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“My wedding day..” A young woman whispered to herself while gently holding a flower petal between her fingers. “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue..” She whispered as she looked at herself in the mirror.
An older woman stood behind her in the mirror with a bitter expression. “Harriet. What are you mumbling about?” She says.
“Ah- Sorry, Claire.. I just.. I’m nervous about marrying Harold..” She explains. “Like.. what if I regret it?”
Claire shugs. “You figure it out. That’s what marriage is, you still have the time to make a run for it, you’re not a married woman, yet.”
“I shouldn’t.. Think about how angry mama and papa would be..” Harriet says.
Claire snorts. “Who cares? You’re the one having second thoughts on the marriage.”
“Did you ever have second thoughts when you married your husband?” Harriet asks softly. “I see the way you sneer at him at times.. Like you hate him.”
“God, I loathe him, Harriet. But you know what I do? I deal with it. I be a good wife, I wash the dishes, scrub the floors, take care of the kids because you can’t run away from marriage once you’re in it.” Claire says as she glares her sister down.
Harriet leans away from her, an almost fearful expression on her face. “So what should I do..?”
“Figure it out.” Claire says.
Harriet watches as her sister walks to the doorway before she looks over her shoulder. “Finish getting ready or pull up that dress and run.”
Harriet looked at herself in the mirror. Was she really meant to be a wife to a man like Harold? Would she regret this? What would she do if she did? Why was she even marrying this man? She never felt anything for him, she didn’t even like him.
She set her hands on the vanity, pressing down until her knuckles turned white. She tried to push herself up from her seat, but… She couldn’t. Why? Why wouldn’t she move? She can run, why isn’t she running?
“Harriet?” A soft voice called.
Harriet turned her head and looked back, seeing her younger sister Noelle. “Yes..?”
“Everyone’s seated.. We’re all just waiting on you, Claire wanted me to come tell you.” Noelle sayssoftly.
“Right.. Just let me finish putting on my lip gloss..” Harriet says softly.
Noelle softly smiles. “Alright, I’m gonna go and sit outside.”
Harriet softly smiled at her sister as she left before looking down at her makeup on the vanity. She let out a sigh, she couldn’t run. She had to marry that man, whether she liked it or not.
She slowly reached her hand to her lip gloss and carefully applied it to her lips and carefully set it down after. She slowly stood up from her chair and took the bouquet of white hyacinths, the arrangement was picked out by Claire.. Harriet wondered if maybe she was trying to send her a message to run while she could far before the day of the wedding. She wished she had seen the signs.
She wished she had listened.