The Wasteland by Harper H. Jameson

The Wasteland by Harper H. Jameson

Author:Harper H. Jameson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Level 4 Press, Inc.
Published: 2020-08-08T00:00:00+00:00


19

Mr. Eliot wears a funeral suit. It’s his wedding day. Vivienne insisted they get married as soon as he proposed. Did he propose, though? Mr. Eliot told Vivienne what happened at the British Poetry Society. He said he read his poems, and then they asked if he was getting married. Mr. Eliot said yes. What else would he say?

Mr. Eliot never asked Vivienne to marry him, but what did that matter now? Vivienne took his story as a proposal and started planning their wedding without him. Everything happened so fast. Soon they had a location and a date. There was no reason to wait. Vivienne didn’t even need to buy a wedding dress. She’d bought one a year earlier, just in case.

“So many women make crazy decisions when they marry,” Vivienne explained. “Better to make those decisions beforehand than leave them to some whim or fancy, don’t you agree?”

Mr. Eliot nodded, but didn’t agree in the slightest. Best not to create waves, though. Waves take time, and he only has time to focus on his next poem. The fragments he read to the British Poetry Society whirl in his mind. “He Do the Police in Different Voices”? No wonder they hadn’t taken him seriously. He needs a better title. He needs a better poem. He needs to be serious. Serious men commit themselves to their craft. Serious men make commitments. And that’s why he’s here.

“I do,” Mr. Eliot answers the priest when he asks whether he’d like to take this woman as his wife. Marriage is all about commitment. But that doesn’t mean he has to be happy about it.

As the attendees shower the newlyweds on their way out of the church, Mr. Eliot glowers. Ezra, Hemingway, and Bertrand pelt them with rice and smiles. So does Mr. Prufrock. Mr. Prufrock? Mr. Eliot whips his head around as he passes him. How did he get here? But as soon as he turns around, Mr. Prufrock is gone. He must have sailed away on this sea of shining faces.

The only person not smiling, other than Mr. Eliot, is Jack. Jack stands across the street. He did not attend the wedding. Why did he come? Did he come to toast the couple at the reception? Or perhaps roast the couple?

Why did I come? Jack doesn’t seem to understand either. He assumes Mr. Eliot doesn’t want him there.

How could Mr. Eliot get married in front of Jack? Everyone hopes to get married with the person they love. The trick, though, is to get married to them, and not just have them present at your wedding. Maybe that’s why Mr. Eliot is dressed for a funeral.

“Where’s that bow tie I got you?” Vivienne asks.

“I thought I’d wear a tie instead,” Mr. Eliot answers.

“But I wanted you to wear the bow tie. You look like you’re attending a funeral, you realize that?”

“No, sorry. I didn’t,” Mr. Eliot lies. “I’m just sick, that’s all.”

“Don’t worry. I was nervous, too. But we got through it, didn’t we? Me and you?”

Mr.



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