The Wedding in The Sea

A man mourns the loss of his fiancee.

I promised her that we would be married in a year, and that year has passed. I wish I could apologize to her, but she isn’t here. The most beautiful smile I had ever seen was ripped from my life a month ago by some freak house fire. Life is dull now.

She wanted a destination wedding on the beach by her grandmother’s old house, she had it all planned out, she already had her dress. She had refused to hire a wedding planner because she wanted everything to be just right, she was always the perfectionist. In the end it turned out she would never need the off-white ball gown that she stored in her closet, but I needed it more than anyone could ever imagine.

Today is the day of our wedding. I drove to her grandmother’s house and walked to the beach in my stiff tuxedo, it’s quite warm and it’s not a comfortable feeling to have sweat stick the thick black fabric of my suit to my skin. Her dress is folded over my forearm, it’s heavier than it looks.

The water laps at the sandy shore lazily and I can feel my frustration boiling over as it soaks my shoes. I can feel the paper in my pocket getting heavier as I stare past at the horizon, it isn’t as pretty as she had hoped, but then again she had wanted our vows to be said at sunset. “I’m a little early, I’m sorry.”

I find myself talking to her a lot, even though I know she isn’t beside me.

I set her dress on the sand before pulling the sheet of notebook paper out of my pocket. It’s been folded so many times that my writing is hard to see, but it doesn’t matter, I already have my vows memorized. “You wer- are the most beautiful woman I have ever met, and this is our wedding day.” A bittersweet smile curved my lips as I felt the first tear of many trail down my cheek. “In your eyes I found my home, in your heart I found my love, and in your soul I found my fate.” I winced as my voice trembled, but I continued, I had to finish telling her just how much she meant to me. “With you I am whole, I am full and-” I choked out the next word with pain “-alive” I whispered. “You make me laugh and let me cry. You are my breath, my every heartbeat. I am yours, and you are mine. You are lodged in my heart, and will stay here forever.”

I don’t know what her vows were, but I’m sure I will find out soon enough. I picked up her dress from its place in the sand and stared at it, she would have been beautiful in it. That’s why I’m taking it to her. Tears are flowing freely from my eyes now, I’m about to see my wife again.

I take the first step into the sea slowly, I don’t feel any fear, just peace. The next step I take has the water lapping at my shins. Soon enough it’s at my shoulders and my wife’s dress is slowly sinking beside me. I close my eyes and feel a hand wrapped around my own. I grin, I know it’s her taking me to my new home. I can imagine her in her gown walking with me to the bottom of the sea, where we will finally be together as husband and wife.

I don’t panic when I can’t breath anymore, I open my eyes and see nothing but the bluest water I can imagine. She is beside me, pulling me down with a strength I didn’t know she had, it’s refreshing to feel her touch again. I see bubbles leave my own mouth and slowly my vision starts to fade, but there she is, clear as day. Her brown hair floats around her like a halo, and I was right, that dress does look perfect on her. She is beautiful. My lovely bride and I can be together now, forever.

Author's Note

I'm always looking for some helpful advice! Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Reviews

[SleeplessVolcano]

You wrote a touching story, though somehow it felt as if it could have had a twist at the end. She died. He dies. Rather Shakespearian, won't you think? Nothing wrong with that, but my personal "liking" in stories as short as this one is a desire to see a sharp punchline in the end......