Remorse of Love

Judith’s POV

“Where’s the groom?”

“It's running late; we can't spend the whole day here without anything happening.” The people in the crowd murmured and complained, with heavy frowns on their faces. 

“Will the wedding still hold, or have I been dumped?” That was the only thought going through my head as I stood on the altar. Whispers were flying around, adding to the discomfort I already felt. I knew what was going through the minds of the guests seated in the beautiful Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Rome.

It's amazing that I had the presence of mind to observe the structure and interior of the church in such a situation. If not for the presence of so many people, I would have wanted to give myself a round of applause. At least I proved that people can still spare their energy for other things in extremely stressful situations. So... why is my fiancé not returning messages or showing up? 

The head officiating minister walked towards me. “We are running really late, Judith; I'd have canceled this whole thing hours ago if you weren't a devoted member of this church,” he whispered angrily before dashing out almost immediately.

“I'm sure he is almost here,"  I confidently said, but deep down, I didn't even know what was going on. 

Today has always been the day I have looked forward to all my life—me getting married to the man of my dreams—but it seems like I've lost it all and it's on the brink of ruin. 

I struggled in my huge wedding dress and looked over the huge church windows for the hundredth time. I ran my eyes across the fancy wall clock. It’s almost noon, and my groom isn't here yet. It's two hours past the scheduled time for our wedding ceremony.

I kept reassuring everybody that he'd be there soon, but in reality, I had no way to reach him. As I turned over to look back inside the church, I saw my best friend and chief bridesmaid, Vanessa, walk towards me. 

"Hey, Judith”. The look she gave me depicted sadness and disappointment. “I have tried calling Felix and some of his friends, but their phones aren’t connecting. I don't know, but I'm certain they probably got stuck in traffic and should be here soon.”

“Soon, Vanessa?” I repeated. “It’s almost 12 p.m., and look at the seats—they are almost empty; some of the guests have already left." Anger was already brewing in me. 

She looked around and said, “I just hope they are fine." She moved closer and drew me into a warm hug.

I saw Felix in the early hours of today, and for some unknown reason, both his presence and action made me feel somewhat uneasy, but I just waved it off, thinking it was the wedding stress that had put him in bad shape.

No matter how good things are worth waiting for, are love and weddings also the same? I waited for years to find the man, and I was really sure of his love and unwavering support. Am I supposed to wait for hours on the altar too? I’m sure this is not how it’s done for other women; their groom will probably be the one waiting for them instead.