– Son, since we are paying for the wedding, we will approve the guest list. Why feed those who don’t give much?
Diana almost dropped her tea back into the cup. A thin slice of cheese, more like a piece of paper, fell into the plate, slipping through her frozen fingers.
The young woman, without changing her body position, looked at her future husband and, seeing his indifferent expression, stood up.
– Yes, mommy and daddy. I understand you are talking about my family and relatives. If they are not at the wedding, there will be no wedding, – Diana left the table and proudly carried her rounded pregnant belly to her and Victor’s room.
– “Son, is Diana in a mood again?” Beatrice said quietly.
– Mom, you’ve had the same record for five months already!
Victor also got up and followed his future wife.
– Joseph, what kind of young people are you?! No responsibility. A wedding must pay off, right?
– Oh, Beatrice, it seems to me that you quickly forgot your wedding. We went for a walk in the dormitory, set the table together and that’s it.
– So that’s it, Joseph. We didn’t have any money, so we had a wedding and didn’t lose anything. And they?
– They don’t need anything either, and they don’t want a wedding. You need a wedding, – Joseph, moved to the fireplace and, taking a poker in his hands, began to stir the coals.
– It seems that only I need it.
– Yes, Beatrice, I have the same feeling.
– You know what? Not only did I agree to marry this… this…,” Beatrice tried to find the right word, but it did not come to mind.
– Stop it, – the man raised his voice, – it’s his choice, and I…
– You support it? Yes, how could I not? The wedding is at my expense, you all live at my expense…
The man stood up and silently left the living room. After his recent illness, he had retired from the business and no longer ran the company Beatrice had inherited from her father.
***
Beatrice signed the invitation cards herself. She slowly wrote out the letters and folded an expensive piece of colored paper into an envelope.
The solemn event was scheduled for Saturday, and was to take place exactly in a month. There was still time to think over the remaining little things with the wedding organizer and discuss the holiday in small details. The main thing had already been agreed.
Beatrice was spinning as fast as she could. She coordinated the color of tablecloths and table sets, napkins and flowers. Organizing a wedding was not so easy. But the eyes of the future mother-in-law shone. The enthusiasm was not lost, so not everything was ready.
On Thursday evening, Diana picked up the dress that Beatrice had agreed on from the salon, and on Friday she decided to try on everything that came with the wedding dress. The shoes stung treacherously.
– Should I buy white ballet flats or sneakers?” – Diana asked, looking down at Victor, who was trying to pull the shoes on the bride.
– “Like in the fairy tale “Cinderella”, – he laughed, – let’s shoot, they won’t go, we need others.
Diana and Victor spent almost the whole day on Friday in search of suitable shoes. Either the heel was too big, or there was no suitable color, but finally, on someone’s suggestion, they found wonderful ballet flats. Soft, comfortable and fully matching the color of the dress.
– What is it?” Beatrice asked surprised when she saw ballet shoes in Victor’s hands.
– Diana ballet shoes, my feet are swelling and the shoes are too small…
The mother froze and made a gesture with her hand, which clearly hints at poor health.
– There will be photographers there…
– And? – asked Diana, – you can’t see under the dress anyway.
– How can you not see? They will steal the bride’s shoe and then show it to everyone.
– Well, so give the organizers a beautiful shoe at once, and the exercise is done …
– Done?
Mom again pretended that she felt sick.
– Yes, – intervened Diana, who was silent before, – either ballet shoes or no wedding!
– Look, she’s setting conditions!” Beatrice exclaimed.
But Diana had already closed the door to the room.
And at night Diana’s water broke and Victor went with his bride to the hospital, where seven-month-old Andrew was born at eight in the morning.
Beatrice sat at a large mahogany table in the living room and scrolled through her phone.
– She did not want a wedding, she did everything to prevent it! So much money, so much money for nothing!
– Beatrice, are you out of your mind? How can you predict childbirth?
– But don’t justify her, she did it on purpose, I know it.
Beatrice dialed the organizer of the celebration and told the news in such a sad voice that it might seem that the birth of her grandson upset her, not comforted her.
But managers are salesmen, they can organize anything for money, even when the customer thinks that everything is lost. And in this case, the organizer only replied: “Great! There are no problems, we will change the scenario a little and everything will be fine! The solemn event will be!”.
The holiday took place and, indeed, it was great, even pompous as planned. At the very beginning, the guests were shy about the change of the subject of celebration, but after a few toasts, everything was mixed, and there was no surprise and questions. They were celebrating. It was a solemn event after all.
