White Lace and Promises
An angel glimmering in white.
As the sun sparkled through the stained glass that ringed the top of the church walls, James surveyed the chapel room. He smiled, realizing all the people that he and Margie held dear, their friends and family, had filled the room.
He glanced down the aisle to see Margie in her white lace gown. To him, she was an angel. He could not help remembering how they met at the church social that summer afternoon. She was so young and innocent.
He could still see her long, dark hair cascading down over her shoulders. Her petite figure, accentuated by a pair of short, tight hotpants, caught his eye immediately. When she smiled, she drew him to her in an instant. He was smitten. Margie was not as interested; almost ambivalent to the attention of the tall lanky boy from across town. She didn’t really care for the pencil-thin mustache he thought enriched his smile. His male friends seemed to like it more than the women. Even his mother commented that his whiskers made his nose look big. James didn’t care what they thought, it was his style.
He worked hard to make Margie love him. Winning her over took longer than he expected. But back then, things were less complicated. Their first dates were simple pleasures. A stroll through the park, a meeting at the library, or sharing an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. They sat holding hands on a bench for hours, just talking.
Once, they went on a camping trip with a group of friends. They were both so slim they could fit into the same sleeping bag. Slender bodies being a treasure reserved for the young.
A kiss, in those days, was the limit of their affection. They would spend all day “making out” as they called it back then. There was no sex involved. They expressed their love through hugging and kissing.
Even then, James knew he was ready for a partnership. Margie was the one for him. Only a life together could bring them happiness. A future loaded with promises.
Oh, how he longed for those simple days again. But the changes had to come. Today would be the culmination of all they had worked for, together.
James looked ahead at the minister standing there so solemnly with his game face on. It was the same expression he wore regardless of the occasion. It could be the baptism of a newborn baby, the sacrament of confirmation, a wedding, or a funeral. They were all tasks that he had grown accustomed to performing for his disciples. When James nodded, the reverend read a brief prayer from the little black booklet in his hand.
James began to grow weak in the knees. Even when you know what is coming, it’s difficult to imagine what lies ahead. But then the future is always uncertain. When he appeared to wobble, his best friend, Bart, who stood at his side, took his arm and helped him stiffen his posture. He wanted to look steadfast for his bride. She was there before him like an angel glimmering in white. It would be their last memory together.
As they closed the casket, he whispered goodbye to the love of his life. With the pallbearers in the lead, they walked down the aisle together one last time.
This article is fictional. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
