Wedding Day

Wedding Day

Short Story by: Jud Philipps

Susan lay in bed twirling her straight chocolate hair anxiously around her fingers. Today was her wedding day, a day that would normally be filled with laughter, family, celebration, and above all, love. The ultimate celebration of love. But some how Susan felt that not only should she not be getting married today but that she should never be married at all. Her fiance, George, was a tall, broad shouldered, sandy haired man who absolutely adored Susan. He was sweet, caring, a great listener, had a well paying job, ideally the perfect man. While Susan had a great deal of care for him, she ultimately didn’t love him.

To be honest, Susan didn’t see marriage as a celebration of love, yet she saw it more as a easy way out for the weak and incomplete. Happily ever after? More like happily ever after, after you die of misery from being married. The thought of staying married to someone for the rest of her life made her feel ill to her stomach, she could feel the burning acid of the vomit bubbling in her throat, eager to make it’s grand entrance.

She rolled over in bed and threw the covers over her head hoping to fall back asleep and never wake up, when the memory of Andy popped into her mind. Andy was a Jamaican account executive she had had a one night stand with in Culver City, California while she was away on business. It was a year after she and George had been dating, she got bored with George’s routine bedroom style and while away for a corporate meeting met Andy at the hotel lounge. Andy was the complete opposite of George, she had never dreamed of having an affair, but when the situation presented itself, she couldn’t resist. She had never told George fearing he would leave her. She retreated from Andy’s room early the next morning, not feeling the least bit shameful but almost happy. Though as soon as she caught her noon flight home later that day made the decision to try not to think of it again, nor...