Out of Time (12 page)

The store assistant broke the mood. “Would
you like to pick out accessories as well? We have shoes, jewelry,
veils, and tiaras.” Sasha was a little taken aback, as if the
employee hadn’t been paying attention to them at all, but was more
eager to have her spend more money. Perhaps she’d get those
accessories elsewhere.

“Not right now, no.” Sasha said to her. “I
think we need to work out the maid of honor dress and a dress for
Helen.”

“Any preferences on color?” the employee
asked shortly. “Some of our samples are limited on color options. I
obviously wouldn’t want her to try on something I couldn’t match
with your color scheme.”

“Light blue, I think.” Sasha said,
remembering the dresses she had scanned through earlier while
waiting for options for her own gown to arrive. “Helen, I don’t
care what color you wear, so whatever you’d like is fine with
me.”

“Thank you, dear.” Helen responded, her eyes
dancing.

“If you’ll come this way I can show you some
samples.” the employee told them. Sasha rolled her eyes from
behind. Apparently the assistant wasn’t paying any attention to
where they were earlier.

“That would be great.” Mandy said, breaking
the awkwardness. She was always so polite. They were shown to the
bridesmaids racks again and Mandy ooed and aahed at a couple, to
which Sasha demanded she should try on. “I think I will. I’ll help
you out of your gown first. Come back here.”

Mandy let Sasha to another changing room,
holding a bridesmaid sample in her left arm. In no time at all,
Sasha was out of the gown and back into her street clothes, which
paled in comparison. Sasha removed herself from the room while
Mandy started to change.

“I think I’ll sit down here while you both
try on clothes. Gives me a break.” Sasha said, plopping down where
Helen had been seated. “Mandy, is it on yet?”

“Yea, hold on a second.” Mandy was obviously
struggling as she spoke. “I’ve got to get the strap fixed. There it
goes.”

“Well come on then.” Sasha told her,
anxiously awaiting her friend’s exit from the changing room. The
door opened and Sasha gasped. “That color is stunning on you. I
think it really brings out your eyes.” Mandy twirled around, gazing
at herself in the 180 mirror and taking in all available
angles.

“I love how it compliments her blonde hair
too.” Helen said. Mandy had recently acquired highlights which were
done in Oregon and the salon owner thought she wanted to go lighter
all over so Mandy’s beautiful brown hair had brightened up. Mandy
was tempted to tell her mother she was going to get them fixed here
in town, where she knew her most favorite stylist would do wonders
on her hair and correct those awful mistakes.

“Do you want to pick out one now, or wait
until after Mandy chooses one?” Sasha addressed Helen who
shrugged.

“Oh I’m
so
getting this one.” Mandy
said, flipping her hair out.

“I guess I’ll go then.” Helen said, moving
over to the racks.

“Let me get out of this dress. I want to
see.” Mandy mentioned in a half-whine.

“Do you need help, honey?” her mother
offered.

“No, this one is easy. It has a side zipper.”
Mandy told her. Helen looked a bit shot-down, but smiled through it
all.

“Okay. I’ll pick out some things I like once
you’re done. I’ll just browse until you’re out.”

As Helen moved farther away, Sasha stood up
to walk Mandy into the room to talk privately. “This is happening
so fast.” she said to Mandy.

“You’ve been together for a while.” Mandy
answered with a light giggle.

“I know. I also know this is how it was meant
to be. I just...I have these giant gaps in my life. I can’t explain
it to you.” Sasha said in a hushed tone.

“You mean like when you were sixteen and were
lost for that week and didn’t remember...?”

“Is that what I told you?” Sasha asked,
scratching the side of her face.

“Is that what you told Simon and the police?”
Mandy wondered.

“I don’t know.” Sasha said, shaking her head.
Truthfully, she didn’t remember anything leading up to that night
when she was in the bed and Simon appeared out of nowhere
half-dressed.

