Short Story I made in English I hope it isnt too elementary

Mar 24, 2008 - 03:25 AM PST

The Wedding

It was all over the newspapers. Jeremy Marsh and Lexie Darnell were getting married. Jeremy Marsh of the New Haven Marshes and Lexie Darnell of the Raleigh Darnells -each a member of the most powerful and influential families in North Carolina. It felt as if it was yesterday that, after ten years of dating, Jeremy popped the question to Lexie at their favourite place, the lighthouse near Cape Hatteras. The months had passed quickly and now Jeremy was at home on the couch watching television. But he wasn’t focused on the football game in front of him. Usually he would be perched on the edge of the couch watching every move of every player on his favourite team. Instead he was staring idly into space pondering the whirlwind of the past few months. The proposal, the way Lexie looked in that gorgeous red dress that he loved. The smell of her perfume that lingered in the car even after she left. The way her brown hair shimmered in the moonlight. The way her eyes glowed when she smiled up at him and said yes, the way the ring fitted her slender finger perfectly. He knew what he was doing was the right thing. What a wedding this will be, Jeremy thought to himself.

He remembered their first meeting. They were twelve and it was one of his families’ parties. His mother introduced him to the Darnell family and he caught sight of a girl about his age wearing a very lovely sun dress and a huge hat. The hat struck him as peculiar. Girls his age tended not to wear hats He thought she looked almost grown up in her manner of dress and he decided she was very pretty. But when he tried to talk to her, she ignored him, offering one word answers. After a while, he left her to herself. But Jeremy never gave up easily. He was determined to get to know the real Alexandra Darnell. The memory put a smile on his face and he was overcome by excitement at the prospect of marrying the only person he had ever loved. Jeremy vowed he would do his best to make his future wife happy and contented. He wanted to give Lexie everything she ever wanted. She was everything he ever wanted. Hell, he loved her more than life itself. If he lost her… even the thought of losing her…
Meanwhile, Lexie was in her house poring over bridal magazines. She gazed in awe at the cuts and designs of the dresses. She imagined herself walking down the aisle in her wedding dress and marrying her gorgeous fiancé. She pictured Jeremy in his tux looking his usual self, his blond hair unkempt, and his piercing green eyes staring at her. She loved staring at Jeremy. She knew it was probably too much, but she didn’t care. She loved everything about him.

Lexie could still vividly remember their first date. They were twenty-two and in their second year in college. She was studying Law and Jeremy was majoring in Biochemical Engineering. They were already the best of friends – they practically grew up together. Jeremy knew of all the crushes she ever had in elementary school and had comforted her through every break-up. She had given him advice on girls. Lately she had begun to feel differently. She started to feel self conscious around him and noticed that he was awfully handsome. She finally realized why all the girls seemed to have this huge crush on him and wanted to date him. When Jeremy invited her to dinner she was dressed in a black dress which highlighted her pale skin and clung beautifully to her curves. He was casually dressed in slacks and a button down shirt. When Jeremy arrived, she hurriedly went down the stairs to meet him. The expression on his face was unfathomable. She laughed and asked him, “Why? Is there something wrong with the way I look?”
“No, you look very beautiful tonight,” Jeremy answered.
Smiling and blushing, Lexie said, “Thanks.”
Instead of the usual expensive restaurant Jeremy had a picnic basket complete with food and drinks and he took her to the lighthouse. They talked about school, their families, friends and their views on life. There was nothing different and she felt at ease and really comfortable with him. They were walking down by the lighthouse when suddenly Jeremy spoke.
“Hey Lexie, I have to tell you something”.
Curious, she said, “Go ahead”.
Jeremy started to stammer “Uh, Lexie, I uh, I uh, Ok, Ok, Lexie I really like you and I would like to be more than friends with you.”
Haltingly she answered. “OK, I say yes. “ He smiled at her and kissed her lightly on the mouth. She was ecstatic. Lexie knew that she loved him and wanted to have him around forever.

Lexie snapped out of her reverie and started making lists – who to invite, a possible date for the wedding, dresses, a celebrant, the food for the reception and lastly the reception. Realizing she needed to talk to Jeremy about the date she arranged to meet him for lunch the next day after her court case and during Jeremy’s lunch break from the lab.

