Trinity - A Screened Word Story for Adults

Chapter I

Where I lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas, I have been married to my husband, Carl Scruple, who had been in the lumber business for a good number of years. But what always worried me about him was how he always boasted about providing everything that he could for both of us, when most of the time, he usually just went out to waste such money on bar tap routines. He got in drinking matches with his buddies. He got into fights at the bar, and even after receiving plenty of pardons to return to the bar, he always found ways to louse it up again and undergo the same cycle over and over again. In fact, he’d done that with every bar he ever went to in town. Whatever the case, he always went home with either bottles of beer in his hand or blood on his knuckles. And he always ended up in a most foul mood, always telling me, “Yo, bitch, bring out another bottle for me, will ya?“

One time, I decided to go out and hang out with some friends, or so I told Carl. What it really was, however, was a chance for me meet up with a good friend who was visiting, and his family too, from Colorado. His name was William, and I had known him and his family ever since we grew up together in the same neighborhood over in Littleton.

He was driving through in Arkansas and decided to take a rest over at the nearest hotel. Normally, I would have not bothered with him since he was usually a busy man with a lot of things to tend to, but I could not help it. I had not been with him for years. We may have talked a fair deal either on the phone or on social media, but this was one opportunity that I couldn’t let slide.

So, here’s what I decided to do. On Fridays, Carl would have normally gone out to his last workday before the weekend. For this Friday, I would sneak out after he left so I would go out, hang out, and do my own thing.

It was a bit overcast, but what did it matter? I was more interested to catch up with William.

Sure enough, at the nearest coffee shop, I saw him, with the nice physique, the sturdy chin, the boyish face, and now, the manly posture he had grown up with, sitting there enjoying a nice latte with his parents. I could not not recognize him anywhere, whether on social media or in real life. One good look at him, and I could tell who he was right away.

So then, as soon as I met up with him, I called over to him, and the glance that he shot towards me as he heard my whistle and recognized me was all I was looking for. One look and I felt how we would both have been transported back to when we were in middle school together.

It had been eons since we last spoke to each other, and here he was, with enough time to spare for us to get acquainted like the best friends we were.

“I missed you so much, Leslie,“ he said.

“I missed you so much too, Willzner.“

That got a big laugh out of William. That was the nickname I used to tease him with when we went to school together.

Before we headed off to high school together, William had gone away to a different high school in Fort Collins. Even though he didn’t move that far away, the amount of times we visited each other were not as often as they were before. They just weren’t enough.

Later on, by the time we each graduated, we at least had one summer to spend together as we prepped for college. I decided to go to the University of Florida, while William decided to go to the Colorado State University in Grand Junction.

We had never seen each other again.

At least we had each other’s phone numbers and mailing addresses. As soon as Facebook came along, we could have spoken to each other and gotten in touch much easier that way, too. But while we caught up a good deal several times, we never had the chance to meet up again physically.

At least, until this moment. One look at him in the coffee shop, and I knew I wanted to be with him again.

Several minutes later, we all sat down feeling like we’re becoming the best friends we once were back in school. Once his parents recognized me, they rejoined us and wanted to catch up with me next. We both spent the next two, three hours talking about life.

However, before he left, William said something to me that I was completely unnerved by, but nonetheless had to take it all in.

“By the way, I do have some good news to share with you.“

“Oh?“ I said, with my curiosity now imminent within me.

“I’m going to be married next month.“

I felt my heart sink. He had been my best friend since middle school, and soon he was about to have another woman to settle into his life. I love him and wish him all the best, but still.

“To whom?“ That was all that slipped out of my lips before I began to cry. At least, I would have cried if it wasn’t for the last thing I expected to hear William say next.

“You probably have not heard of her. Her name is Abigail Goodwin.“

Suddenly, the dampness inside me quickly vaporized. In its place was a bolt of electricity. Abigail Goodwin was my college roommate, and we had been good friends ourselves. How did she possibly end up with William, of all people?

“You’re kidding! I know her very well. She and I used to go to college together.”

“Really? I don’t think she ever told me that.”

“There are some things that she feels are too personal to tell you. But the bigger question is,” I continued, “how did you ever run into her?”

