so, some obviously didn't. I got half way up the path from the side-street before little miss pinch face lilac frock stopped me and called to a Mr McGuire. He's a charmer. Called me a mockery and made it quite clear I was not welcome, threatened to stop me forcibly if I tried to enter the church. I didn't know anyone there and I did not want to make a fuss on your wedding day, so… I left. It was to be your day, yours and Greg's and I couldn't mess with that…" I shrugged with a few tears trickling down as Cheryl all five four of her tried to comfort me with a girly hug. It no doubt looked silly but it felt lovely.

She started to say something and I could feel her anger start up again.

"No Cheryl, whatever you're thinking or want to say, just let it go. I'm sorry, I did want to see your meringue impersonation." She mock stern poked her tongue at me. "It doesn't matter, really. You make it better and they don't matter. Go be Mrs Blake and say hi sometimes."

She looked at me closely for a minute and then nodded slightly. I'd avoided the photos that circulated during the week after that day so asked a few wedding questions and teased her for details of the honeymoon, and she smiled and became Cheryl again. A short time later she said goodbye with a quick hug and a 'take care' and made her way around kissing and hugging to the door.

I left there a few weeks later and haven't seen Cheryl since. I sometimes wonder how that day affected her relationship with her church. Or maybe just a few people in it.

This little reminiscence was prompted by a blog from Amy M. If it works and you think it might help, feel free.