Mrs. Him

This is a collaboration I did with Kristin Brecoe. It's based on "Congratulations" by Blue October.

Dedication: I’d like to personally thank Kristin Brecoe for always pushing me to do my best and for all her “nitpicking” to keep me on my toes and in a fresh creative mind. She’s become somewhat of a muse and, more recently, a partner in crime over the time I’ve known her.

 

Intro: Kristin Brecoe and I really wanted to have a collective and common inspired mind for this project, so we turned to an idea we have both been toying with for some time now. As a muse, we drew from a song called “Congratulations” by Blue October.

 

The wind blows across my body and causes static to fill my ears. The bus stop bench is getting harder by the second; numbing my butt.

I can see some kids in the park across the street using the wind to their advantages. Their kites soar high above their smiling faces. Their youthful innocence makes me cringe. Boys and girls, even in their teen years, fly the kites. With the boys arms around the girls, guiding both the kite and the girl in the breeze. A tear stings my face, a sight too close to home. I turn my head to my left, and notice the bus heading this way. Like back in high school, saved by the bell.

After a week of hell here in Detroit, I'm returning back home to Raleigh, North Carolina where I can go back to my life, undisturbed. I was always too small for this city… either that, or I was too big. I needed a place where there was a little more room to myself and a little less smog.

 

I’m ready to get on the bus so I can go back to my simple life. I need to get back to who I have been since her. I can’t believe I’ve let myself get so worked up over her. I came back to Michigan thinking that it would be like old times, except now I’m a man and I should be able to tell another person how I’m feeling.

 

I got off the bus at this very spot only two days ago. I wanted my homecoming to be a surprise to everyone. I know, big mistake. I dialed Mom’s cell phone. I knew she’d still be out at work at 5:45. The woman doesn’t know the meaning of the words, “give up”. She usually sells every house she shows off, and when she doesn’t, deep depression sets in.

 

Mom answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

 

“Mom? This is Josh.”

 

“Oh, hey honey.”

 

“Are you working?”

 

“Actually, no.”

 

“Oh, what’s up then?” I sat down on the infamous bus stop bench to finish my phone conversation.

 

“Oh, not much. I’m just watching some TV.”

 

“Is that what I hear in the background? It sounds like people talking.”

 

“No, it’s just the TV.” Mom sounded unconcerned that I wasn’t quite believing her.

 

“Well, guess who’s in town.”

 

“The Rolling Stones?” She thought I meant my town.

 

“No, Mom. I mean, guess who’s in Detroit.”

 

“You?!”

 

“Yeah. I’ve been riding the bus for 11 and a half hours. I got on at 6:15 this morning.”

 

“Um. Wow. Uh, I wish you had called first. The house is a mess!”

 

“What’s going on, Mom? Where are you?”

 

“I don’t want you to be upset!”

 

“Where are you, Mom?”

 

“I’m at Krysten’s wedding.”

 

“Krysten who? Krysten? What?!”

 

“Could you come by and say hello? You know, it’d mean the world to her, and she doesn’t know, honey. She has no idea how you feel.”

 

I felt like I had just been punched in the stomach. I used to have this dream that my dad would step out in front of a bus and I would’ve been able to grab him, but I was one second too late to save him. I woke up with the same feeling as this every single time I had the dream. I, like always, am just one second too late.

 

“Hello, Sweetie? Josh, are you still there?” Bus 66 pulled into a screeching halt just by my feet. My arms fell to my side, as I slowly closed my black Razor. I stood there frozen. Shards of glass cut through my heart, as I watched memories flow through my mind. Paralyzed for a moment too long, the gruff bus driver grunted at me. As if asking, do I want to continue my journey. Shaking the flashback to the back of my mind, I took a moment to figure out whether or not I should go to Krysten's wedding.

I raised my head, and looked into the driver’s eyes; deep brown with a speck of compassion. Even though I could tell he was trying to be patient and sympathetic, he too was tired. He wanted to go home for the night. I turned around to grab my backpack and throw my carry-on bag over my shoulder, and I bore the steps, leading me to that wedding.

“Where to? Sit,” the driver nodded his head politely at me.

“1984 Chapelle Drive, please,” I tossed my fair into the cup by the wheel. Knowing the gorgeous Krysten, she would follow her dreams. And one of her many dreams consisted of getting married to a handsomely romantic man in the church located at the corner of 1984 Chapelle Drive. 1984 was the year we met, oddly enough.

The musty, old bus held too many people, so I stood in the middle between an elderly woman and man. They seemed to be making nervous eye contact. There was a sly smirk on the lady's face. I watched back and forth, trying to detect what was going on, but when I couldn't get squat, I thought back to my problem.