“Well, it’s actually a funny story”, he said.

Shortly after I graduated from college, I was about to head back home to Kansas, but before I could even cross the state border, I had a flat tire. Fortunately, I stopped right in front of a gas station on the side of the road. So, I was out getting the screwdriver and the spare tire so I could go about my business. But then, after I got the tire into the vacant spot, I noticed another flat tire on my car. That’s when I heard a lady’s voice beside me say,

“Hey, I have another spare tire. Fortunately, that’s also a Michelin, just like your tires. Maybe I could help install it for you since you already went through so much trouble with that one.”

I didn’t know what to say, but I couldn’t refuse her offer. So I told her, ‘Please do.’ And for the next half an hour, while I relaxed with a nice soda – that one was on her – she spent the next half hour putting the tire together after I handed her the car pamphlet and supplies.

There’s something about how she was able to install the tire for me. I witnessed an air of grace in how she took care of the tire. But at the same time, she was a hard worker. I knew she had enough on her plate running the gas station behind me. But when I saw exactly how hardworking she was when it came to installing a spare tire, she looked like she had a ton of experience working her butt off until she was sure that it was about to work like normal.

Shortly after she was finished, I was preparing to tip her for her troubles, but then she said, ‘No, thanks. Although, there is something you can do.’ After asking what it was, she simply handed me her phone number. Then, she told me that she was about to be a month away from leaving Colorado and joining up with me in Kansas. She could tell that I lived there after looking at my license plate, she told me. She said, ‘Maybe you could find me when I get settled there. We could get to know each other some more then.’ ‘It’s a deal,’ was my only response. Then, a month had gone, and she had settled into my life. Shortly after I got settled in Kansas, she slowly slipped back into my life in the other end of town where she told me she was gonna move. And from then on, we reconnected, and we began to see each other more since. The more times we saw each other, the more convinced I became that we were truly meant for each other. Maybe she told me that maybe there was something in me that drew her to me when she first laid eyes on me.

I found it most serendipitous, but unbelievable as such circumstances may sound, it sounded like he could not have been luckier to have gotten the help and the woman of his life that he needed. I don’t think I would have had the strength to help put together the tire for him. Though I’m beginning to wonder if maybe I was not given the full scoop on how to change a tire. Yet, I hope.

That, and I never knew that Abigail worked at a gas station in Colorado. I guess she may have done that after we graduated from college together.

“I’m so happy for you, William,“ I told him.

“Thank you, Leslie. I could not have been luckier to have run into you here at just the right moment, or to have a best friend like you for me to count on.“

I felt myself blush. I don’t know if it was from being full from the coffee and donuts, or if it was from finally getting real with him after a while. But I felt a flurry in me that told me I had better scoot and head on home before my husband suspects me of any wrongdoing.

“Well, I’m so happy I had a chance to catch up with you guys, and I know you have to be on your way soon, so I won’t keep you.“

However, just as I was about to head on out, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Wait a minute, hon,“ an older voice said. It was William’s father, Jonathan. “It has been way too long since you two were together. Why don’t you at least come over to his wedding ceremony? Show a little support, you know?”

“Dad,“ William said, “She’s welcome to come if she wants to, but I don’t know, wouldn’t it feel a little awkward to have my best friend as well as my girlfriend be in the same room?“

“Relax. She and I were roommates. What harm could it do?“

“Well, in that case, hon,“ Jonathan said, “Consider this an invitation from us. If you ever change your mind, don’t hesitate to stop by.“

“Well, I do have Abigail’s number on me. Perhaps I’ll let her know that I will be stopping by.“

What I felt from across my mouth was probably the deepest, most sincere smile I ever felt in a long time.

I simply waved at William before I headed straight for the door.

Shortly after I went home, I felt a little wooziness inside me. There were many feelings I had inside me that I did not anticipate to feel. I felt all the lovesickness for William. I felt all of the harsh moments with my husband, Carl. I felt all of the unspoken feelings I never said to William before we both split apart, either from school or from our physical lives as we set out for college. I began to feel nauseous, and then my body was about to give out. I felt nothing except for the fact that I fell flat-faced on the floor. Somehow, though, I didn’t remember it feeling like I hit the floor, so I didn’t know what’s going on.