Meeting at a nearby café, they started brainstorming dates. “What do you think of a May wedding?” Jeremy asked Lexie.
“Wouldn’t it be chilly? I was thinking a June wedding would be nice because the weather will be excellent. I’ve always wanted a spring wedding with chrysanthemums and daisies for my bouquet.”
Jeremy agreed and they moved on. When it came to venue, Jeremy suggested they hold it at his parents’ house because they had a large garden and a gazebo. “That way we can have the wedding and the reception at the same place, it saves us time and money”. Forever the practical one, but I trust you on this Lexie thought amused. “Well, my lunch break’s over. I’ve got to go back to the lab, but I’ll call my mother tonight and tell her our plans.” Lexie stood up from her chair “Well I’m going to tell my mother as well what we’ve decided on”. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Jeremy kissed her back and started to walk to his car

It was going to be hard work trying to tell his mother that his wedding wouldn’t take place in May. His mother, Vera Marsh had been planning his wedding since he could remember…well ok, since he first started going out with Lexie. She had a little book where she had venues and dates listed. His mother was so obsessed with him marrying Lexie that she literally jumped for joy when they told her they were engaged. It was a funny sight, a sixty seven year old woman in a dress and pearls jumping for joy and nearly suffocating Lexie with hugs. He laughed to himself as he drove into his parents’ garage.

Entering the house he grew up in he took in the surroundings. Not much had changed since he left. The living room was filled with portraits of him and his older brother and sister. There was his parents’ wedding picture. On the mantelpiece, were his dad’s golf trophies. The other side was filled with his and his siblings’ many achievements over the years. There were his certificates from science and soccer, his sister’s taekwondo and karate medals and his brother’s medals from various sport events. His mother was bent over her familiar purple book. She was probably trying to decide on the design of the invitations. His father was probably at the golf course. Jeremy greeted his mother and kissed her on the cheek. Vera was delighted to see her youngest son and excited to talk about the upcoming wedding. Jeremy filled her in on the details he and Lexie had decided on and observed his mother’s expression when he announced a June wedding. She was disappointed, but was trying not to show it. She was worried that they would go with a Catholic ceremony. Vera was a devout Jew and wanted to convince her son that a Jewish ceremony was the way to go. It was tradition “Mom, Lexie asked if we can use your house for the wedding, we can save money because we can hold the ceremony and the reception here”.
Vera agreed, “You’re more than welcome to use the house.” She decided that she would call Jane Darnell about their children’s plans and decide on a compromise for the celebrant and style of ceremony.
Lexie met her mother for dinner at Gino’s Café and they discussed plans for the wedding. Jane Darnell was a timid, but strong woman. She was a woman with taste and she wanted her daughter to have everything she wanted to be happy. “Mom, we have decided that we will have the wedding in June and that we will hold it at Jeremy’s parents’ house. Do you think that venue will be ok for us?”
“You made a nice choice darling and you know that I will go with whatever makes you happy.” Jane adored Jeremy like he was her own son; she thought Jeremy was a fine choice. He had all the qualities she wanted for her daughter’s future husband. He was good looking, he came from a good family, he was intelligent and creative, he had a good education and he had a stable job. Everything you would ever want was in him. Her only problem was Vera Marsh. She didn’t hate Vera, but thought she was snobby and stuck up. She had the feeling Vera wanted to take over the planning of the wedding which wasn’t even hers.

The next morning Vera called Jane and arranged to visit the Darnell’s house. When Vera arrived, she was greeted politely by Jane. They went in and sat on the patio. Pouring tea for herself and Vera, Jane asked, “So, what brings you here?”
“Well, Jane, I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming wedding.”
“What about their wedding would you like to discuss?” replied Jane.
“Have they decided on the type of ceremony they will use and whether they want a rabbi or priest?” Vera continued. “They need to decide as soon as possible, so that I can arrange for Rabbi Joseph to perform the ceremony. He is excellent and he chooses really touching sermons. He was the one who did my Sarah and my Nathan’s weddings.”
“Well, don’t be so sure that they’re going to go with a Jewish wedding Vera. For all we know they’re planning to have a Catholic wedding,” Jane replied smugly. Vera looked at Jane with horror and shock, but she wouldn’t give up that easily. She was determined to convince her son to have a Jewish wedding.
The next day, after working at the lab, Jeremy made trips to the stationery shop, his mother’s house and Lexie’s mother’s house. He went over Lexie’s to do list and breathed a sigh of relief that he survived each day. At his mother’s house, it was tense because she was insisting on a Jewish wedding ceremony. He didn’t particularly like it because he wasn’t in the least religious. He observed Hanukkah and he had his Bar Mitzvah when he was thirteen and everything, but it was all because of his mother. His dad never commented on his lack of interest in attending synagogue. Jeremy told his mother he would discuss it with Lexie, but really, his mother was becoming a pain in the neck. Why can’t she leave us alone and not try to interfere with the plans. God! She just won’t stop ranting on and on about the ceremony, Jeremy said to himself. He loved his mother but the way she was acting was enough to drive him crazy.

