Rod, again - Chapter 23, The groom gets ready

Rod peeked through his window at the courtyard. After mulling many possible wedding venues, the courtyard made the most sense. After weeks of noticing one another around the apartment complex, this was where he and Cindy had first really met. Standing in the rain that night seemed almost like a dream now. Cindy and her mother and friends had done a wonderful job decorating the space. The wedding would start in the early evening, giving the courtyard a chance to cool off a little. Already, most of the guests had arrived and found seats.

Meeting Cindy’s parents had gone well. They were as wonderful as Cindy had assured him. Given how kind Cindy was, he should have expected it. Rod double-checked the diamond cuff-links, a gift from her father. Rod didn’t wear much jewelry, certainly nothing as fancy as these. He’d accepted them graciously but later he and Cindy had shared a laugh about the fact that his cuff-links had more carats than her engagement ring.

Rods mother had also lived up to expectations, meaning things had been rocky with Patsy. She arrived last night with Miss Trudy and her friend Mavis. The three had driven down from northern Minnesota; a trip that took nine days. It would have been quicker, Mavis noted, but Miss Trudy needed frequent stops for fresh air and exercise. Rod wondered what sort of exercise Miss Trudy was doing - from what he could tell, she mostly laid on his mother’s lap and hissed at anyone who looked at her. After nine days of listening to Miss Trudy’s complaining yowl, one would think that Mavis would have been irritated by the slow pace of the trip, but she seemed to be of the same mind as his mother when it came to that cat. Maybe his mother had finally found a friend.

Rod’s mother wasted no time dropping some less than subtle hints that Miss Trudy was available to act as flower cat if they were interested. Cindy tried her best to be tactful but when his mother pulled out the feline-sized white lace dress, she was unable to stifle a sudden chortle. She tried her best to disguise the outburst as a cough, but the room was noticeably more tense. Rod prepared himself for an ugly confrontation but none occurred. His mother was obviously angry, but she chose to internalize it. For this, Rod was grateful.

Rod checked his hair in a mirror and then returned to scanning the crowd. So many people - most of them friends of Cindy. Other than the people at work, Rod didn’t have many friends or family. As he gazed at the crowd, a flash of color caught his eye - a deep orange dress with a floral pattern. He didn’t recognize the woman wearing it at first and he gasped a little when he realized it was Debbie. She was beautiful, that much was certain. She had her arm wrapped around Rico’s as the two shared a laugh. Rod watched them and tried to understand the emotion he was feeling; envy? anger? nostalgia? He wasn’t sure what he felt, but it bothered him that he felt anything at all. He turned away from the window just as Cindy popped into the room.

“Hi there handsome,” Cindy said, cheerily. “You look almost good enough to marry.”

Rod smiled. “Thanks, you look beautiful yourself. Your dress is incredible.”

“Why thank you, but Debbie really deserves the credit. Did you notice that she made it?”

“I think I may have seen her out there with Rico.” Rod admitted.

Cindy scanned the crowd. “Oh, there she is! Rod, look at the two of them, they look so happy! Isn’t it just super that they found each other?”

“Yeah, they look happy.”

Cindy kissed Rod and the cheek as she headed out of the room. “Well, Mr. Piston, I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t gotten cold feet. It won’t be too long now! I need to check on my parents, they’re stressing about your mother’s cat. Don’t worry though, it’ under control.”

As Cindy left, Rod took another look at the woman in the deep orange dress and tried to assess the temperature of his feet.