When I woke up, I felt my head on the couch cushions. Only I didn’t find myself in the right position on the couch. Only my head was on the couch while the rest of my body slumped all over the floor.

As soon as I woke up, the rest of my senses came to me. I felt the sensation in my arms, my fingers, my stomach, my legs, my feet as I felt the crooked position my body was in from giving out. The lights were a little dim. My husband did not have the money to pay for electricity, so we only had whatever scanty lighting we could afford. It was dark outside, and that was enough for me to tell how little electricity we could’ve gone by.

“Get over here if you’re awake,“ he yelled out.

“This is it,“ I thought to myself. He always expected me to do the cooking for him. But I remembered him saying he was not going to be kind to me if he ended up doing the cooking himself. So I knew I was in for it as soon as I got up and walked over to him.

“I told you, woman, that whatever we have for dinner, I trust you to cook for us. I can’t cook for myself, so why must you be asleep on the couch when I clearly tried to wake you up? Snooze on the job, will you? And look at the steak here. Does it look well done to you? I say it looks more half done! Now that you’re awake, you take over.“

Oh, the many times I wished I could strangle him.

It had been five years, and he has been nothing but, ‘Give me this, give me that.’ All take and no give. I tried to do something nice for him, but he always brushed it off and was more intent to do something else, like it was all about him. All those thoughts blazed through my head as I paid attention to the steak and gave it the right seasonings necessary to fix it up. Literally.

As we got our dinner all squared away for tonight, I found myself sitting lopsided on the chair at the dinner table.

“Easy, woman,“ he cried. “You’ll wreck the chairs.“ As I straightened myself out and began dinner with him, the first thing he asked me was, “Why were you so dead asleep on the couch anyway? What were you doing?“

What I started with was, “That’s because I was going out and doing my own thing.“

“Oh, yeah? Like what?“ That was his answer.

This was what I was hoping would not come. Taking a step back, I chose my words carefully and said to him, “What I do is none of your business. You tell me about your business all the time, so why not let me tell you about mine? I was just meeting up with an old friend.“

“An old friend? Like an old, old friend, or are you just cheating on me?“

“An old, old friend.“

“Now it makes sense, because I did see you seeing an elderly man holding your hand like he was into you. Gross.“

“Carl, enough,“ I snapped back. “What we have going for each other is strictly platonic. There’s nothing going on between us.“

“If that’s the case, then who’s the guy staring at you when the old man was talking to you? Tell me now!“ he screamed.

All I could yell out was, “His son.“

“His son was into you?“

I felt my face shake up and down as if to say yes.

“So you were cheating me on me after all, weren’t you, you slut?“ he screamed. And he splashed his glass of wine at me as I quickly dodged my head and splashed my wine back at him.

He ran around the kitchen table trying to grab me, but I managed to evade him as I tried to keep a fair distance away from him. I had seen Carl in a frenzy before, but not like this. I felt like I was running from a wild animal, one that was certain to catch me and rip me apart.

I hid in the closet by the hallway when I heard clattering of silverware. I felt my blood run cold. I knew, if only by instinct, what he was going for, and I knew I had to run like a bat out of hell away from him.

“Let’s you and I talk this over the easy way, heh, shall we?” He screamed.

The noises I heard told me otherwise. He didn’t care to talk this over. As soon as I saw him step out of the kitchen, he was carrying a chef’s knife in his hand. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, I leaped out from the closet, and before he could land the first blow, let alone respond, I felt the forceful throbbing around by head as I pushed Carl down onto the floor. The knife scattered from his hand but that was the cue that told me that this was my chance.

“Get back here, you evil–”

I slammed it behind me before he could catch up to me. I felt myself running as fast as my feet could carry me to the nearest police station. I heard Carl break the open behind me as he lunged out for me, but I couldn’t look back. I felt a deeper rush of adrenaline coursing through me as my feet propelled even faster so I could outrun him. It seemed like all my workouts at gym class were beginning to pay off after all. I was out of breath after running at least four blocks, so I could barely have told the police chief, who was just walking out the front door, about who I was running away from.

