The Wedding invitation

The Wedding invitation

The rattle of the letterbox started the dogs yapping madly. Going to investigate through the glass panes of the door Lola noticed the postman, mailbag slung across his back beat a hasty retreat down the driveway.
That’s a bit odd; she thought picking up the post. He usually stops on some pretence or other. If he wasn’t so god awful gawky looking she might have kind of fancied him, she thought. It had been a while since she had enjoyed the company of a man. “Any port in a storm,” her mother used to say. “Yeah, but she likes sailors,” she scoffed.
Carrying the letters into the kitchen she noticed they were the usual collection of circulars and loose leaf advertisements and a black envelope.
A black envelope? Turning it over in her hand she noticed there were little sparkly diamantes on the left-hand side corner. “A fancy wedding invitation,” she announced to the two Jack Russell’s who were sitting beside the cupboards where she kept the dog chewy things that supposedly cleaned their teeth. “You have the cleanest set of teeth in the country “she said breaking one into two and dutifully handing it over as a reward for the jobs as security guards!
Carefully, she tore open the envelope and drew out the card. It was really fancy with hand embroidered gold lettering. A pleased feeling swept over her. I could do with getting all dressed up and having a nice day out. I might even splash out and book in for a day or two – depending if the hotel is nice. And given such a fancy invitation it was bound to be somewhere really special, she thought.
It had been ages since she had received a wedding present. Glass of wine in hand she sat down and turned the black envelope over again. “ I don’t think I know any couples who are getting married,” she mused
There were plenty of baby shower parties and baby naming get together where the gender of the baby via a scan picture and a midwife’s smile of conformation it was a boy or a girl but fewer weddings.
It took a minute for her brain to process the bride’s name. “She has a bloody nerve. The last time I saw her name in print was on my divorce papers,” she spluttered the wine going up her nose making her choke.
Her bubble of anticipation at having a lovely day out evaporated like the white fluffy clouds that were passing over the window. She knew she wouldn’t be responding to the PSVN address at the foot of the invitation any time soon.
“That bitch has been having it off with my husband almost as long as he had been living with me! And she had the nerve to send me an invitation to her wedding.” Granted, they had been best friends since schooldays and had always said they’d be each other’s bridesmaid and or matron of honour. And shared everything, an inner voiced mocked. “But no more, of that shit,”Lola growled flinging the letter from her. An even bigger shock than her friend sneaking around behind her back was when she discovered they had not one but two children. – half siblings to my children she thought furiously.
And she’d had a daughter in a previous relationship, the slut. And to complicate things even further he had been her family’s support worker.
“Took his job a wee tiny bit too seriously,” Lola growled stamping on the invitation as it lay on the ground.. But she couldn’t resist picking it up again. She was surprised they were having such a swanky affair in one of the best 5 stars hotel out of town. “The last I heard of them they were in debt up to their armpits with four kids and another on the way,” she muttered.
“On second thoughts maybe I should go,” she sniggered. If she was honest, it had been a relief to get rid of him. She wasn’t about to admit it but she been getting to the point if she was going to keep on living with him she’d have to an affair to make life tolerable. Luckily, she hadn’t found anyone before her ex-husband gave her the get out of jail opportunity.
Her mood brightened. She would accept the invitation. After all her friend had done her a good turn. She’d get dressed up to the nines. And maybe she’d take the goofy postman with her just for show. He was young and toned It would be a pleasure to see into the future and know her ex-husband and her ex-girlfriend were going to bore each other to death while she’d be free as a bird.
GC Hill©