 

Was my life supposed to be this way? Why else would I have been ready to come two weeks before this and decided to wait and then been smacked in the face with this? By the time we got to Chapelle Drive, I was tensed and ready to get off of the bus. My anxiety was apparent, and a woman with two kids smiled at me, as though saying, Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. I appreciated her optimism.

 

One squeaky stop later, I was scaling the bus stairs once more, only to second-guess my actions. The big chapel stood as a dominant figure in the center of town, and I am easily intimidated. Not to mention the fact that I just happened to remember that I’d been on a smelly bus with smelly people for almost half the day.

 

I put my bags down on the church stairs and used the window to give myself a look over. My hair was messy and my shirt was stained. I dug in my backpack and pulled out my blazer. I brought it for church two days from then, but I needed to hide the stain, and I had to dress up a little. Five o’clock shadow that I had planned to shave when I settled into my old house crept up over my chin.

 

That was perfectly okay, because I had a plan. I took my things and walked into the church. The man in charge of small-time security did a double take upon seeing me. “Josh!” It was Krysten’s cousin, Hodge. Don’t ask what his first name is, because, to this day, I don’t know. “What have you been up to, man?” We did the Hand-Lock, Chest-Bump, Shoulder-Slap that guys always do.

 

“Not much. You?”

 

“Oh, nothing. I’ve got me a lady I’m pretty serious about.” Throughout our short conversation full of small-talk, we were kind of whispering, so not to interrupt the service.

 

“That’s great. Congratulations.”

 

“Well, I’m glad you could make it.”

 

“Me too. Listen, I’ve got to go clean up in the restroom. I’ll see you later.”

 

“See ya.”

 

I turned to where I had seen a restroom sign and barged in. It, to my pleasant surprise, was empty. I used the shaving cream and razor I had in my carry-on bag to shave. Thank God for Gillette. I wet my hand and ran it through my hair. I looked about 45 percent better. I ignored the ketchup stain on my khakis and left my bags with Hodge (for the small price of 20 bucks). I could hear the let’s-get-out-of-here-and-eat music blaring, and I could hear the buzz of conversation.

 

Thank God I missed the service. Time for the reception.

 

As soon as I stepped out of the restroom, I ran into a young man about my age. I quickly apologized to the man, and scurried off to find someone I remembered. At that point, I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to talk to Krysten or my mom, but before I had time to decide, one of them approached me and brought me into a full embrace. I turned around to see who wrapped there arms around me, and I recognize that same heart-shaped face from the time I left. Deep auburn hair fell in soft curls down her neck, and her honey-colored eyes sparkled.

“Joshua, Joshua, Joshua. I can't believe you made it. I was beginning to believe that you didn't want to see me anymore. You were really close to hurting me. That is, of course, until your mom received your call a bit ago,” Krysten's red delicious lips feigned a frown, but it couldn't cover her true feelings; her joy.

“Wow. Krysten...”

“Yes?”

“You look… I don't think there are even words to describe how you look,” I felt heat rise to my face, as I took one step in coming forward.

“Oh, Joshua. You were always the sweet talker.” Her heels allowed her to easily place her small hands on my cheeks. Back before, when we were just teens, she would always push up on her tip-toes just to give me a friendly peck. Her hands felt warm against my freshly-shaven face.

“...Krys,” the man I bumped into just moments before called out slightly hesitant towards the new bride. Her hands slid slowly from my face as I took a step back. This man before me, this pretty decent-looking guy, belongs to Krysten.

 

Krysten practically skipped into Max’s arms. He swooped her up, and she giggled like a schoolgirl as he spun around, finally putting her back on her feet.

“Ready for the reception? I'm ready for that cake we picked out.”

“Max, honey, I want you to meet one of my dearest friends, Joshua Bennet Kennedy. He traveled all the way from Raleigh, North Carolina to see our wedding.”

“Nice to meet you Joshua, I'm-”

“Josh. I'd prefer Josh,” I responded slightly hostile. Shock trickled up Krysten's face and made her uncomfortable. I tried to mend the rudeness with a polite smile.

“Ahem, sorry, Josh. Nice to meet you. My name is Maximilian William Treadway, but you can just call me Max,” Max extended his hand out for a shake. I politely shook it. He seemed to be everything any girl would want. His sandy-colored hair was cropped close to his head, and his green eyes sparkled as he smiled. Honestly, it made me a bit queasy.