Jeremy drove over to Jane’s house. He figured that maybe, Jane could help him with this dilemma. He liked Jane. She was never fussy and she allowed her daughter to decide for herself. He knocked on the door of her old Victorian townhouse and was amazed with it all. He felt at home at this place. Like his parents’ house, it didn’t change at all. He saw family portraits and Lexie and her sisters’ diplomas and certificates from elementary up to college. Lexie’s sisters were all living away from North Carolina. Jessica was living in New York with her three children and her husband, Rebecca was in New Jersey with her husband and two kids and last but not the least, Jennifer was in Seattle with her husband and daughter. They were all coming to fly in for the wedding. He saw Jane in the living room sitting down rifling through some magazines. He greeted her and sat down. Jane smiled at him and motioned for him to sit down. “Jane I need you to help me with my mother I want to please her but she just doesn’t understand that she can’t take over this wedding”. “Well, Jeremy there is only one thing I can say to you: You need to do this on your own and remember that this is YOUR wedding”. He thanked her for the advice and decided to tell Lexie about the idea he had for the ceremony. After arriving home, he ran over to the phone and dialled Lexie’s number. “Lexie, hi it’s me, I just had this brilliant idea for the ceremony. Why don’t we let the celebrant be a priest and then we can add some Jewish elements for other parts of the ceremony”. ‘Wow! That’s a great idea, Jeremy; you better tell our parents tomorrow when they have lunch at your place”.

Lunch at Jeremy’s place was good. There was a light hearted conversation about the wedding plans. He told the parents about his idea and they all agreed to it. Surprisingly, even his mother. Vera was excited about it and couldn’t stop gushing with excitement. Lexie also happily discussed the plans that she achieved. She described the food that was to be served on the reception and the string quartet who would entertain them. She smiled at Jeremy from her side of the table and he winked at her. Lexie admired her fiancé for his willingness to compromise on the ceremony and celebrant. Jeremy was the one to thank for solving their problem. If it hadn’t been for him, who knows if their mothers would be on speaking terms. Jeremy was deep in conversation with the men about golf and the latest football game. He gazed over at Lexie who was aptly still in wedding plan mode and describing every detail. She was so beautiful when she laughed. Jeremy was determined to have the best day ever on their wedding. He hoped that Lexie was happy with what he’d done and for what he had accomplished. Jeremy watched contentedly at his mother, Lexie’s mother and Lexie so cheerful and deep in conversation. He knew that it was going to be success.


The wedding day was finally here. Lexie rose up cheerfully and looked out her bedroom window. The weather was perfect not too hot and not too cold. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. She gazed over at her dress. Her dress was very beautiful and it made her feel elegant. It was a strapless white dress with a bodice that was made in lace. She also had a veil and was going to wear her hair in a bun and put a wreath of flowers on. Lexie did her make up and her hair and carefully put on her dress. She looked in the mirror and examined herself. She looked like a blushing bride. There was a knock at the door and her mother appeared “Lexie, you look so beautiful in that dress, Jeremy will certainly be impressed”. Lexie smiled shyly at her mother. Then one by one, her sisters came in and offered their compliments. They marvelled at the sight of their youngest sister. They believed she looked very lovely. After a couple of hours of chatting and catching up, it was time to go into the limousine and be ushered into the Marsh’s huge garden for the wedding. Before they could get to their destination, the limousine got stuck in traffic and they had to stop at the gasoline station because their petrol tank was empty. Lexie looked at her watch in her purse and calculated that they would be exactly five minutes late for the ceremony. After filling the tank, the driver drove at high speed and they got there just in time before the band started the bridal march. She walked down the aisle with her father smiling and trying not to cry. She was so happy. Jeremy was beaming and nervous with sweat. Her father went to his seat and she took Jeremy’s arm and they walked towards the altar. The priest started the ceremony and followed them through their vows. They exchanged rings and they were announced husband and wife. Don’t forget the Jewish element was simply stepping on broken glass for prosperity and good luck. Jeremy kissed his bride passionately. After the ceremony, they went to the other side of the garden for the reception. They ate foie gras and mashed potatoes. They had a 3- tiered white vanilla cake. The new married couple mingled with the guests and talked animatedly with their friends and family. Lexie and Jeremy both agreed that it was a successful, magical and romantic day. They danced their first waltz together and not a single eye was dry in the house. Everyone was happy.