I’m wearing a hideous dress. Three other women are standing next to me, wearing the same hideous dress. But the only thing that matters is the woman in the center, wearing the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen. My best friend was getting married, and I couldn’t stop smiling. Ever since she entered the room, and all of the guests turned around in their seats to watch, that smile hadn’t left her face. And well, smiling tends to be contagious. Especially at an event as special as this.
I was looking right at her when it happened. That smile, that smile that had been there since the moment she entered the room, that smile that had taken everybody’s heart by storm.. that smile? That smile slowly was disappearing off her face. And that’s when I realized, that the entire time, that beautiful smile was fake. The priest was talking but I could tell she wasn’t listening. Her eyes were terrified, her face was stiff, and faking the panic for happiness was getting harder and harder to do. I’ll never forget what happened next: she took one last long and hollowing look at him, one fleet of a glance, directly in my eyes, as if to say “I just can’t do it, and I know you understand why,” and bolted.
I knew it only took her a few seconds to exit the church, but it might as well have been hours. The train of her dress was dragging behind her, her veil was blowing back behind her head, the bouquet she was holding was long gone back at the altar, and her groom was wearing the saddest look I’ve ever seen. No one had time to react, no one had time to stop her, no one even had time to chase after her. All of a sudden that long moment, between the altar and the church doors, was over. And all that was left were hundreds of frantic guests in pews, a few confused bridesmaids, and a brokenhearted groom. I had just witnessed a breaking of an era, a failed attempt at marriage, and the breaking of two hearts no longer in the same place. And it all just started with a smile and a few hideous dresses.
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