“Leslie? Are you okay?”

I barely had any breath left to muster, but I was about to tell him about my husband and how he threatened to slice me simply for seeing someone.

Before I could finish, he told me, “Say no more. I know your address. Just wait here.”

After bolting to his police cruiser, he drove where I had ran so that he could have taken care of Carl. I watched the lights from his car piercing through the darkness and slowly fading from view. Once he was out of view, I crumbled a bit in the foyer and I felt some tears welling up in my eyes. I had a nice day out and it turned into one of the worst nights of my life. Carl was ready to do God knows what to me and I was ready to leave him before. Suddenly, I felt something reverberate in my head.

“If you ever change your mind, don’t hesitate to stop by.”

What flashed in my head next was the only woman I knew whose sharp wit and sarcasm was all I needed to ease my mind from all this chaos. I quickly grabbed my iPhone, tracked down her phone number and hoped she could answer. I heard faint ringing in the distance from my iPhone and hoped against hope that I would be able to reach her. Then a click.

“Hello?” said exactly who I hoped to hear.

“Hello, Abigail?”

Chapter II

It was the following morning, and I decided to stay at the nearest hotel in Fort Smith. Shortly after I got settled, I got a call from the Fort Smith Police Department that Carl was arrested, but it wasn’t just for attempted battery, as they put it. He began to resist arrest after denying that he was hot on my tail. Something told me that me ratting on him was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Either way, I did not think I’d feel such relief from these news, but I finally felt like I was free from his overbearing demands, all his excuses, all of his methods of trying to do himself and me proud only to be proven wrong every time. Pretty soon, all the money that he had in his bank account was about to be transferred over to me. So, that would have left me with several thousands of dollars under my name.

After talking to Abigail on the phone last night, she reminded me of what fun times we had back in college and why we became the best of friends. I even asked her about Williams’ engagement to her and told her how I ran into him when he visited me here in Fort Smith. After catching up with her the same way I caught up with William, I took matters into my own hands and booked a ticket for Denver.

All I’d have to do then was to head back home, gather up my stuff, and let’s not forget file my divorce papers. Within a month, I would head out and meet up with my two best friends in the whole world.

Throughout my time there, throughout the waiting rooms, the check-ins, the air flight, the first class seats, I thought back to everything that occurred between Abigail and I.

I had an obnoxious roommate when I was in college, but across the room from me was a fairly level-headed young woman who always walked up to the hall manager about her troubles. As soon as I thanked her for it, she and I began to click. Throughout the rest of our college years together, despite us going from one room to another, she and I practically shared many things in common. We even went out together on some nice pizza dates together and even to some of those crappy karaokes together. We either cracked up over the poor singing or sang along, depending on who blew it and who excelled and did their choice of songs proud. I had such a blast with her when I wasn’t busy with my studies. And just like with William, I knew that she would be one of those friends I could easily rely on for help.

Soon enough, I found myself getting comfortably settled at the Denver International Airport. It was a huge airport, no doubt, so I had to study closely at the signs so I can tell which way to go to snag myself an Uber taxi.

I was able to book a few nights over at Le Meridien Hotel downtown. I knew that where William and Abigail were gonna be wed, they were going to be married at the St. Dominic Catholic Parish. That church was known to have a very grand sense of architecture, and from what I heard about the wedding ceremony, they promised rapturous parties afterwards. So, if I were to save myself all the hustle bustle in the city crowds, I figured it’d be best if I just shoot for a hotel that’s as close as possible to the church. That way, I won’t have to worry about driving through the traffic or relying on a taxi to take me places when I can use my own two legs to carry me from one point to another.

So, as I got comfortable in my hotel room, I decided to unpack my suitcase, take out all my clothes, and put them in the nearest drawer beside me.

However, I was carrying my last pair of pants to the drawer –Carl used to wear those all the time, but they fitted me better – when I noticed something slip out and fall onto the floor. I couldn’t make out what it was, but I knew I had to put the pants away first. Once I put them away and shut the drawer, I looked at what flew onto the carpet floor, and it looked like a crumpled piece of paper.

