He rolls over to face me, smiling, before gently kissing me. “Good morning, fiancée,” he kisses me again, gently. “Let's start moving. I want you to meet my Mum again before I leave.” Smiling, I nod. I can’t break down and let him see how much today is going to hurt me. Getting up and getting ready, the day flies by, my mind constantly watching the clock tick by.He always treats me so amazingly, but today is different. I feel like a queen. He is trying to make this easier for me when he leaves. His Mum is over the moon about the engagement.Sitting, watching her smile as Jackson tells her, I can’t help but smile. Looking at her, she has tears in her eyes, realising that she will never see her daughter get married. She looks broken, and she is crying, and I feel I need to offer her something to help.I don’t want her to feel like she has no say or no part in the wedding.“My Mum left when I was young, but I have my Step-Mum coming with me to look at dresses. It would be great if you c
Driving to the florist, we sit quietly until she finally decides to speak.“So, how was last night?”“Fine. I just slept. Why?” I reply, concentrating on the road.“You didn’t look fine this morning. You looked like crap. Are you worried?” She looks at me with concern. “I would rather not talk about it, honestly. I just want these two weeks to pass as quickly as possible,” I reply and continue driving.Of course, I am worried. What sort of question is that? She is worried about me after twenty-four hours. Imagine me after two weeks. We arrive at the florist and walk in. It doesn’t take too long to pick which flowers I want. I look at Georgina. “Do you think it would be wrong to get something done with the picture of his sister? And Tallulah’s print?” My mind is thinking about Jackson. This is his wedding as well.“What do you mean, Alena?” She asks, looking at me, confused.“Well, Katy should be there at his wedding. I feel like a photo, or something should be somewhere so that she
I walk to the door, answering it. It is Margaret again. “Hello Alena, great to see you again,” she smiles, walking in with bags of food. Should I not buy the food? Or maybe Jackson paid her enough to cover food as well. No doubt he did because if she asked me to buy stuff, I would come back with the wrong stuff.I spend two hours learning how to cook and make enough meals for 3 days. Georgina also gets involved. Apparently, she would actually like to know how to cook. It would be amazing if the night Jackson gets home, I can cook for him and finally start looking after him instead of him cooking every meal for me.“Great, well, I will come back Thursday, and we can look at other recipes to cook,” she explains as she leaves.“Right, dress time. What time is your Mum meeting us there?” Georgina asks, smiling, far too happy about this.“Around two. Jackson’s Mum will be there as well,” I explain, forgetting I have not told anyone she is coming, but it is my choice.“Let's get going then
Making breakfast, I manage to not burn it, which is a big success for me. As I finish eating, my phone rings, or rather, Jackson’s work mobile. I look at it. It feels weird, but I know I have to answer it.“Hello, this is Alena,” I answer, not sure what to say.“Hi Alena, this is Sarah. We have an issue, and we can’t resolve it ourselves. We have tried, as we know you're busy planning the wedding, but we are unsure what to do. Could you please come in?”“Sure, I will be right there,” I reply, hanging up and getting ready. Maybe this will keep my mind occupied. Driving up, it feels weird coming here without Jackson. I get out and walk inside and am greeted by two angry men and a woman crying between them.“What happened?” I ask, looking around.“I’m sorry again Alena. Susan’s husband followed her here. We refused to let him upstairs, and he pushed past. Security chased him, by which time he had already seen Susan with a couple in one of the rooms.” How do I sort this out?“We don’t wan
I walk downstairs to meet her, greeted by her smiling face.“Hey Alena, how are you?” she asks, smiling.“Great thanks. Fancy a drink?” I walk towards the bar. I can hardly say I feel a mess, and everything is getting on top of me. She follows me to the bar, sitting next to me. We speak for a few hours. I am not drinking so much as I have to drive home.“Want to come back to mine?” I ask. She nods in response. Jackson had said if I bump into her not to be afraid of inviting her back. We leave together. In the car, on the way back home, it is quiet. We don’t speak much. Getting home feels unusual. I am not sure what to do anymore. I know I have Jackson’s permission, but can I really do this without him here and agreeing?“Can I grab you a drink?” I walk to the kitchen, pulling out two glasses and a bottle.“Sure.” She follows me and sits at the kitchen side. We sit and drink for a while, talking about the wedding and other things. She looks at me, her face changing.“I would love you t
I wake up, hearing knocking at the door. I throw on my dressing gown and walk downstairs. Walking to the door, I open it. Georgina is standing there.“I figured I would come today and watch the cooking lessons again,” Georgina smiles, walking in through the door.“Were you still in bed?” She is looking at me shocked.“Yes, fast asleep. What time is it?” It can’t be that late, surely?“It is nearly twelve. Margaret will be here anytime now,” she replies while walking around the kitchen, making herself at home, getting her drink. I walk over to her and have a cup of tea, talking away. My mind now reminds me of Roxy, the fact she is still here.She is asleep, so I guess I will leave her. A couple of minutes later, after remembering Roxy is here, we hear moving upstairs, and Georgina looks at me. “Is he back already?” I shake my head. How could I be so stupid and not remember she would come today?“No, it isn’t Jackson.” My words are cut off by Roxy walking down the stairs in nothing but
Sunday comes, and Margaret shows me how to cook again. She leaves, and I go back to bed. There is no point in me being awake. I am alone, and everything is planned. Waking up it is Monday. I can’t stay in bed. I know Georgina is coming today. Getting up, I eat and wait, and sure enough, Georgina arrives, but she is carrying my dress and hers.“Let’s go shopping. We need outfits for the hen night, and you still need your lingerie!” She smiles, dragging me out the door. I find my dress for the hen night quickly in the first shop, and my lingerie in the second shop. Then another fifteen shops later, Georgina finally finds a dress she likes. We spent more of our time shopping for her than for me, which I don’t mind. Today has gone by quickly, walking between the shops. Getting in the car, I start driving home. We go inside, sit down and eat.“Hen party tomorrow, so early night tonight, and I am staying here.” She smiles, looking far too excited, to be honest. I am not looking forward to i
Yet again, the day passes quickly. I feel off though. I can’t shake it. It’s a weird, sick feeling I have. I have to concentrate though. I check that the flowers are being delivered on time, so they can be set up. I check the reception area and make sure it is also ready. I double-check the RSVP numbers for the reception.Everything crammed Wednesday and Thursday fly by. I am so busy, I have no time for anything really. I eat, plan and sleep. On Friday, Georgina and I spend the night relaxing, watching films. I can barely remember this week. It has gone by so fast.“Still got that sick feeling?” she asks, looking at me. I had to tell her because I was struggling to eat. I nod. Nothing is making it go away. “It has to be nerves then,” she smiles, but it makes no sense.“How can you be nervous if you want something? It makes no sense at all.” I laugh.“You're probably nervous about slipping and falling on your face.” She bursts into laughter at her own words.“If that happens, the wedd