The Details

Welcome! Below is a short piece I wrote for you. If you don’t prefer to read, listen along instead:

Photos of wedding flowers littered the table for the past hour. Across the table, the florist held stems of roses and carnations and ferns. My future mother-in-law sat on my right and my mother sat on my left. 

The florist pointed at a picture of a wedding ceremony. The bride and groom stared into each other’s eyes while holding hands. I imagined myself. I imagined Cal. A few more months.

“Maybe we should do just baby’s breath along the chairs to be simple”–“Yeah, or we could just add a little red roses for some color”–“No, that is too much money, it adds up fast!”–“Or how about some roses in the arch”–“No, I think some ferns will do just fine”–“But we can’t have no flowers”–“Why not? Greenery looks fine I think.”

“I was actually thinking of sunflowers instead.” I held my breath. My mother and future mother-in-law looked at me and looked at each other and back at the florist’s book. 

“It’s a spring wedding”–“Yeah, sunflowers may feel out of place”–“Yeah let’s stick to just roses”–“But I think ferns will still look just fine with the”–“No, I will pay for the roses”–“But what’s wrong with”–“There’s nothing wrong, they j”–“It’s my daughter, I think I have a say in”–“Yes but I said I would pay anyway and–“

“Will Cal be there?” They blinked at me. “At the wedding. Will Cal be there?”

“Of course he”–“Yes, why would he not be at”–“What a silly question to–“

“Great.” I glanced at the flower books again. “Surprise me.”

The sidewalk supported my desire for distance. Distance from all of the decisions. From all of the details.

In a few more months, I just wanted my husband.