In the Eyes of the Beholder

In the Eyes of the Beholder

by Judy

 

I anxiously opened the engraved wedding invitation and quickly checked the inside envelope. Sure enough, it was addressed to both my husband and me and after our names, were the names of my two young daughters. I had not seen my college roommate since my own wedding a year after we graduated. She had not met my two young girls, and it was long before the days of Facebook and Skype.

“The girls can stay with your mother,” my husband said when I told him of the upcoming wedding.

 

“You want to leave these precious darlings with my mother?” I asked. “Look at that envelope. Clearly my friend wants them to attend her wedding or their names would not be on the envelope. This discussion is ended,” I said. Looking back, I realize I just wanted to impress my good friend with my beautiful daughters. I carefully planned what my daughters and I would wear to the wedding. Of course, there was a shopping trip and new dresses were purchased. I don’t think my husband got a new shirt, but he might have. I don’t remember. Nor do I remember why I thought my former roommate would notice what anyone besides she wore to her wedding.

The day of the wedding dawned clear and beautiful. After carefully dressing the girls and myself in our new wedding finery, I curled their recently shampooed hair and secured it back out of their eyes and faces with colorful barrettes matching their dresses. How pretty the girls looked!

The automobile trip to the wedding was uneventful, and we arrived on time, all of us looking our very best. I was anxious for my roommate to see what a good mother I was, and to see that I had the most beautiful daughters in the world. All went well through the wedding ceremony. My young girls were entranced with the beautiful bride, handsome groom and colorful flowers decorating the church. When the ceremony ended my family and I joined the other wedding guests in the church’s hall for the reception. We patiently waited our turn in the reception line. At last I reached the beautiful bride. I hugged her and turned to introduce her to my daughters.

Yes their dresses were beautiful, and they had pretty little smiles on their faces. They also had each taken the two barrettes out of their hair and stuck them up their nostrils. Of course, one could hardly see the barrettes through all the hair hanging down over their eyes and faces. It wasn’t my proudest mothering moment.

Some years later I visited with my roommate about her wedding day. “Do you remember meeting my little girls at your wedding?” I asked.

“Well, no, I don’t, but wasn’t it a beautiful day and wedding?” she answered.

And I agreed…it was.