I turned my attention back to the lovely bride, who observed the quick amend. She smiled grandly, revealing the gap between her two front teeth. Spotting this, I returned a grin. I remembered when she'd complain about pictures because of her adorable dental flaw. I told her that the slight gap made her even cuter. For the longest time she didn't believe this, but when boys started to comment her gorgeous pearly white smile, she accepted my words.

“Josh. Josh,” Krysten called out my name, and pulled me out of my reverie. I realized I was staring at her the whole time I flashed back. I looked away, and my eyes landed on Max. He too watched Krysten, probably thinking of her cute smile as well.

“Joshua, we are heading towards Higgins Park for the reception. You remember which one I'm talking about, right? We used to go there all the time! Do you wanna come with Max and me?”

“Yeah, I remember. How could I forget? I was in such a beautiful place with my favorite girl.” Krysten laughed to ease the tension of my words. I didn’t care. It was the truth. “I need to go find Hodge and Mom before I leave. You two love birds better get going. People are going to start waiting on the reason they came. I'll be there soon.”

“Alright then,” Krysten said. Was there a bit of disappointment there? With that I turned to find my mom. I passed by all the old cliques, who greeted me as if I had been all of their best friends. I responded to them with nods. One of these people was Krysten’s senile grandma.

 

My mother was nowhere in sight, so I took it that she left for the reception already. I could not believe that she would leave without bothering to check on me. I suppose I am old enough to take care of myself anyway. Eventually, I gave up I headed towards Hodge's little office.

“Hey, Hodge. Are you going to the reception?”

“Yeah, sure. Need a lift? Your mom said you might come to me for one.”

“What? She talked to you?” I wondered out loud, and then to myself. Why didn't she come find me? Or at least call me?

“Dunno. But I do know I'm starving!” Hodge brought his same old lazy behind out of his chair, and reached over for our things. “You see, I got this job as a security officer.”

 

Obviously.

 

“And, they gave me this car. It’s really neat.” Hodge was always kind of a dork. He probably didn’t even know the make or model of the car, let alone the year. Turns out it was a 2004 Ford Taurus. Really neat. I rolled my eyes at my first gaze at it. As I threw my stuff into the back seat I could see Max and Krysten just pulling out of the parking lot, already enjoying each other’s company as though no one else mattered.

I tried making conversation with Hodge all the way to the reception. Of course, I really just wanted to shut up, but he wanted to talk about a bunch of stupid things. Mostly, of course, things that made him look good. “My girlfriend’s having a party at her father’s mansion next weekend.” He was quick to cover his boasting. “Do you wanna come?”

 

Why am I torturing myself like this? I don’t have to do this, do I?

 

I was glad, of course, that I did when I saw Krysten’s smiling face. “Joshua!”

 

“Krys. Hey."

 

“Come sit here!” I sat at a round table with Krysten, Max, their parents, and Krysten’s aunt. I felt honored that she’d want me at the table with such special people. I wondered, mostly during toasts and the first dance, if would even have an opportunity to talk to Krysten at all.

 

During the course of the festivities, I spotted my mother flipping her blonde hair and giving out business cards to a smiling woman and an unimpressed man. It was the same table that Krysten’s grandma was sitting at, and she just sat with her flowered hat on her head and a smile plastered on her face as she stared into the distance.

Finally, after Krysten Treadway had danced a few dances with Maximilian Treadway, she came and sat down at the table with me. “Oh, I just can’t tell you how glad I am that you made it!” She hugged me again as though she just couldn’t possibly believe I was real. “Honey, is it alright if Josh and I run around and talk to some folks? We just want to socialize with some guests and catch up. I haven’t seen him in nearly three years.”

 

“That’s fine, Babe.” He kissed her forehead. I kissed that forehead first. As we walked away, he pinched her bottom. Krysten giggled and jerked away. I could hear the muffled drone of a whispered mumble. “Max! Not in public!” His mother’s face was red, no doubt.

 

“Oh, Mom. It’s-” We were gone before I could make out anything else of their brief quarrel.

We sat down at a table that was empty except for Hodge. He got up and left as soon as we sat down. “I can tell where I’m not needed. We both knew Hodge well enough not to object when he was leaving willingly.

 

“So, GOSH! What have you been up to?”

 

“Just graduated from nursing school down at Duke. I’m an LPN.”

 

“Wow. Last time we talked, you were working hard. That must be amazing. I wanted to go to your pinning ceremony, but I was so busy with wedding plans. But I guess you read that all in the letter.”

 

“Letter?”

 

“The one I put in with your wedding invitation. I hope you don’t mind that I sent it through your mom, but I had lost your address, and I was afraid you wouldn’t get yours in time, so I just gave it to your mom.”