Before I threw it away in the trash, I had to open it and find out exactly what that sheet of paper said. I  was usually prone to check up on something before I make trash out of it.

So, after unfurling the paper, I looked closely it, and I noticed that it had my name on it, along with the sender of the envelope. Abigail l sent it, and this had not been opened. So, I decided to finally open up the envelope and see what was inside.

After taking a good long look, I noticed hat it was an invitation to join up with William and Abigail’s wedding as their Maid of Honor.

Dear Lord, all I ever hoped to do was to be with my two favorite people in the world, but I didn’t think that they had enough interest in me to want to invite me to be their bridesmaid.

That felt like a dream come true. I wanted to stop by at Denver so I could show them some support. But here I was looking at the letter, and I felt like I was given another chance in life with the one letter that I became convinced in that moment was thrown away by Carl. What did he want me for if he was going to be a lazy ass about it?

This was my chance. It was my chance to do more than show them my support, and it was my chance to try to be with them every step of the way. I knew that if I had to settle back in their lives again, I had to try to win them over with what I could do and do Abigail proud as the best friend that I knew she still was to me, and as I hoped that I would still be to her.

Besides, I had a good idea of how to be a good Maid of Honor anyway, right? All I had to do was make sure to touch up Abigail’s dress, walk along the aisle with her, hold her gown, and then help her directly into the front altar as she said her wedding vows to William.

Piece of cake, I believed.

I wanted to make her proud because, from what little I recalled hearing of William and Abigail’s wedding, they didn’t specify which groomsmen or bridesmaids they were going to have handy to help them out. All I knew was that William picked his best friend from middle school, Caleb, to be his Best Man. But I heard nothing about it from him. Why was that? But since I saw this letter, it looked like I understood what’s going on now. It seemed like Abigail only had one bridesmaid in mind, and it just so happened to be me. I knew if I was the only bridesmaid, I knew I had to prove myself as one to her and to William.

Anything I could do to help her out, I knew I was going to be in for a fun ride, no matter what may happen.

Several days later, early in the morning, I got up as early as I can, as I planned to, so I could meet up with William and Abigail before the big wedding ceremony. After a good cup of coffee, a nice croissant, as well as a couple extra shots in my coffee so I could give myself the energy I needed to last the whole ceremony, I thankfully caught them just enjoying their last breakfast together as mere boyfriend and girlfriend before they become husband and wife.

“Over here!“ I shouted. They both recognized me and basically wrapped their arms around me tight after I ran up to them.

It felt like I had found the first other family I ever needed after leaving behind my parents and my younger brother, Chris.

“How do you feel about all this?“ was the first thing I was able to ask them.

“Oh, a little nervous,” said Abigail. “I’m sweating like a pig, but I can’t thank William enough for all those extra napkins. That helped me a great deal.”

It just so happened I still had a thing of Kleenexes in my purse. “I would have offered to lend you some, but it looks like William beat me to it.”

We all shared a laugh over that. Nothing like another good BFF straight from college to rely on, even after college.

“You two must have really gotten close together, haven’t you? Well, aren’t I just one lucky guy? I am about to marry the love of my life, and here I am, sharing breakfast with her and my other best friend.”

“Stop it,“ Abigail said, slapping lightly at his arm.

“What? It’s true,“ he said. “For all that you decided not to tell me, there are some things about you that I can tell right away is true, without you needing to tell me.

“Shut up. I do tell you everything,” said Abigail.

“Nice try,“ he said. Abigail saw through his fib and just laughed it off, knowing that he was too good a jokester.

“Don’t mind her, William,” I told him, “She can be a bit stingy sometimes, but I don’t think you should give her so much grief. There are some things she decides are best keeping to herself and others that she would feel free to chat with you about.”

“How about me?” Said a voice. It came from Caleb. “Wait, Leslie? My God, will wonders never cease?”

He took the words right out of my mouth. First, I reunited with my best friend from school, and now, here I was reuniting with his.

“How’ve you been?” He asked.

“I’ve been hanging in there,” I told him.

