Suzie’s House 414 : Bouquet

Justin caught the bouquet.

As soon as his sister stepped up to the top of the church steps with her miles of fluffy skirts and barracuda smile, he’d tried to sneak around to the back of the building where he’d be safe. No such luck.

“Don’t be so aloof,” one of his uncles said as he took Justin’s left arm.

“Party pooper,” a cousin said as he took Justin’s right arm.

Caught between the burly men, Justin didn’t stand a chance. They duck walked him right to the front.

“Please excuse us,” Justin said to the bevy of pastel dressed ladies with marital hopes. A few glared at him even though it should be perfectly obvious to everyone that he was not at fault here.

This whole ceremony was a mockery anyway. His sister and her husband had been living together for five years already, and had two kids; yet she wore yards and yards of white. They didn’t need the pile of wedding gifts they expected to get. They already owned a house and more than enough stuff. They lived in a common law state. It wasn’t like a beg church wedding made them any less temporary than before. It was just another excuse to party.

And to make fun of the baby brother of the family.

Justin let his arms hang limp. She could smack him in the face with the stupid flowers if that was what she wanted. He wouldn’t play in to their games by actually catching it.

“Ready? Here it comes!” She threw it straight at him.

In the last seconds his uncle and his cousin raised his hands for him. He struggled, but the flowers still bounced off his face and onto the backs of his arms. His uncle scooped them up and shoved them into his hand, then raised it while everyone hooted with laughter.

Justin tried to drop the sucker as soon as he could, but people kept handing them to him and insisting on pictures. Like a guy just going into high school would be ready to get married.

He glanced at the clock on his cell phone. He and Kate were supposed to go to a movie in a few minutes, but the reception was being held at the same church as the wedding, and it looked like it was going to be a while before his extended family would let him go.

He sent a quick text to Kate to let her know where he was and why he would be late.

“Sit down. What are you so antsy about?” His mother made him sit next to her at one of the long tables set up in the back yard. Someone slid a plate of some fancy chicken dish and some juice in a wine glass in front of him.

“I thought you said the wedding would be over by now.” Justin put the bouquet on the table in front of him. One of his female cousins across the table eyes it jealously.

“And so the wedding is. Now there’s the reception.”

“But Mom, I have to go.”

“Go? Go where? This is an important day.”

“Right,” Justin said under his breath. As though anything had really changed for anyone.

While the best man went on and on about what a great couple they made, Justine stuffed food in his mouth. The sooner done, the sooner he could get away.

There was a murmur from the edge of the yard. He glanced up to see Kate standing uncertainly by the fence.

“That’s where I have to go,” he told his mother.

Before she could protest he stood up and took a dozen steps. Then, thinking there was no way his family would let him get all the way out of there that easily, he went back and grabbed the bouquet off the table.

Everyone watched with bated breath as he passed all the way from a spot close to the bride and grooms table to the outskirts of the group. He walked in a way he hoped meant business so fewer people would get in the way.

When he reached Kate, he gave her a big, romantic kiss, then handed her the bouquet.

Her startled expression melted to a little screech of joy as she looked at the bouquet. It was better than he’d hoped.

“Quick. Let’s get out of here before they catch on,” he said in her ear.

She followed him out with little more than a baffled expression.

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