Forever and Always His

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

                “Honey, are you ready?” my mother asked, knocking gently on my door before opening it. Her hands were occupied, as she tried to fasten her pearl earrings on. “We need to leave in five minutes, or otherwise we’ll be late for the banquet.”

                I smothered out my dress, before nodding. “I’ll be downstairs in a few.” I reassured my mother, who seemed to be in a state or tremor from all over her nervousness.

                My mother finally seemed to get her earring on after what seemed like minutes, as she nodded hastily. “Alright, be quick, okay?” she said, before her fingers flew up to her lips. She began dabbing her lips gently, before cursing under her breath. “Crap, I forgot my lipstick.”

                My mother hurried out of my room, as I heard the sound of her drawers opening and slamming shut. I turned to my full length mirror, examining myself in my pale yellow dress, which I bought in the dress boutique last minute with Maria. The dress itself was strapless, but it didn’t come off as inappropriate due to the sweetheart neckline. The bottom of the dress flared down just above my knees in a sheer chiffon fabric. My hair was in loose waves, courtesy of my mother’s hairstyling skills. I wore minimal makeup, because after all, I wasn’t trying to steal the attention away from Mrs. Lopez- the bride.

                The wedding was set to date for another two weeks, but Mrs. Lopez and Mr. Rosenfeld wanted all of their closest friends and family to come together at a wedding banquet. After three uneventful weeks of wedding preparations and rehearsals, everyone was just overwhelmed and exhausted. Being a bridesmaid meant that I was required to spend endless hours practicing for the wedding. If I even did something as far as standing at the altar with incorrect posture, everyone had to redo it from the beginning.

                “Riley!” I heard my mother calling from downstairs, as I quickly grabbed my white purse from my bed. “We’re leaving!”

                I slipped on my matching, pale yellow flats quickly, as I skipped down the stairs. My mother was waiting at the end of the staircase, looking impatient. I followed her out of the house, as we hurried inside her car. She glanced over at the time written on the dashboard, letting out a deep breath of air. “Okay, I think we’ll make it on time.” She muttered, before starting up the engine.

                Nevertheless, my mother was an absolute perfectionist. She liked everything to be organized, and she hated it with a passion when someone was late. That’s why she would hate to be late for the wedding banquet, especially since Mrs. Lopez and Mr. Rosenfeld played such important roles in her life.

                “Mom, don’t worry.” I said. “I think they would understand if you’re a few minutes late.”

                My mother shook her head, as she stepped down on the pedal. “But Riley, it’s a sign of disrespect if you arrive late. It would seem as if I don’t care, which I do.”

                I nodded slowly, before leaning my back against the seat. “Right.” I muttered, before staring out the window.

                We arrived at the wedding banquet just a minute before the listed time. My mother let out a deep breath of air when she saw that no one had noticed that we were on the brink of being late. “Put your best smile forward.” She nudged my elbow, plastering a smile across her face when she saw Mrs. Lopez and Mr. Rosenfeld approaching towards us with grins spread wide across their lips.

                I noticed that Mr. Rosenfeld seemed to be wearing a casual, buttoned down shirt with a pair of slacks, while Mrs. Lopez was completely decked out in a traditional Spanish red dress. “Audra and Riley, I’m so glad you two made it!” she gushed, as she gave us both tight embraces.