“As we all should,” said Caleb. That kind of optimism of his, I missed so much. The only other time I felt such joy was when I heard Chris’ jokes. Sometimes, Chris and Caleb both cracked jokes whenever they were together.

“I’m sorry that your best friend’s taken, Leslie,” he said next.

“Come on, I’m not upset at all,” I said. “I’m proud of William. And Abigail, too.”

“Then I guess you and I agree that William’s flame is a keeper?”

“I wouldn’t put it that way, but yes.” I said.

Then, I heard the bell go off.

“Crap,“ William said. “It’s almost time. We better get ready.“ He said as he put his silverware down and wrote down a quick check to pay the waiter with, plus a tip, of course. After that, I saw him and Caleb ran across the street and into the church nearby. It was just Abigail and me.

The only thing I was able to say to her was, “Abigail, I’m as proud of you to be someone’s wife as I am of William to be someone’s husband. I just never thought it would be the two of you being hooked up. So whatever it is you need me to help you with, please tell me and I’ll do anything I can for you. Anything.“

“Spare me the drama, Leslie,“ she said to me. “I know you very well. I know that you have come here to show us some support. And trust me, being my Maid of Honor is super simple. All I trust you to do is to simply hold my gown as we walk out the door, and me with the bouquet, and then, as soon as the wedding music marches on, then it would be our turn to strut down the hall. Does that still sound like something you could do?“

“One hundred percent, no matter what it is,“ I told her.

“Thank you, Leslie,“ she said. “I love William so much, and I feel as thankful as him. Where would we be if we did not have anyone like you, even as our matchmaker?“

I felt something rise inside of me. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and the next thing I know, my arms were around Abigail as I cried on her shoulder.

Slowly, I felt her arms wrapping themselves around me. And suddenly, I felt an inner sense of calm starting to trickle in. Nothing like someone else to rely on for help.

Over the next two hours, I stood in the church marveling at Abigail’s lavish wedding gown. The white frothy sleeves, the drapery-like dress wrapping themselves around her body, the royal tail dragging from behind her, and the finishing touch, the long gown to wrap around her veil. I felt like I was watching an angel beginning to break free and revealing herself.

“Leslie? Leslie?“ I heard a voice say. Once I snapped out of it, I noticed that it was Abigail talking to me.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, yes, I’m fine. I’ve just never seen you look so…ravishing.”

“Thank you, Leslie.”

“Nothing like how I remembered you back in college, right?”

It left us with a good, hearty chuckle. But then, I noticed something down on Abigail’s face. She suddenly looked sullen.

“Leslie?” she asked. “Do you think I’m the right fit for William?”

I didn’t expect her to say that. I loved William, but why would I doubt her as worthy of someone like William?

“I don’t believe you wouldn’t be, Abigail. Why?”

I knew she’d never be the type to admit some things about herself to anyone. Did she know about how close William and I were? Knowing that, I said to her,

“Is this because of what William and I had back in middle school?”

“It’s not that, actually. I’m honestly a bit jealous of you guys for being so close many years back and still being that close.  But I would never hold it against you for that. Never. There’s just something else.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“You and I had done many fun things together back in college, right?”

“Right?” I said, now wondering what was on her mind.

“Well, I hope I can trust you with this. Don’t be surprised if you heard about this, but William wasn’t the first man I ever made love to.”

I felt something burning inside of me. Was that why she was hesitant to tell me or William what she went through?

“Did you ever feel like you were the most free you ever felt once you set foot into college?”

“I remember that feeling”, I said, uncertain of what to make of this.

“Exactly,” she said. “I seized the chances I thought I had once I got my start there, and when I wasn’t busy with my studies, I made tons of friends, many of them men, and I was prone to go wild with drinks and sleep with them at the end of the night, or at the end of every party.”

I understood why she would’ve felt that way. And she was right. I have heard some gossip around campus about someone sleeping with plenty of men in her spare time. But Abigail? She was the one hooking up with them all?

“Are you telling me that you regret it?” That was all I could say after hearing that story. Looking closely at Abigail, I noticed a faint essence of guilt on her face.

“Yes,” she said next. “That’s why I was hoping you could make the first vow for me.”

“Anything, Abigail.”

