Tuesday, June 26, 2007

The Wedding - 5



They were up to the brachos now. One after the next, others walked up, said the blessing to the bride and groom, and took their places at the sidelines.
By now, the talking had reached a crescendo, save for the "amen" after each brachah. She shivered. She thought she could handle maybe one more moment before she'd break. Shatter into a million pieces.

In the distance, she heard the final brachah being said. She saw her friend's veil lifted to drink from the cup. She listened as the singer sang of remembering past destruction. She watched as a cloth covered object was placed on the floor; as the chassan raised and lowered his foot once, twice, three times... She cried as his shoe came crashing down on the glass, breaking her heart along with it.

Then, she smiled. She wiped her eyes and ran over to the chuppah, pushing her way through until she reached her friend and embraced her in a tight hug, whispering "Mazel Tov" over and over again into her friend's ear. She didn't want to let go. Didn't want to erase the smile that now graced her face.

From the corner of her eye, she watched as the chosson was embraced by his friend. As the bochurim started singing and dancing, she felt her friend slowly let go, grabbing on to her new husband's hand as they were led down the aisle.

The guy from across the hall was singing at the top of his lungs as he danced in front of the newlyweds. He looked away for a minute, caught her eye again, and then continued dancing. She watched as their backs receded into the next room, as the sounds of singing slowly grew faint, and as the room slowly emptied once more.

She was alone again. Alone in a room full of her heart. She felt the tears welling up again, against her will. As she sat down on a chair to compose herself, she heard footsteps come up from behind. She looked up to see the same guy from before.

"Are you OK? I noticed your face earlier, and I asked a friend who you were right then, during the chuppah. He said you were the kallah's closest friend."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, I'll be fine."

"Just wanted you to know that my friend will take good care of yours... Don't worry."

"Oh, I'm not worried. It's just that... well... whatever. I don't even know you. I shouldn't exactly be talking to you."

"It's OK. I know what you're trying to say. Ummm... Well... I gotta go now. Just wanted to make sure that you were fine."

"Thanks."

He walked away, leaving her to contemplate this strange encounter. She couldn't believe herself. She had totally misjudged him. Placed him in a box in which he didn't belong. She felt terrible. Her tears had dried on her face by now, forgotten.

She dreamily walked into the next room, a small smile on her face, and went to join her friends.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

so, is this supposed to be a parable, or is it a true story? is it really that hard to watch a friend get married?

what i took out of it was that despite first impressions, it doesn't hurt to open your mind and give people second chances.

- mobile mel

Anonymous said...

that was really sweet of him. nu, maybe it's a shidduch! ;)

the dreamer said...

mel - welcome back...
it's a misture of a couple of stories, mine and others.

and yes, it really is that difficult to watch a good friend get married...

harder than it appears..

anono - you're forgetting - this is a work of fiction. :)

Jacob Da Jew said...

"Oh, I'm not worried. It's just that... well... whatever. I don't even know you. I shouldn't exactly be talking to you."

Ah, gotta love the yeshivisheh world. If this would be anywhere else, perhaps a Shidduch would have been made. But no, Assur to talk to men!!!!

Jacob Da Jew said...

I know its fiction..

Shmuel said...

Thanks for at least ending off on a happier note.
I know how you feel. The drive home last night from the wedding was agonizingly lonely.
And I don't know what the gevezener illuy is talking about...

the dreamer said...

jacob - hey... you never know... i didn't say that she didn't ask about him afterwards...

jewmaican - you're welx.
youch. i hate that.

me neither.
:)

Scraps said...

I like this ending. :)

the dreamer said...

scraps - i got too many messages that i was too negative...
lol
:)

smb said...

so adorrrable

socialworker/frustrated mom said...

Great ending, anything else in the making?

Scraps said...

I would have liked the ending even if it wasn't so cheerful. I think most real-life endings aren't so happy.

David_on_the_Lake said...

Loved the subtel ending...keeps us wondering and thinking..
Just like real life itself...

Its all in the dots....

yingerman said...

Nu marry him already!!

Floating Reflections said...

Ah the beauty of fiction...wish these things happened in real life.
These wedding posts had me on an emotional rollercoaster, least now I can get off :)

the dreamer said...

lvn - :)

swfm - i write straight to blogger... so when i come up with something else, you'll see it here.

scraps - it wasn't like everything as hunky dory...

david - my ending did not have ANY dots. so there.
:P
and yeah, life always keeps us wondering. it's what makes life interesting.

yingerman - lol

behind a smile - actually, this work of fiction is based on a couple of real life experiences - mine and others'...
it made you so emotional? gosh...
sorry.

Anonymous said...

so that sweet guy does actually exist?

David_on_the_Lake said...

that is precisely the secret of the dots...

the dreamer said...

anono - yeah. but he's married. :)

david - the real secret is to get the effect WITHOUT using dots.

David Melamed said...

Dreamer, don't worry...All the good ones aren't taken... YET!
:)

David_on_the_Lake said...

Thats not a secret..Thats what authors have been doing for 100s of year..
:-P

the dreamer said...

mel - you sure?
:P

david - except you.
:)

Anonymous said...

BINGO! She has found her shiduch, call yenta the matchmaker asap!

(yeah, i know the ones before me said it but still that was my first reaction)

the dreamer said...

nuch - lol.
:)

David Melamed said...

You know Dreamer, people are always saying, "don't worry, G-d has something/someone special in store for you..." After a while, it gets harder and harder to hear it. When people say it, you kinda tune out, nodding your head, yeah , yeah, I know , I know... But you always wonder, what is taking so long.... The thing is, the mere fact that you are waiting, guarantees when the right one comes along, that it will be extremely special and amazing. It's not a novel theory, it is simple "head-of-a-chicken" dynamics... Every day, every night, every reminder you get that you are still single, ensures that when the right one comes along... You will do everything you can to maximize on the relationship, ensure it's success, and you are Guaranteed an incredible life... So, it may be tough at times, and it may be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes, but you should know that every time it hurts, everytime you wonder, everytime you face your present reality, YOU ARE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR A TRULY INCREDIBLE LIFE!

They say, "you never appreciate something til you lose it."

G-d is giving you the greatest gift ever... The ability to appreciate what you are missing prior to having it.

Now, when you find what you are looking for, you will be able to live an appreciative life even beyond anything you can imagine.

This is more than just a blessing in disguise. It is a blatant blessing, should be appreciated...

"GAM ZU L'TOVA"

just my thoughts.

the dreamer said...

mel - thank you for your thoughts. i truly appreciate them.

David Melamed said...

my pleasure.