After the wedding

"Where are my makeup artists mum? And why are you still not dressed?" Dionne was pacing around the living room restlessly, "The wedding will soon commence and I'm not in any way ready! I can't keep Christopher waiting!"

"They are on their way honey! I just called them and they said they were stuck in traffic. Christopher will understand, women are bound to waste time." Mrs McCurry tried convincing.

"But Christopher will be worried, what if he gets ideas and think I no longer want this?. I need to get to the church"

"What will you wear? The make up artist is bringing your dress remember"

"That's right!, I'll order a simple white dress now! Christopher will understand if I look simple right? And besides I don't need make up, I'm sure I'll still be pretty even without makeup"

"Calm down Dionne. Every thing will be fine."

"I'm so nervous mum! I'm sure Christopher will condone a little lateness, he loves me so much!"Dionne smiled dreamily. "I'll just go order my dress"

Mrs McCurry couldn't just stand there and watch her daughter suffer, she knew she had to lessen it some how. To think her daughter knew what was happening but pretending not to, it just breaks her heart.

"Hello... Mom"

"Don't you ever use that lecherous lips of yours to address me as such again. The moment you made my daughter a laughing stock in front of everyone, that was the day all ties between was cut."

"I'm sorry ma'am." Was all Christopher could say. He didn't have anything to say other than that. He could explain, but his life would be the consequence of him opening his mouth.

"You can take your sorry, and shove it down your stupid throat. Anyway, I didn't call you to exchange all sorts of words. You are going to call my daughter and tell her the wedding is postponed."

"What do you mean? She knows the wedding is not happening."

"Just do as I say!. You put her in this situation, you fix it!" Mrs McCurry hung up immediately. Any second later than that and her blood pressure would spike up above normal.

...

"Hey Chris. There is a little delay with my dress and makeup, I'll make sure to be there, just give me an hour. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to delay the wedding, I'm -"

"Dionne. It's alright. Let's just postpone the wedding. We'll meet and discuss 'what' date it'll be shifted to. Something came up at work and I have to go for a business trip immediately. I'm sorry" Christopher said apologetically.

"What do you mean postpone?! You want to cancel the wedding. I'm not going to let you do that. If you leave that church I'll hate you forever." Dionne said through gritted teeth, her eyes blood shot. Mrs McCurry stood at Dionne's door as she listened to their conversation. Her daughter looked nothing less like a wounded lion that doesn't know that it's time to give up.

"What's wrong with you?" Chris was demented by her sudden change. After he walked out of the church that day, he expected Dionne's call. She would probably ask for an explanation, but he wasn't expecting this kind of conversation. He's was expecting her to shout, scream... anything of that sort. Maybe to lessen his guilt.

"Nothing is wrong with me. Absolutely nothing. You want to leave me and that's the problem here. No one has the right to leave me without my permission, and until I say it's over, it's not over. Mark my words Chris."

"Dion-" Chris tried saying but she hung up already.

"Di-"

"Leave mum!. I want to be alone."

...

"She's still not coming down?" Mr McCurry asked his wife. They were both standing outside their daughter's door, peeping from the little space that was left open. It was night time already and Dionne still hasn't left her room.

"She has been like that since the call with Christopher. She just keeps staring at nothing."

"It's actually better than her talking about the wedding all day."

"But she hasn't eaten since morning. I haven't even seen her take some water" Mrs McCurry was really worried, at this point she feared her daughter might actually die from depression but from dehydration and starvation.

"I'll go talk to her."

"Dionne honey" Mr McCurry called out to her. She wasn't replying. It felt like he was talking to air

"Dionne" He called out again, this time more sternly. She didn't respond again. He walked in front of her and held her shoulders. Her gaze was still unfocused but he knew she was listening.

"I know it's not easy. It would take a long time to forget the pain. But being this way isn't helping matters. You're just making yourself look pathetic. Show those people who were happy for your pain, that you've been through more than this and you've come out unscathed. This should not bring you down. If you can't do it for your self, do it for me, for your mother. The more you drown in your misery, the more your mother is fighting to stay afloat with you. If you eventually drown, your mother will drown. So get better honey, we will always be here to support you" Mr McCurry gave her shoulders one last pat, before he walked out of her room. He hoped all he said sank into her mind.

"Let's go" He said and his wife followed in little sobs.

...

"Good morning mom, good morning dad!" Dionne greeted cheerfully when she came down reached the dinning table.

Mrs McCurry was surprised by the sudden change in her daughter's demeanor. Just yesterday, she was lifeless and this morning she was full of vigor. She had no problem with that, at all. Seeing their daughter smile so brightly again brought life to the dinning table.

"Good morning dear, Why are you so happy?" Mrs McCurry wanted to engage her daughter in little talks.

"I'm going shopping today!"

"That's a very good decision you made. Going shopping will help you relieve all those stress" Mrs McCurry said happily, but Dionne's next word made her freeze.

"I'm going to get a tuxedo for Christopher. He wants to postpone the wedding. I'm sure it's because he didn't like his suit. He gets really picky about these kind of things" Dionne bit into her sandwich, "hmm yummy mum. Can you pack some of this for Chris as well. He loves your sandwiches"

"Honey...." Mrs McCurry paused when she felt her husband hold her hand under the table.

"Whatever floats your boat. Let's dig in" Mr McCurry said.