The Day that it Rained

-Liam Odynsky

The sun shining brightly on the beautiful green grass. That’s how we wished our wedding would be, but that’s not how it happened. It was indoors because of rain, in an old church. The church wasn’t as old as some, but it was not holding up well. Its stained glass windows were cracked, and a nest of birds sung from up in the rafters. A few boards had fallen away from one corner of the roof, causing the rain to leak in, down into a rusted metal bucket that the priests had put there to catch it.

I was in a side room, having the time of my life joking around with my best man, Steven. I had already gotten completely ready, having gone as far as ironing my bowtie then re-tying it to make sure everything was perfect. At this point, I wasn’t sure what more there was for me to do. So I left the room to go greet the guests, as there was still easily an hour before the wedding would start.

No-one was there yet, and despite the common practice of not seeing the bride before the wedding, I had to see her, though it had only been hours I missed her beautiful face already. I remember reaching her door, knocking on it, and I remember the bridesmaid answering in a panicked voice. “You can’t see the bride yet!”

“Oh come on Lucy, its fine, I helped her pick out the dress for goodness sake.” I said, pushing the door open. “Julianne, honey? You there?”

“She’s… she’s not…”Said Lucy, Julianne’s Maid of Honor. I could see from the running eyeliner that that she had been crying.

“Where is she?” I said, a spark of fear lighting up in my heart. Could she have been leaving me at the altar? No, she wouldn’t do that to me, she was too kind and devoted. “Lucy! Where is Julianne??”

“She ran! I tried to stop her, or at least find out why! But she wouldn’t stop!” Lucy said, begging me to forgive her. But I was not mad at her, Julianne had a tendency to be extremely determined when she made up her mind. But I didn’t think to tell her that at the time. All I could think of was Julianne, where did she go? And why?

“Which way did she go?” I asked Lucy in a tone much more aggressive than I meant it to be. I could visibly see the fear I was striking into her, but I didn’t stop. And though I did end up apologizing later that day, I did not think to do it then.

“All I know is she went through out the only door into the church!” Lucy said, backing against the wall, tears smearing her eyeliner all the way down to her cheeks. “I’m so sorry…”

Without saying a word, I ran from the room and out the huge front doors of the church. As I ran, I saw all the guests beginning to show up, and though they tried to greet and congratulate me, I didn’t stop running. I could still see Julianne’s footprints in the gravelly mud, and her stilettos still lied from where she ditched them in order to continue running. Her tracks led into the forest, through the thick layer of blackberry bushes which tore at tuxedo like it did with her dress, as I could tell from the bits of beautiful white fabric hanging from various thorns.

The underbrush eventually became too thick to see her footprints, but now I had other ways of following; scraps of her dress that got caught on things, and any branches or twigs she broke during her run. Multiple times I lost her trail, but I always managed to find it again.

“Adam?” I heard a familiar voice call from up ahead.

“Julianne?” I called back, running even faster than before. “Julianne!”

“Adam? Why did you follow me?”

“Why did I follow you? Why did you run?”

“I panicked… I couldn’t… I don’t know… I’m just so scared Adam. We’re getting married!”

“I know, it’s scary for me too, but there’s one thing that keeps me from freaking out.” I said, taking her hands.

“That you get to marry me, and you’re a lucky man. Don’t you think I’ve heard all of that before?” Said Julianne, starting to pull away.

“Julianne, it’s not that at all.” Putting my arms around her.

“What?”

“That’s not at all what I was going to tell you.” I said, holding her close. “Whenever I feel scared, I think not of was, but what could be-“

“-But that’s what scares me!” She interrupted, turning to face me.

“Shh, let me finish.” I said, laughing slightly. “I always think about the future, about how fantastic it will be spending the rest of my life with you, hearing that laugh every morning, and calling you my wife. Eventually having children, seeing them grow up with you at my side, then growing old together. I couldn’t imagine doing any of it without you. I love you Julianne. Now, let’s get back, we can’t be late for our own wedding!”

“Oh Adam, I love you too, but what about our clothes?? We can only have our wedding once, so we can’t have it in these! Look at us!” She said, and even with the slightest glance at us you would notice the clothes. Both my tuxedo and her dress were torn in many places, caked with mud and soaking wet from the rain. “You have scratches and mud all over your face, plus your hair is a mess and filled with sticks. And look at me! I bet I look no better.”

“Really? Because you look stunningly gorgeous to me.” And I wasn’t lying, she really did look beautiful, despite being covered in mud.

”Oh but what about the wedding photos Adam!”

“What about them? This will just give us a story to tell to our children and grandchildren, a story so much better than if things had gone right!” I said, sweeping her up into my arms. I took her back to the church, and had the wedding. I don’t know if I even need to mention how many relatives on both sides were shocked by us, but we still went through with it. The wedding flew by so fast I could hardly notice I was there, until we looked each other in the eyes and said our vows.

“I, Adam Laugine, take you, Julianne Redridge, for my lawful wife.” Time slowed, thousands of things were running through my head, but all of them good things. I was about to marry the most perfect woman in the world. “To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part.”

“”I, Julianne Redridge, take you, Adam Laugine, to be my husband.” She was so beautiful, and I can see in her eyes, she was still scared, but at the same time, had the giddiness of a small child. “I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.”

“You may now kiss the bride” Said the Pastor, closing the book that he didn’t have to read from as much as he thought he would because we had already memorized our vows. And then we kissed. We kissed for merely seconds, but it felt like an eternity, like entire lifetimes passed during those few moments where our lips touched.

“I love you Adam.” She whispered in my ear after we pulled away.

“I love you too Julianne.”