A Short Tail

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Beth was sitting on the window sill staring out at the ducks in a pond in the distance. She could hear them squawking contentedly. Twittering came from birds who talked excitedly to each other. Squirrels running on the tree limbs directly in front of her caught her attention for a second but were soon forgotten. Her far away look made it clear that she was in another place, another time.

Memories passed through her mind, often giving her a chuckle or making her feel momentarily sad. All were part of her childhood. She thought about the time that Pete threw the ball to her. She missed it and had a black eye for most of that month. The year she was 10, Rhonda gave her the first friendship bracelet she’d ever had right before her family moved away. That thought made her sad because she’d never heard from Rhonda again. A couple of days later, she met Mandy. They went everywhere together, did everything together. They were best friends through thick and thin and entered high school together. Beth smiled as she recalled how worried they were about fitting in at the high school.

She thought of her date to the prom, Robert, who looked so good in his rented tux. He couldn’t dance at all but she didn’t care. Prom dresses were awesome that year including hers which was a beautiful light beige, with shoes that were dyed to match and it all suited her perfectly. Robert made it clear that she was the only prom date there. That was one of those things that was so special about him.

Beth remembered how scared she was when her parents took her to college that first year. It was so big. But Dad took her aside and reassured her that all things seem scary when you first start out but just wait a few days. Things will get better. And they did. She had found new friends when Mandy could not go to that college. She laughed thinking about all the girls that lived in the dorm who were just like her, new and scared. She and three others banded together knowing that girls in numbers were always better than alone.

She frowned when the thought came that her new roommate had not been exactly what she had in mind. They didn’t get along at all for several weeks, not saying a word to each other. But then, one day, they both craved the same snack food at the machine in the hall. Francie opened up then and they talked for hours totally forgetting the snack they both “had to have”. Beth gently smiled again recalling the dates they went on, sometimes together. Francie had this great way of getting guys to want blind dates and Beth went along with it. There were the disasters, of course, like when her date was so picky that it drove her nuts. They laughed for hours about that one.

The memories came and went through her mind, sometimes so quickly that she could barely recall them. Others stayed so that she could enjoy them one more time. The one that stuck out by far was when Francie introduced her to her brother, Mathew. Beth and Mathew were quite an item on campus for about three years. Then a foolish fight split them up. A tear escaped and ran down her face, then another.

She snapped out of it. Better not do that, not now. A knock came on the door. “Just a minute, please”, she yelled to the door. She stopped to check herself out in the floor length mirror. Satisfied, she opened the door to a man who asked her if she was ready. “Yes, I think so.” The man looked at her, gently patting her hand.

With a sigh of pleasure and dread, she walked with the man to the entrance to the chapel. Her father kissed her and gave her a big hug. “Beth, this is the happiest day of my life. You are so beautiful. I’m certain that he will love you forever.” And with pride showing on his face, he stepped up and offered his arm to Beth. She took it, nervously checking her gown again. “Is anything out of place? Am I okay?” He nodded.

From inside the doors, the wedding march could be heard. Dad and daughter walked slowly down the aisle of the church. She looked to the right side and saw Mandy and Francie standing there grinning and encouraging her with their eyes. Again, Beth felt like crying but held in the tears when she saw her husband-to-be, Mathew, standing there waiting for her. He looked so good in that tux. Mathew watched as his bride came closer to him, smiling. “I love you so much”, he whispered to her. Beth looked at him with adoring eyes. She knew right then that they were going to be just fine. The pastor began to pray.

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