One of the guests joked in a whisper as the bride approached that she appeared to be “floating” down the aisle. I was not laughing, but others were chuckling softly. I felt like something was eating at me. And I moved closer just as the bride was about to approach the altar. My heart stopped. My instincts were too strong to ignore. Therefore, I hurried over and delicately raised the hem of her dress just as everyone anticipated that she would stand next to the groom. Everyone stood motionless, and the church went silent. What I witnessed was illogical.
I was delighted that my best friend Dave had found his soul mate and was getting married to a stunning woman. The sweetest person I’ve ever met, his bride, loved him without conditions. Everyone agreed that he was fortunate to have her.
Something about the bride’s walk felt strange when the wedding day finally came and we were all assembled at the nearby church. Shanize was tall and beautiful, and she didn’t look like herself today. She also walked with grace.
When I asked Dave’s sister if she sensed something wasn’t right, she leaned over and said, “Janice, please don’t make any scenes.”
How could she have missed Shanize’s peculiar gait? However, Heather reassured me that the bride’s anxiety was simply due to the fact that it was her special day.
However, I wasn’t the only person who noticed Shanize’s ungainly gait. One of the guests joked in a whisper as she approached that the bride appeared to be “floating” down the aisle. His companions laughed, but I didn’t. I had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right.
And I ended up following the bride, just as Dave’s sister Heather cautioned me against making a stupid move.
I leaned over and slightly raised the bride’s gown’s hem. I was shocked by what I saw.
Human footwear. I examined a man’s enormous, well-maintained shoes.
As I continued to kneel, I saw that the person wearing the fancy gown had pants on underneath their veil-covered head. As I stared at Dave, who at that moment refused to remove the enormous smile from his face, I wondered what was going on.
The man wearing Shanize’s dress grabbed his wig and began making fun of Dave. Everyone thought his best man was playing a practical joke on him, but in reality, he wasn’t.
“What on earth is this?” Confused, Dave asked. “Where is Shanize?”
Shanize was gone, according to the best man. She didn’t want to cancel the wedding, but she also didn’t want to move forward with it either. She wanted everyone to be aware that Dave was having an affair with Vanessa, one of the bridesmaids. The best man assisted her in coming up with the plan to expose him.
There was silence in the church. The shock was so great that the guests could hardly express what they were thinking.
Dave shouted that the best man’s statement was untrue. Vanessa was standing only a few rows away, and he denied any relationship with her. However, it was clear that he was lying.
As it happened, I didn’t really know my closest friends.
His punishment was a cheap fling because he threw away his chance at happiness.
Although I felt bad for Dave, I was relieved that Shanize had found out about his infidelity before they began a new life together.
Dave remained kneeling at the church, alone and broken, watching as all of the guests left in disappointment.