And it was the day that everyone was waiting for.
The afternoon looked magically perfect. The sun was bright and was spreading its gold all around. The grass looked greener than usual. The breeze was gentle as if its whole purpose was to tickle everyone softly. And along with the breeze spread the enchanting fragrance of magnolia and gardenia flowers which lined the entire area.
The beautiful countryside house of Raymond’s mother had been repainted and decked up for today. A splash of ivory white on those old walls had brought the house alive. That house along with the grasslands next to it looked like a picture taken straight from a book.
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The huge backyard had been cleared up for the ceremony, except for that rickety swing. It was kept intact and was decorated with flowers instead and name cards were placed on them.
A temporary stage and a dance area had been made using wooden frames and were covered with silken rugs to give it that old school look.
They wanted a wedding that was intimate, low key, yet very personalized. And the wedding planner whom David had hired, took care of it perfectly. Nothing was flashy and loud in there. Everything was subtle, homely yet elegant from every perspective.
The entire lawn which had been freshly mowed looked all prim, like a gigantic green carpet that had been spread on the floor of the backyard. But still, tiny crickets kept crawling here and there, camouflaging themselves in the greenness.
In the middle and on the corner side of the lawn, chairs had been placed for the guests. The seat covers were embroidered and in the corner was the symbol of their everlasting love - RAF [Raymond and Akira Forever]
Even though the weather forecast said that there was no chance of rain, they were still prepared for it. In the southernmost corner, a huge tent had been erected, to house people in case the Gods of rain decided to act upon.
That tent also housed a juicing area and an exotic fruit counter, which was Akira’s idea by the way.
Linens, tables, silverware, china, glassware, and everything possible had been placed in perfect order. The only thing missing out was a jolly crowd and the two love birds.
After inspecting the decorations, David called up Raymond who was stationed in the bedroom of his mother’s countryside house.
"Hello."
"Well, hello David! So tell me, how does it look?" asked Raymond after coming out from the bathroom, taking a shower.
"It looks absolutely perfect Raymond. Just look out from your window. It’s just the way we had planned. Perfect to the T," said David and moved to check the bar counter.
Raymond went towards the window and opened the frame and he was welcomed by the breeze.
"Yeah, isn’t that perfect?" he asked and looked up to check the sky. There were clouds here and there, but those were the white cotton candy ones, the ones that just keep floating.
Looking at the path to the stage, which had been strewn with carnations, a smile spread on Raymond’s lips, as he started imagining her, walking down to the stage in that beautiful white dress of hers.
"Raymond! Raymond! Can you snap out of it?" asked David as he could see from there that Raymond’s eyes were glued on the stage.
"Yeah, Yeah. You had to say something?" asked Raymond.
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"No..." said David and laughed mildly as he could hear from Raymond’s voice that he was slightly embarrassed. "Just get ready. It’s your day today," said David and disconnected the call before walking towards the house which was bustling with voices now.
"Tell me one final time. Are curls going better or straightened hair?" asked Katherine as she stood in front of the mirror along with Akira, holding her hair in her hands.
"Anything... Just whatever pleases you, Katherine. I guess we went over this back at your place, right?" asked Akira.
"Yeah, but here it is breezy and I don’t want your pictures to be ruined with your hair all over your face, ok!" said Katherine and started pacing around the room, gathering all her tools, a straightener a curler, heat protector, setting gel and what not.
"You look like you are going to war," chuckled Akira.
"Aren’t we. You gotta look your best today and I have the responsibility. I need to kill it big time!" said Katherine as she started plugging all her gadgets into the sockets.
Looking at her picnicking out of her wits, Akira said, "Well I don’t mind a couple of strands on my face though. Plus the veil will guard me. So let’s just keep it natural. Just soft curls will do Katherine."
"Are you sure?" asked Katherine as she lathered her hands with a heat protector.
Akira simply nodded and sat on the stool like an obedient child, ready to be pampered by her personal hairdresser slash bridesmaid.
As Katherine started applying the heat protector on her hair, she observed that Akira was awfully quiet. Even during lunchtime, she didn’t eat much and had left the table early saying that she wanted to take bath.
’Probably pre-wedding jitters,’ thought Katherine and picked up her curling iron.
Katherine wanted to ask her about the stuff that was eating her up, but she was scared that it would probably make her break down. She didn’t want the bride to cry just hours before her wedding. So she kept her questions to herself and thought about asking something else to divert her attention.
"So, what did you get for your something old and something blue?"
"My mother’s scrunchie!" she replied with a mellow yet discreet voice.
Switching off the curling iron, Katherine placed both her hands on her shoulder. She now very well understood what was disturbing her soon to be sister in law.
"Things of the past will always haunt us Akira. So always remember the good part. Remember the fond memories, remember the time well spent. Cherish what you had instead of thinking about what could have, my love," she said with a soft voice.
"How can I not think of ’what could have’? Everything would have been different if not for one man,’ said Akira and wiped away that stray tear which had been stinging her eyes for long.
"Who?"
Akira didn’t say anything. She had stopped resenting the man who was the reason her parents were dead for long. She thought she had forgiven him.
But today she realized that she never could.
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