Cold Feet

My whole life, I have been waiting for this day. This moment when I can officially be called Mrs. Stevens. I knew the day would eventually come as we both looked forward to it. I didn't think I would get emotional during the last days toward my wedding day.

Every day before I went to bed, Jerry Stevens, my fiancée and I had skype calls to ease my tension. I could not help but notice how calm and relaxed Jerry appeared during those late-night calls. When I shared my thoughts about his casual attitude with my close friends, they claimed it is natural for men to appear steady and relaxed before their spouses but tense in a herd of their gender.

Alas! I felt a sigh of relief. "Everything is okay, Lexy... Soon you'll be Mrs. Stevens, the love of your life," I could mimic these words every night until I fell asleep. I belived the words worked magic on me because I felt asleep faster.

Finally, the long-awaited day arrived like a newspaper delivered by a delivery guy at the front door mat, only waiting for homeowners to pick it up from the morning breeze. By eight o'clock in the morning, a fresh banquet of flowers had already arrived in the vase in my room. The housemaids got rid of yesterday's flowers replacing them with fresh ones from Momma's garden.

I love flowers, cherished them and always enjoyed their fresh scent. Every morning after bath I would get my nose close to the flowers in my vase just to get the sweet aroma.

By nine o'clock, Angy, my bridal makeup artist, had arrived with her team. As some of Angy's assistants took care of my mother and bridesmaids team, I sat by my dressing table, waiting for Angy to start working on my face.

As Angy laid off her work tools on the dressing table, I had already reached the church. A congregation filled with friends, relatives, and neighbors waited for me in the church. As soon as I walked out of the limousine, the music stopped, and silence dropped; the silence was so loud. The pianist interrupted the deafening silence with a wedding tune.

Father held my arm and walked me down the aisle as my favorite bridesmaids, Kathy and Lizzy, held my sparkling white gown to prevent it from catching dirt. I had my head high, with eyes fixed on the altar. I couldn't wait to reach Jerry.

The path to the aisle seemed so long. Eventually, I got there, right in front of Jerry Stevens. Father handed my arm to Jerry, who took my arm, ushering me to join him on the altar.

The priest's face was vibrant, shimmering with a smile, he raised his arms, and the congregation took their seats, ready to witness the grand wedding, the multi-billionaire's daughter's wedding. We both recited our vows, and the priest said, "you may now kiss the bride."

Oops! I hit my head on the pillow right in front of my dressing table. Angy noticed me blushing and giggling. "Goodness..., Jerry must be the luckiest man to have you; it's an amazing feeling... you already reached the aisle before you finished dressing up," Angy said giggling.

She assured me it's normal for brides to build castles during their wedding day. However, Angy claimed that most brides had cold feet. "Okay, Lexy, let's start the makeup process; I don't want you to keep your groom waiting," said Angy as she played with her brushes, powders, and creams on my face.

Mother walked into my room, dressed up and ready for the day. Her smile was natural. I could sense her joy from the dressing table. We exchanged glances from the dressing mirror then she walked ahead of me to the dressing table, "not too caky, Angy, don't make my daughter dolly," mother cautioned Angy as we smiled at each other.

Out of blues, the air in the room felt so thin. Someone must have shut the windows or the AC. "How come I can't breathe well? Could I be sick on my wedding day," endless thoughts dashed through my mind.

Suddenly I couldn't think straight. My mind was cloudy, and I felt weary. I pushed Angy aside and rushed to the window to gasp for air. "I was right; the air in the room grew thin, insufficient for the three of us. When I turned around, I was met by my mother and Angy's gaze. "Goodness...! You're sweating, darling," "This will ruin your makeup," mother said. "Don't worry, Mrs. Grey, I don't mind doing the makeup all over again; that's part of my job. And I'm here to ensure your daughter gets to the aisle in perfect look," Angy said as she ushered me to take a seat on the couch by the window. Angy brought me a glass of water as mother talked me out of my weary situation.

I can't tell the source of my nervousness. Out of blues, I felt so sick. Mother asked Angy to take a break, at least half an hour, as I tried to relax by the window.

"What is wrong, Lexy? You can talk to me; I'm your mother, and you know I always got your back. Please speak up when you still have time. Otherwise, once you walk down the aisle and exchange vows, the situation is irreversible," mother's words woke me up from a land of nowhere.

I took a glance at my mother to counter her thoughts. "What...! Maa..! I don't have a problem being Mrs. Stevens, but I just can't tell why I suddenly got cold feet, yet a while ago, I was daydreaming already on the aisle with Jerry," I informed mother as I walked back to the dressing table.

"Mummy... I can tell something is off... I can feel it, but I can't point a finger at anything or anyone," I thought I whispered, but the words came out loud and filled with dullness.

"Calm down, darling; feeling anxious and nervous on your wedding day is normal," said mother as she crossed over to sit beside me at the dressing table. Mother attempted to ease my nerves with her sweet words but failed. Her efforts bore no fruits. Neither could I rescue myself from this.

"Mother... do you think I should call Jerry? He knows the right words to use when I'm like this," I asked mother, only to be met by a glare.

"Mummy... it's not what you think. Not that Jerry knows me better than you do. However, the last couple of days before this big day, I've had this strange feeling, and only late-night calls with Jerry cheered me up," I assured mother while holding her right arm into mine.

"Fine...I understand, darling, but it's a bad omen for the bride to see his groom or talk to her on the wedding day before exchanging vows," mother shrugged as she walked past the dressing table. She stood by the window for a while in silence.

I sat gazing into the mirror for a while, trying to figure out the cause of my distress; then, I shut my eyes for a while.

I opened my eyes to a knock at my door. It was Angy. She knocked and walked in with a glass of red wine. "I've seen most brides get restless on their wedding day, and I offer this as a solution... Please take this. It works..." said Angy in a firm tone. From her tone and facial expression, one could tell she was certain of what she was doing.

"You heard her... carry on darling, all shall be well..." mother joined Angy in pushing me into having the one glass of wine. Gazing at the wine glass, I found myself in wonderland.

I was thinking about Jerry again. Wondering why I can't just be allowed to break the rules and talk to him for the last time before I officially become his wife. I didn't want any bad omen. I didn't want to be the cause of my downfall.

Immediately, I erased thoughts about calling Jerry. I was going to be his wife. Spend the rest of my life by his side. Hence, I felt no need to have a Skype call that will bring bad omen to my marriage.

After endless thoughts, I found myself holding the glass of wine close to my lips. It was as if I was cautious of not getting poisoned. Perhaps I was keen not to ruin my gown.

I took a sip of the wine... "Mmm.. I think this will work..." I told myself and gulped it down my throat. I was done. Ready for my big day. Now I allowed Angy to proceed working my face. All I wanted was to get ready and on time for my wedding.

"Finally...! We have a natural smile from the most stunning bride of the year," mother glamorized the moment. It was time for me to leave my nest and become Mrs. Stevens.