The Perfect Wedding Day

Janey remembered her ex-husband as he used to be, but now time made her see him in a new light…

By Fanny Blake

Janey had just finished overseeing the final preparations in the marquee. The twelve tables were laid, the favours in place, and at the centre of each one a jar of cottagegarden flowers with a pale pink helium balloon rising from it, its string garlanded with greenery. Emily was going to love everything. Perhaps best of all was the position of the marquee in her friend’s garden that ended at the sea wall so the windows down one side gave a view of the wide beach and the ocean beyond.

The only blot on the landscape was Richard, her ex and Emily’s father. As she walked the short distance home, she thought about how much she dreaded his presence. The divorce had been acrimonious. He had not been generous and they’d had minimal contact since.

The whole process had devastated Janey but she was at last beginning to find her strength and face life again. Would seeing him set her back? With a lump in her throat, she remembered how loving he’d been in the early days.

Emily had insisted he was invited even though she didn’t want him to walk her down the aisle.

“That’s so old school. Jonny and I will do that together,” she said firmly. “I’m not a bit of property being handed over from one man to another. No way. But I do want you both there.”

Of course she did. Whatever had happened between him and Janey, Richard was her dad, and he should be there. Janey would do her best to bury her fear of seeing him again as well as any pain that might resurface.

“He promised me I can wear granny’s gold bracelet, as my ‘something old’,” Emily went on, unwrapping the blue garter Janey had bought for her in Primark. “He’s bringing it with him.”

Ifheremembers. The words on the tip of Janey’s tongue remained unsaid.

The fact that he’d already hitched up with another woman hurt. None of the family had met Ginger. She lived in Belgium where Richard had attended a conference on European ecosystem services.

Janey felt a rush of jealousy. She hadn’t met anyone new. Emily had encouraged her to try a dating app but the idea of dating made her nervous. She wasn’t ready for that.

The front door was wide open when she got home. “You’re back!” Emily came out of the sitting room, distraught, with Clemmie, her chief bridesmaid, right behind her looking anxious. “Dad’s not coming tonight after all. Don’t look like that!”

Janey’s eyebrows had risen in a what didyouexpect? response. That was Richard all over. Charming, but completely and maddeningly unreliable.

“I’ll call him,” she said. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be here in the morning.”

She wasn’t sure at all. However, she did need to talk to him about the little matter of his share of the cost of the marquee. He’d ignored her letter with a copy of the bill.

“I might have known you’d be on the phone,” Richard said five minutes later. The sound of his voice still made her stomach flip. “I’ve already explained to Em that a meeting ran over.”

“She wanted you to be here for the family dinner.” Something Janey now looked forward to now he won’t be there.

“Yes, yes.” He sounded impatient. “You don’t need to go on.”

“I’m not ‘going on’. I just want to make sure tomorrow goes exactly as Em wants it to. No hitches.”

“There won’t be any from me. I’ll be there first thing.”

She could hear the irritation in his voice. They ended the conversation with him promising to transfer the money he owed her.

The following morning, the house was buzzing as Emily and her crew prepared for her big day. Janey heard the occasional squeal of excitement and the pop of a champagne cork as they toasted their friend’s marriage.

The previous evening had been a perfect preamble to the main event. The

close members of the family and the bridesmaids had taken over the small restaurant in the village, where the food had taken second place to the raucous chatter and singing. They had been turfed out at 11pm so the staff could start laying up for breakfast… probably, just as well, Janey now reflected, downing a couple of paracetamol.

She glanced at her watch. Ten o’clock. When exactly was “first thing” in Richard’s day? There was no point worrying yet. She would get ready

He WASN’T THERE and her daughter’s DISAPPOINTMENT broke her HEART

then help Emily and her friends.

The girls had spread their things in Emily’s room, which looked as if a bomb had gone off: clothes were scattered on the floor, make-up on the dressing tables, shoes everywhere.

“Mum! You look fantastic. That pale pink really suits you.” Her daughter hugged her. “I think I’ve put on weight since the last fitting. Look.” She stepped back so her mother could have a clear view. But all Janey saw was Emily looking more beautiful than she could ever remember, her simple white lace dress, her hair knotted up and studded with flowers, her face radiant.

“Rubbish. It’s meant to be fitted and you look…” Her chin wobbled.

“Don’t start!” Emily handed her a Kleenex. “Have a little drink.” She passed her a glass of champagne. “Dutch courage. Is Dad here?”

“Not yet. I’m sure he’ll arrive soon.” Janey wished she believed that.

“He’d better. Do you remember that time he arrived late for school prizegiving and they wouldn’t let him in?” Emily laughed. “They thought he was some child molester!” she explained to her three bridesmaids who laughed, all ready in their blush pink dresses.

