‘You know, in ancient times, if the bride didn’t go through with the wedding, one of the bridesmaids would be forced to marry the groom.’
‘I don’t think anyone here is going to make you marry your dad,’ I assured her. ‘Anyway, where’s Wilf?’
‘Eurgh, Wilf? Over,’ Jo pouted. ‘I’m in a throuple now. With a couple who are researching biomedical engineering at Magdalen.’
Winking at Dad in his new suit, we took our seats beside our nan in the front row.
‘That’s a terrible colour on both of you,’ she grumbled. ‘Washes you right out.’
‘Nice to see you too, Nan,’ I said, patting her hand, too happy to care. ‘Jo was just telling me she’s going out with a man and a woman at the same time. Why don’t you two talk about that for a bit?’
Sumi and Jemima and Adrian and Eva sat behind us, all glowing with happiness. It felt good, I thought, to see so many cheerful faces in one room. And also my sister and my nan. I couldn’t remember the last time we’d all been together, if ever.
A terrible instrumental version of Mum’s favourite Elton John song began pouring through the speakers and everyone turned at once.
Gwen Reynolds was beautiful. Her dark hair was curled and pulled back, her clear skin shining and the gorgeous wedding gown we’d chosen together moved with her as she walked, floating lightly behind her. I felt myself tearing up as she came closer, trying to recall if I’d ever seen either of my parents look like this before. It was wonderful, I realized, that they could make each other this happy. I couldn’t imagine how it must feel to have someone like that in your life, someone who actually wanted to be there, who could make you smile the way my parents were smiling at each other in that moment, even after forty years. And at the back of the room, standing off to the side, out of the way, I saw John, watching me watch my mum.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us today.’
Dad’s best friend, Peter Mapplethorpe, stood in front of my parents, a solemn look on his face and a well-worn paperback open in his hands.
‘He does know this is just a vow renewal, doesn’t he?’ I asked, trying to get a better look. ‘Why has he got a bible?’
‘It’s The Da Vinci Code,’ Jo replied, twisting her head to one side. ‘What a knob.’
‘We are gathered here today to celebrate the love between our friends, Gwen and Alan,’ Peter Mapplethorpe said, imbuing his speech with great reverence as he clutched the sacred words of Dan Brown. ‘But before I begin, if anyone here has any reason to object, speak now or forever hold your peace.’
An easy chuckle rippled through the crowd.
Then Nan stood up and everyone flinched.
‘I’ve got something to say,’ she announced. ‘This is utter nonsense and I can’t believe you’ve dragged me into this filthy city to witness it.’
I looked at Mum and Dad, panic in my heart, but they simply shrugged at each other and seemed to silently agree it could have been much worse.
‘That it?’ Jo asked, eyebrows drawn together, eternally unimpressed. ‘Anything else?’
‘I’ll not hear from you, you harlot,’ Nan sniffed. ‘In my day, you’d have been strung up for your behaviour.’
I looked down at the order of service in my lap and noticed a late addition that hadn’t been on Mum’s original design. It was a line from an Emily Dickinson poem, one she quoted so often, I knew it by heart and had once put in a love letter to Patrick.
Forever – is composed of Nows –
I gave an involuntary sniff, my eyes welling up for just a moment. He used to use that letter as a bookmark, I remembered quietly, my heart softening against my will. Whatever book he was reading, my note was always tucked away inside although I’d never known if it was because it meant something to him or it was just convenient.
‘I’ll start again,’ Mr Mapplethorpe said as I wiped away a confusing tear and tried to feel happy again. ‘Do you, Alan, take Gwen to, um, still be your wife?’
‘I do,’ Dad confirmed, beaming at his wife.
‘And do you, Gwen, take Alan to still be your husband?’
Another sob caught in the back of my throat as my parents beamed at one another. Before my mum could open her mouth to answer, three different mobile phones chirped into life, competing for attention with their different