"The Wedding Crasher" (StoryADay Challenge/Day 25)

THE PROMPT: (BY FLEET SPARROW, WHO WRITES QUEER FAN FICTION, QUEER FLASH FICTION, AND QUEER NOVELS.  GENERALLY, THINGS ARE PRETTY ODD IN FLEET’S WORLD.)

“I weighed this against the odds that I was doing something incredibly stupid, and I went ahead anyway.”

*

“The Wedding Crasher”

“Is this a new lounge chair?”

“You’ve been coming here for three months, you tell me Neville.”

“I think it is, but I’m not sure exactly. I thought this chair was green.”

“Perhaps your attention to detail is lacking.”

“Perhaps.”

Neville looked around the room. “How long have you had this office?”

“Nineteen years.”

“A good nineteen years?” 

“I’ve been very fortunate I must admit. Now, would you like to let me do my job, or do you want to keep asking me questions?”

Neville glanced at his watch. “I’m sorry, Dr. Kramer-”

“Please, call me Vanessa.”

“Okay.”

“What’s going on Neville, you seem more jittery than usual.”

“I’m going to crash a wedding.”

Vanessa blurted out a laugh then caught herself. “What?”

“Two people are getting married in a few days and I don’t want them to.”

“I need you to elaborate on that. Why do you want to crash their wedding?”

“Because if she marries this guy, it’ll be the worst mistake of her life.”

“Who is she?”

“Her name is Zuri, which means beautiful in Swahili.”

“How do you know Zuri?” 

“We met at an off-campus backyard party, when we both attended Spelman. She majored in Political Science, I majored in Biochemistry.”

“What happened at the party?”

“She came with a group of friends, and I was by myself. I was a lone wolf in college. Her friends left her alone near the drinks as they went and danced. She looked really bored, so I thought I’d try to liven up her night even slightly. I told her that, if I had to judge, I would think she was having a horrible time. She laughed and said, ‘Is it that obvious?’ to which I said ‘absolutely.’ After that we were damn near inseparable for the rest of the semester. We would help each other study and quiz each other. We spent rainy nights together. We did laundry together. We knew each other’s class schedules. The synergy was incredible. It’s something I still think about today, eight years later.”

“What ended everything?” Vanessa asked, moving her pen on her clipboard.

“It was my fault,” Neville said, rubbing his closed eyes. “I lied and cheated.”

“Why did you do that?”

“I have no interest in blaming anyone but the man in the mirror. Maybe I have some demons to exorcise within. Maybe I was young and dumb. Maybe my heart was too wild. Maybe I have an intense desire to be free. Maybe I’m careless. Maybe I’m too elusive for my own good. Maybe I’m terrified of commitment. Maybe I don’t want to answer to anyone but myself. Maybe I thought the grass was greener elsewhere. Maybe we’re all just remarkably flawed humans in this thing called life and trying to hold up a perfect facade will not only exhaust you, but will destroy you. Maybe all of these things are true, maybe it’s all crap I tell myself. These are things I’m still working through. But getting older and viewing your mistakes in retrospect, I began to realize I have a choice. I can choose to remain that person, the person that hurt Zuri or I can choose to accept responsibility for all of my actions, take the lessons learned and take the necessary steps towards being a better individual and human being. First and foremost for myself, but also for others, so I can show up in spaces as the best version of myself.”

“And as the best version of yourself, do you honestly think crashing someone’s wedding is a good idea?”

Neville was silent.

“Is that the best version of yourself?” Vanessa asked. “Ruining what’s supposed to be one of the happiest days of a couple’s life together?”

Neville remained silent.

“It’s selfish.” Vanessa said. “I don’t doubt your love for Zuri, but think about how embarrassing that would be for her.”

“I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

“That’s because you’re only thinking about yourself.”

Neville clenched his fists. “That’s what she said, before leaving me.”

“Do you agree?”

“I do. I’ve been selfish. I admit that. That’s what led me into this entire mess. Eight years later and I’m contemplating crashing a wedding.” 

Vanessa removed her glasses and sat back in her chair, her legs crossed. “My father had a saying he used to tell me and my brothers: ‘Let the good and the bad fortify you, nourish you, and you keep going.’ when he passed away, it was something my family told each other to stay strong.”

“Wow,” Neville whispered. 

“Sometimes we have to master the art of letting go. Which is always easier said than done. But it doesn’t make it impossible, just gradual. Growth doesn’t always have to be rushed. Be patient with yourself Neville.”

Neville looked at the clock behind Vanessa, his session ended ten minutes ago. “Sorry to keep you over your time Dr. Kramer.”

“Vanessa. And it’s okay, I have some time before my next appointment.”

Neville got out of the lounge chair and walked to his jacket hanging on a hook near the door.

“Neville, I’m not telling you to not crash the wedding, I’m simply saying to think about your actions and what they can mean to others that will be affected. The decision is yours.”

“I weighed this against the odds that I was doing something incredibly stupid, and I’m going ahead anyway.”

“Just think about it. That’s all I encourage you to do. I’ll see you soon.”

Neville nodded. “Maybe. Maybe not,” he said, leaving the room.

The End.

**This is a work of fiction. Names. characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.