“What I just told you is what I have not told William. I want you to keep this between us, and see to it that William does not know anything about what I had done. If William does know, then please let me do the talking.”

“You have my word, Abigail. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or William.”

“You are so sweet,” Abigail said as she wrapped her arms hard around me.

“Are you ready?“ I asked her.

“Yes.“

And just like that, I heard the music blaring from out  in the church halls, so I quickly strutted to the very end of her long tail. Holding on to it, I followed Abigail as she slowly strutted out into the church hall with Abigail‘s family, Williams’ family, everyone watching.

Soon after, she and I were in the church and walked up to the podium to meet up with William. I stood beside her as I watched the priest move forth with his ‘Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’ gestures, and then proceeded with the wedding engagements.

“Do you, William, take Abigail to have and to hold until death do you part?“

“I do.“

“And do you, Abigail, promise to have William and to hold him until death do you part?“

“I do.“

“May the Best Man and the Maid of Honor present their rings?”

I felt my hand grab into my pocket, and pulled out Abigail’s ring right in the palm of my hand. Next, I noticed Caleb walking up to William with his ring. He still had that cute smile and posture about him, and I just found his idea of presenting the ring adorable. Once William took the ring, he carefully and slowly slipped it onto Abigail’s finger.

Finally, the priest announced, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.“

A thunderous round of applause erupted all around us as William lifted the veil from Abigail’s head and touched lips with hers.

The love of my life and my best friend, all entering each other’s lives in holy matrimony. And I was there to witness it all occur right next to them.

I felt so honored to be with them when they needed me most. I needed them most too, but I could not have found a better chance to try to show my support for them when I knew they needed it.

Halfway through the hall, however, I noticed Abigail say something that I didn’t expect her to.

“Let’s try this on for size.“

And then she threw the bouquet of flowers and roses up into the ceiling. Only it wasn’t outward and into the crowd. It was high upwards, like it could easily fall right back into her hands instead of someone close to me or them. But then, as soon as I kept my eyes peeled to see where the bouquet landed, I found the it landing square on my head and then right into my hand. Just as I was about to hand the bouquet back to her, she told me, “No, silly. You got first dibs. You’re the lucky one.“

What was I thinking? I guess I was the lucky one. I felt like I had met the love of my life back in middle school, but now I’m about to be here right next to him as he was getting married to my best friend ever.

Later that night, we were out in The Irish Rover, where the after-show was taking place, and we went through many fun things together. When it came to cutting the cake, William and Abigail cut theirs first when, before everyone else got their slice, I noticed a third one. I wondered who it was for. But then it hit me. They couldn’t have cut that slice for me, could they? And the next thing I know, they slowly slid it towards me as William said, “We couldn’t just leave our best friend out, now, could we?“ And as soon as we got settled, we both caught up like the best friends we have always been.

After that, I watched William try to bite the garter from Abigail’s leg while blindfolded, and that was just a hoot. At first, he accidentally bit into her thong, which I thought was an honest mistake. And then he tucked his head a little deeper, and once his teeth finally caught the fabric of the garter, he carefully slipped it off her leg before finally whipped it off into some lucky guy in the crowd who might be the next to be married.

After that, we partied the night away like there was no tomorrow. It had been years since college when I felt myself having so much fun with any one of my best friends, and I felt like I was just having the time of my life just partying like we used to before, Abigail and I when we were in college, and William and I when we were in middle school and, now that I thought about it, off to the next school dance together.

During these moments, it felt like we were one whole team, starting with William and Abigail as husband and wife. Later after that, I heard them say that they were gonna settle in Arkansas very soon. Abigail, under a moment of intoxication, told William the news about me and my husband, Carl, back home and what kind of fights we ended up in. William said, “I think you deserve so much more than that. Why don’t you come and stay with us for a while?“

“Yes, please,“ was the first thing that came out of my mouth as he told me that.

As soon as he said that, I knew that somewhere around the corner back home was my ticket out of the hellhole that I had grown up in and into another chance at life. I loved William, but I also loved Abigail, and as long as they’re willing to have me, I knew I would be in good hands. Again, as long as I knew they would be in good hands, too.