“Oh.” I figured it’d be best if I just told her the truth about the letter, because I didn’t know what else it might’ve said. “I never got the letter. I know you’ll never believe this, but I just happened to show up here… today. I called Mom, and he told me I ought to swing by and say hello.”

 

“Really? You never got the invitation?” Krysten’s face turned red like she was embarrassed. “Well, uh, if it comes late, just throw away the letter. It just said some stuff about me not being able to come to your graduation.” She laughed a nervous laugh. “When I didn’t see you here, and since you never called, I figured you might be trying to pay me back for missing your pinning.”

 

“Oh, I’d never do that.” I wondered what was in that letter that embarrassed her. She knew how nosey my mother was. There was no way she’d ever put anything in that letter that she wouldn’t want my mother to read, would she?
 

My curiosity was the only thing that could tear me away from Krysten’s side at that time. “Could you excuse me for a moment?”

 

“Uh, I guess.”

 

“I’ll be right back. I haven’t seen my mom since I’ve been here. I just want to say hello.”

“Oh, that’s fine.”

 

“I promise, I’ll be right back!”

 

“Okay, it’s fine.”

 

I stood up and went over to my mother’s table. I sat down in the then-empty seat next to her. “Hey, Mom.” I kissed her cheek, but our sweet façade didn’t last. “What’s this about an invitation?”

 

“What invitation?”

 

I just looked at her in my knowing fashion.

 

“Oh, that. I forgot to send it.” Mom pulled a pretty envelope from her purse and tucked it into my hand. I could smell the white lie from her vodka breath.

 

“Right, Mom.”

“I'm serious.”

“Whatever. At least you managed not to read it. I'll just see you later.”

“Alright.”

 

I got up to go back to where I had been sitting with Krysten. Max resided in my spot; replaced again. The two kissed for what seemed like hours. I just tucked the letter into my blazer. I got Hodge’s keys, went out to the parking lot, and set my stuff out on the pavement. I went back in to give Hodge his keys and looked back over to where Krysten and I had been. The two laughed over something silly, and held hands.

 

My heart sank deep into the pit of my stomach. I wasn’t sure how much more heartache I could take, even just from visuals. This time, Krysten looked up and noticed me. She tried to wave me back to the table, but I just waved back and mouthed something like, “I gotta go. See ya ‘round.” Her red lips pouted.

 

I spent the next day at Mom’s mostly. I didn’t even get to give Krysten my new cell phone number or I bet she would’ve called. I know she was kind of upset that I left without speaking to her first, but I could feel my heart ripping at the seams she had created over the years.

 

Now, here I am climbing aboard a bus wondering, Would she already be gone on her honeymoon? I pull the invitation from my bag, where it is safely placed, and call mom to get Krysten’s home phone number. As she dictates it to me, I shift in my seat because the bus is speeding up a little. I scribble the 10-digit code on the back of the invitation’s envelope.

 

Strangely enough, I haven’t read it yet. I pluck the flap open and pull out the golden-leafed invitation that perfectly matches the envelope. I keep digging for my letter. Aha. I unfurl it to reveal the lovely handwriting that I was expecting to see.

 

 

It’s true. I’m always one second too late.

 

Dear Joshua,

I’m looking forward to seeing you at my wedding. Well, I’ll admit, I’m so nervous about the wedding that I can hardly stand it. I know it’s probably just because it’s so far from now, but I can say, honestly, that I’m in love with Max. That’s his name. Max Treadway. Wow. I just can’t believe I’m going to have a new last name.

Just so you know, I really wanted to make it to your pinning ceremony last week, but I was really busy with wedding plans. I had to meet with the caterer one last time, and I had made plans with Max's family weeks before I knew of the ceremony. Anyway, I really hope you can make it, Joshua.

 

Love always, Krysten *soon to be* Treadway.

 

P.S. Josh, before I get married, I think you should know some things. For some reason, I always thought we would share in my big day for more than one reason. I’m kind of disappointed that you couldn’t be at least involved in the process of planning. You know, I still love you. Maybe, if you come back before The Big Day you can convince me not to marry Max.

 

Reviews

[Imperfection]

Nice plot and well executed too.

Like the reviewer before me, I too wish it was possible to turn back time...
But then there are things that can't be helped when lady luck has turned her back on you.

Of all that I have read so far, I think this is one of your best short stories. Brilliant piece.

[Paza]

This was a wonderful story. I found myself wishing for a time machine that Josh could take a ride in and claim his love for his own. I don't know what their past is, but it's always so sad when someone marries the wrong person, for whatever reason. Nice read.