Love, Out of Nothing At All

View From the Top

“Lydia? Oh my…Lydia what are you doin’? Are you sick?” Veronica asked of me, seeing my hunkered down on the floor throwing up in the downstairs guest bath. I didn’t answer her. The last thing in the world I wanted was for Veronica to find out…and today of all days. I shook my head.

 “No. No, I’m not sick. This…this is...” I didn’t finish my sentence. “I didn’t want you to know about this.” I reached up and flushed the lav.  “This…this is the way I…I handle…” Veronica stopped me.

 “Stop. You don’t have to explain. Everyone deals in different ways. I only wish so much you would have told me you were doing this. This explains why you’re so thin. I’ve wondered. You don’t gotta’ justify it because I don’t know how I would act if I were in your shoes.”

 “What if I said it was sympathy heaves?” I knew that would make her laugh even though it wasn’t actually funny. “I should be okay now until around seven or eight.” I watched Veronica put her hand on her stomach. It was 6:23 in the mornin’. I stood up.

 “You okay?” I asked her. Veronica shook her head.

 “I think so…just a little queasy this morning. I feel really full and fluttery. I don’t know where the baby feelings end and the wedding jitters begin.” Veronica laughed. I smiled at her.

 “I’ve got some plastic bags. I’ll put some into my purse just in case.” Veronica laughed again.

 “Oh god! Lydia…I can’t believe this. You have to take plastic bags to my wedding in case I throw up!” She hid her face in her hands and kept laughing. I laughed with her again.

“Alright, you call for a cab and I’m going to get these bags, and put them in my purse! How about breakfast? You want somethin’ at the hotel? You need to eat today, Veronica. There’s a long day before us.” I said, putting my hands on her shoulders. She picked up the phone and pulled the telephone directory from the drawer of the end table. She looked up the number and called.

 “Maybe we can order some room service when we get to the suite? My parents, John's parents,  and everyone else stayin’ at our house are arrivin' at the church at 11:00. I don't know when they are plannin' on checkin' in. We need to get to the church after we drop everything off and have some breakfast.” Veronica explained.

 “So, we’ll get ready at the church, right?” I said as I walked out of the kitchen with a handful of plastic bags. I reached up and pulled my dress from the spot where it was hangin’ on the ceiling. I zipped up Veronica’s gown, followed by her veil and pulled them down as well. We had two suitcases in the hallway near the door as well as our hanging items for the day. I threw our gowns on top of our suitcases and proceeded to get our shoes. It looked as if we were stayin’ at the hotel for a week. Our load of stuff certainly didn’t look like a twenty-four hour stay.

 “Cab’s on the way. It’ll be here in ten. Yes, yes there’s a room reserved for us in the church and whoever else and a room for John and…well, whoever else.” Veronica said.

 “Okay, we’re all set here. We’ll leave everything just inside the door until the cab gets here.

 By 7:20 that morning, Brian and Chrissie were up and moving. “Brian, there’s something I’m quite nervous about.”

 “What?” Brian asked.

 “Well, you know that last night I was on my best behavior at the rehearsal dinner. And we sat across from Roger at the table, which kept me calmer. But…I worry…I sincerely worry that if we are seated beside him at the church or at the reception that…well, I just want to slap him, Brian! I just want to hit him as hard as I possibly can!” Chrissie said a bit excitedly.