“You know, you should have Rob take a look at
you.” Mandy said, referring to her new love interest back in
Oregon. “Once he’s done with his residency and goes into practice
of course. That’s his forte you know. He’d be bound to have answers
for you.”

“Maybe.” Sasha shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Let’s just think about your wedding right
now. I can’t wait. It’s going to be wonderful.” Mandy said
excitedly as Sasha left the room and she started changing.

Sasha was completely flustered on the day of
her wedding. She was in the chapel, pacing nervously and twiddling
her fingers.

“Where is the dress?” Sasha asked. She had
left it up to Mandy to pick it up from the alterations seamstress,
who just finished that morning. Sasha had no time because she had
to get her hair and makeup done.

“I’ve got it.” Mandy said, holding the dress
bag in one hand and a necklace and a pair of ballet slippers in the
other. “These too.”

“Okay, good.” Sasha breathed out shakily.

“Mom will be here in about five minutes. I
told her to meet us in the bathroom parlor.” Mandy said, taking the
dress and putting it up on a garment rack. Sasha sighed.
“Nervous?”

“A little bit. I want everything to go
perfectly.” Sasha commented. That wasn’t the whole of it. Sasha
wanted to experience and remember everything. She also was very
schedule-oriented and liked to make sure everyone did what they
were supposed to.

“The wedding planner is here and she’s
managing everything.” Mandy said, trying to calm Sasha’s
nerves.

“What about the cake?” Sasha wondered,
half-wanting to go to the reception area and take a look
herself.

“I don’t know.” Mandy admitted, wishing she
had lied instead. Still, her moral compass would have bothered her.
Suddenly a cell phone started ringing and both women looked around.
Mandy gathered and answered it. “Hello?” She turned to Sasha and
whispered, “It’s Simon.” Back to the phone she continued the
conversation. “Yea. Twenty minutes? Okay.”

“What did he want?” Sasha wondered after
Mandy ended the call. Mandy was tempted to not reveal anything, but
figured Sasha would nag away until she finally relented anyway.

“He was calling about the photographer. He’s
running about twenty minutes late. He’ll make it for the ceremony
of course. You just won’t have the photos of you preparing before
the wedding. We should have gone with Grimes. Oh, and the cake is
on its way.” Mandy rambled through the mental list of all she and
Simon discussed. Surprisingly, Sasha seemed calmer.

“So bad news and good news?” Sasha asked.

“Yea. It’s not that big of a deal.” Mandy
said supportively. “Mom’s got her camera and she can take some
pictures of you if you want her to.”

“If she wouldn’t mind.” Sasha muttered.

Mandy laughed. “What else is she going to do?
I mean, you’re her daughter now. This is just as important to her
as it would be if I was in your shoes.”

“Hand me the dress.” Sasha commanded,
although she was jovial in the way she said it. “How much time do I
have to get ready?”

“Calm down. Another twenty minutes. We’re
here. It’s not like you’re going to be late or anything.” Mandy
stated firmly.

“I know. I just like to be in control and I’m
not.” Sasha told her. Mandy nodded and they heard a light rap at
the door. It was Helen. Sasha told her to come in and her new
mother was all decked out in a brilliant red two-piece dress
suit.

“Nervous?” Helen asked. Sasha nodded and they
entered the parlor area and she sat down near the vanity.

“A little. I’m more scattered than anything
else.”

“You have nothing to worry about.” Helen
soothed, resting a hand on Sasha’s shoulder. “You look beautiful
and everything will sort itself out. Relax and enjoy your day.”

The phone rang again and Mandy answered.
“Hello, this is Mandy.” She paused as she listened to the person on
the other line. “Are you serious? Hold on, I’ll tell her.”

“What is it?” Sasha wondered as Mandy put the
phone down, but the call was still active.

“The photographer’s battery went dead and his
assistant has to run to the store. He’s seeing if they have a
charged one they can take.”

“Really?” Sasha asked in desperation. Mandy
then exploded into laughter.

