Dial a for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Author:Jesse Q. Sutanto [Sutanto, Jesse Q.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2021-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

17

The bridal suite is a mess. I find Second Aunt in her work corner, trying to put the finishing touches on Jacqueline’s hair while Jacqueline visibly tries not to cry. Maureen holds Jacqueline’s hands tight, speaking to her in a low, comforting tone of voice.

“I can’t believe he’s drunk,” Jacqueline says. “On our wedding day!”

“I know,” Maureen says, rubbing Jacqueline’s arms. “But I think he’s sobering up right now. He’ll probably be okay.”

Second Aunt brightens up when she spots me. “Ah, photographer is here, you no cry anymore, okay? Later ruin picture.”

“Who cares about pictures anymore? My groom is a dumbass!” Jacqueline cries.

“Oh, sweetie.” Maureen pulls her into a hug.

I bite my lip and give the two of them a bit of space. The truth is, people often judge brides for being high-strung and call them “bridezillas,” but honestly, without a groom like Tom, Jacqueline would’ve been a perfectly calm bride. After a few minutes, I gently say, “Seb’s over in the groom’s suite, helping the groom and groomsmen get ready. It’ll all work out okay.”

Jacqueline’s chin trembles, and her eyes shine with tears. “It’s just—we’ve been planning this for over a year, and everybody’s here, and—”

“I know.” I crouch down so I can look her in the eye. “And everybody is going to enjoy themselves and remember this as one of the most beautiful weddings they’ve ever attended, with the most gorgeous bride they’ve ever seen.”

A sad smile touches her lips. “But even if Tom and his groomsmen do wake up in time, they’ll look awful, and Tom won’t even be able to enjoy his own wedding day.”

“If you want to call the wedding off or postpone it or whatever, you can,” Maureen says.

My heart does some complicated gymnastics move. Yesss, call off the wedding! We’d be able to leave early with the body—

Jacqueline shakes her head. “People have flown all the way from Indo to get here. If I canceled it there would be hell to pay.” She takes a deep breath. “I’ll be fine. Tom’s the right guy for me. I’ve just got to get through today, and then we’ll be fine. He makes a shitty groom, but he’ll be the perfect husband.”

I have to consciously stop myself from sighing out loud in disappointment at the missed opportunity for us.

Second Aunt resumes putting on the finishing touches while I aim my camera at Jacqueline and take pictures. This is usually one of my favorite parts of the day—taking photos of the bride. There is no doubt that the bride is the highlight of every wedding. There’s just something about taking pictures of a woman wearing a gauzy, frothy wedding dress that makes me love my job. Usually. Today, I just want to get everything over and done with. And knowing that the bride is secretly unhappy doesn’t help matters.

Once we’re done, Second Aunt and I leave, giving Jacqueline and Maureen some privacy to bitch some more about the idiot groom and his idiot friends. As we walk

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.