nearlywed
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Ben paced around the hotel room and occasionally glanced at the closet. Inside was a well pressed suit in a suit bag. He would not need it for another three days, but the very sight of it made his heart beat like a drum.
“Oh, stop pacing.” Ben’s dad, Tom, said. “You’ll wear a hole in the carpet, and I’m not paying for that.”
Ben stopped. Once his feet stopped moving, his hands started. His fingers twisted around each other in complicated patterns. Tom sighed, stood and placing his hands on his son’s shoulders.
“There’s no reason to be nervous. Especially not now. Day of, sure. But now? You’ve still got a good three days to relax before the big day. Now have a seat and calm down.”
“I don’t think calming down is an option, Dad.”
“Nonsense. You’ve got nothing to be nervous about. I mean, really, how many rehearsals have you two done?”
“More than everyone else said was needed.” Ben admitted as he let he father guide him to the bed.
“Right. You know your vows inside and out, plus you’ll be able to bring them with you. So you’ll do fine.”
“That’s…that’s not what I’m nervous about.”
Tom’s eyes shifted and narrowed slightly. “You’re not getting cold feet this close to the wedding, are you?”
“No! No, of course not.”
The younger man did not elaborate further. That is, until Tom fixed his Dad Glare on his son. Ben squirmed under the scrutiny. Almost 30 years of life and that look still got under his skin.
“But what if she is?” He finally said. “I mean, really. We all know Nichole can do a lot better than me. So what if she decides to do that? What if she meets someone way better and decides I’m not worth her time anymore?”
“Do you really think she’s that shallow? That she’s the kind of woman to just go off with the first young buck she sees?”
“Well, no…”
“And do you really think she’s the kind of woman to leave you at the alter?”
“Of…of course not. But what if…”
“What if nothing, boy. The two of you’ve been living together for, what, three years now?”
“Four.”
“Right, four years. If she can put up with you that long, then she’s not going to abandon you now. Now, calm down and stop thinking those thoughts. The wedding will go perfectly, I promise. She’ll look amazing. You’ll get a bit tongue tied because of it.”
A small grin crossed Ben’s mouth. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
“And the two of you will be your wonderful, goofy selves together.” Tom continued. “Everyone will love it. Tears will be shed over your vows. It’ll be wonderful. So cheer up. There’s no need to be nervous.”
Ben nodded. He looked at his suit. He still had three days before the wedding. His nerves were not settled yet, but his dad was right. Now he just needed to convince himself of them. And he had three days to do it.
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This is coming from someone who is, unfortunately, eternally single. Maybe someday, but so far, it's not looking too hopeful for my heavily introverted self.
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