“No, I’m totally kidding. He’s here. He got
here a little earlier than he thought. He wanted to make sure you
weren’t in the middle of changing before he came in here to snap
some photos.”

Sasha breathed a sigh of relief. “Tell him to
give me five minutes.”

Mandy brought the phone back up to her ear.
“Give her five minutes. She just needs to put the dress on. Knock
on the door before you get in here.”

Once the call ended, Sasha asked for help
into the dress. Sasha did want to opt for the very comfortable
dress she found in the salon, but the way she was treated left much
to be desired. She decided to go to another salon and get another
dress. She wasn’t able to find anything similar, but she found a
gown that was better. It was a white gown with a beaded bodice and
sweetheart neckline, and around the waist and down the back of the
train there was a bright red detail. There were crystals and
embroidery swirling down to the train.

“Let me just lift this thing.” Mandy said,
heaving it up so she could get the hole made for Sasha to step
into. “Boy it’s heavy.”

“I know.” Sasha said with a giggle, looking
at her friend. “I’m going to be sore from dragging it the rest of
the day.”

“Oh, don’t exaggerate.” Mandy said playfully,
helping create a stepping spot in the gown for Sasha who walked
into the hole with no issues. “There. Pull it up.”

Just as Sasha got the dress up above her
strapless bra, they heard a knock on the door. Mandy quickly laced
up the corseted back and Sasha called out, “Yea I’m decent.”

The door swung open and Sasha greeted Lucas
the photographer. “How are you doing?” he asked her. Lucas was
about her height, dressed all in black, and he had a bag slung over
his back.

“Holding it together...barely.” she said
nervously, although there was a hint of an almost-giggle.

“Well, I’m just going to snap some photos as
you get the veil and your accessories on. You look wonderful. Simon
is going to be a happy man once he sees you coming down the aisle.”
Lucas told her, carefully putting the bag down and retrieving his
camera and flash extension.

“He’s already a happy man. He’s going to be
an
ecstatic
man.” Sasha said with a light giggle. The sound
of camera clicks could be heard in the background while Mandy
helped Sasha retreive her earrings.

“Are they your ‘something blue’?” Helen
wondered.

Sasha thought for a moment. “Not
intentionally. I love sapphires. I am not too much for the
superstitious stuff. I never have been.”

“Regardless, they are beautiful.” Helen
stated.

“Where’s Philip?” Sasha asked. Philip was
Helen’s husband and her adoptive father. It was nice to have
someone fill that gap in her life, but he could never be a
replacement for her true father.

“He’s with Simon and his father. They get
along well.” Helen said with a smile.

“Well he better be here by the time I need to
go down the aisle.” Sasha said. Helen just shook her head.

“He wouldn’t miss it for the world. He knows
that he, or I, can’t ever replace your parents, but it’s such an
honor to walk you down and for us to give you away.” Helen softly
commented.

“I know.” Sasha sighed. “I miss them.”

“Here, let me help you with the veil.” Helen
told her, going through the room to find the veil Sasha had
purchased. It was long, about mid-back, and dotted with Swarovski
crystals to match the jeweled bodice of the dress and gleaming
tiara.

“You know I still feel guilty about my mom.
If I was there sooner...”

“Sasha don’t.” Helen commanded, with a finger
placed in front of Sasha’s face. “You’ve dwelt on it much too long.
It’s
not
your fault. Your mother wasn’t just grieving you.
She missed your dad. She just couldn’t take it.”

“I know. People always say that, but it
doesn’t make me feel better.” Sasha said solemnly, trying to hold
it together. She added angrily, “It was selfish of her.”

“All ready?” Mandy asked after a few uneasy
minutes in silence had passed, with a blazing smile that broke the
tension.

“Yes.” Sasha said, looking herself over in
the vanity.

“I’ll be back. I’m going to scope out the
area and make sure it’s all clear for you to come out.” Mandy told
her. Sasha thanked her and her friend exited the room. Helen turned
to Sasha and looked down at her daughter’s feet.