“He’s never been the greatest time-keeper.” Janey remembered the difficulties she used to have getting him to leave on time for anything. There was always just one more thing he needed to do that invariably made them miss the beginning of films, the start of dinner parties… the list was endless.

“But I never really minded,” Emily said with a frown. “I knew he loved me, whatever. This is different though…”

By the time the car drew up to take Emily to the church, there was still no sign of him.

Janey’s heart broke seeing Emily’s disappointment as it became clear her father wasn’t going to be there to drive to the church with them. Another break with tradition.

“Never mind, darling. We’ll go on

our own,” said Janey, aware they were in danger of being late themselves now. She could cheerfully kill him. “He promised,” said Emily as soon as she and Janey were in the car, adding a tone that Janey had not heard before. “I’ll never trust him again.”

“Don’t think about him. This is your day, yours and Jonny’s.”

She squeezed Emily’s hand on the short drive through the countryside to the church. Wild flowers waved from the banks on the side of the road, white clouds scudded across a blue sky. It was all as they had hoped. Almost. A s Emily climbed out of the car, they saw Jonny waiting at the church door as the last of their friends and family went inside. He held out his hand to his bride and her face lit up as she walked towards him.

At that moment, a blue sports car screeched to a stop at the lychgate. Out climbed Richard, his hair blown about, his tie half-done up, only one arm in his jacket as he shrugged it on, a small box in his hand.

At the wheel sat a woman of Janey’s age. Janey’s heart somersaulted. Not the nubile young thing she’d imagined at all. Did that make it worse or better? “Em!” he shouted. “I’ve brought it.” His daughter’s earlier disappointment receded as she hugged him, took the box and opened it.

“It’s beautiful, Dad,” she said as she slipped the bracelet on to her wrist. He kissed her forehead. “So are you.” Turning to the woman in the car, he said, “Find somewhere to park, Ginger. If you’re quick you can sit with us.” “But Dad…” The seating had been carefully organised with no provision for Ginger. But Emily’s objection was brushed away with a peremptory wave of the hand as he led them into the church.

The organ struck up Debussy’s Clair deLune.

Janey didn’t have time to think as she took her seat at the front seconds before Jonny and Emily came down the aisle, the gold bracelet glinting at her wrist.

The service was special despite the organist hitting countless wrong notes and Jonny getting his own name wrong!

Her concentration on their daughter and on holding back her tears almost made Janey forget Richard beside her. She was grateful that Ginger had been considerate enough to sit at the back of the church and make her exit as unobtrusively as possible when the service was over.

However, when they were back at the marquee, Ginger approached her, holding out her hand. Janey took it.

“I’m so sorry to have crashed your wedding. It’s not what I meant to do at all, but Richard would have never have got here if I hadn’t driven him.” She rolled her eyes.

By now Janey was beginning to relax and could afford to be generous.

“Don’t worry. I’m glad you did. Emily would have been devastated if he hadn’t turned up.”

“That’s what I thought. My daughter would be exactly the same.” “Your daughter?” Interesting. “Yes. After three boys I thought she’d be easy. How wrong was I?” Her self-deprecating laugh made Janey warm to her. Perhaps in other circumstances they might even have been friends.

“Nice to see you girls chatting.” Richard, who had avoided speaking to Janey so far, swung up to them, glass in hand, and put an arm around Ginger’s shoulders. She looked apologetic and shrugged him off.

Janey stared at him. His once devilish good looks were well past their sell-by date. She hadn’t noticed until now.

“I’m Richard Jones, your exhusband,” he said loudly enough for heads to turn. “Remember me?”

“Of course,” she said. Her laugh stuck in her throat. He was drunk already. How had she mistaken this crassness for charm? Could she have thought he was funny before?

“Difficult to forget, I’d imagine,” said Ginger, firmly taking his elbow to guide him away.

Janey gave her an appreciative smile, realising as she did so that she didn’t care what he said. His behaviour over Emily’s wedding had driven away whatever feelings she once had for him. All she cared about was Emily and Jonny and their friends and family enjoying themselves. Ginger was welcome to him. She greeted the thought with relief. A t the other end of the marquee where the ceiling was black and punctuated by hundreds of fairylights, the band was striking up and people were crowding round to watch Emily and Jonny have their first dance.

As she stood there, Janey felt a sense of peace descend on her. Richard couldn’t hurt her any more. Just as her daughter’s marriage had begun, she finally was leaving hers.

She felt a hand on her arm. Turning she saw Bill Whyte, a friend of Jonny’s parents she had met during dinner.

“Would you like to dance?” He nodded towards the dance floor, his face lit by his smile. She didn’t hesitate. “I’d love to.” And then she took the first step into the next act of her life.