Something for the Wedding - Part 2

 And here is the rest of this little story. It was a fun thing to write and I do like the brother/sister relationship. I hope you enjoy it.

Something for the Wedding

Part 2

    All seemed to be confusion in the dressing room. Missy stood to the side and watched as girls finished their hair or did their makeup or hurried into the room looking for their shoes or their flowers or something. Missy was ready. She was dressed and her hair was done. No one had noticed the blue button inside her dress and when no one had been looking she had slipped Tanner’s tie clip into one of her shoes. It felt funny, but Missy liked feeling like she had a part of her favorite brother with her on his wedding day.
    “Okay, pictures,” Mrs. Leg called. She was directing everyone and telling people where to go.
    Dutifully Missy followed everyone else from the room and down the hall. She stood by Alaina or ran in the grass with the others as she was told. Then finally they got to each lunch. She was happy to sit down, for her foot was beginning to hurt a little, but she quickly discovered that the needle in her dress pricked her side if she didn’t sit exactly right. Perhaps she should have asked Molly to take the needle off. But then she might have taken the button off too.
    “I won’t be sitting much,” she told herself, carefully moving so she wouldn’t get pricked.
    Mom praised her for eating so carefully so she didn’t get her dress dirty, and Missy smiled.
    
    At last it was time for the wedding.
    Missy managed to walk down the aisle with the other girls and drop her red petals even though the tie clip had worked its way beside her foot and was trying to give her a blister. Tanner smiled and winked at her, and that made everything almost better.
    When the wedding part was over, Missy knew there were still more pictures to come. They had to get family pictures and pictures of just Tanner and Alaina.
    Missy was tired. Her foot hurt and the needle kept poking her. The other flower girls and the two ring-bearers kept messing around, but Missy was older. She wasn’t going to cause problems. Besides, the sooner the pictures were done and the cake cut, the sooner she could get out of her dress and take out Tanner’s tie clip.
    “Okay,” the photographer said, “let’s get a picture of the bride and groom with all the siblings.”
    Missy waited as the photographer arranged everyone else. Then it was her turn.
    “Missy, I want you to sit on Tanner’s knee beside Alaina.”
    With a nod, Missy limped over.
    “Are you ready to get out of those shoes?” Tanner asked with a smile.
    “Uh huh.” She sat down on his knee. The needle pricked a little.
    “Now, Tanner,” the photographer said, “put your arm around Missy, and Alaina, put your hand through his arm. Just like–”
    The needle scratched Missy’s side and then jabbed her. With a burst of tears, she struggled from her brother’s arm.
    “Why, Missy!”
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Hey, come on, Mis,” Tanner said, catching her hand. “What’s the matter?”
    “It hurts!”
    “What does?”
    Molly left her place and came over while Alaina leaned forward. “Missy, we’re almost done,” Molly said.
    But Missy shook her head, two tears flying off her cheeks. “It’s poking me!”
    “Did Grandma leave a pin in your dress?” Molly guessed.
    More big tears rolled down Missy’s cheeks as she shook her head again.
    “Where is it poking?” Alaina asked.
    Giving a hiccup, Missy pointed.
    Molly pulled her to the side of the room and turned her around before unzipping the back of her dress. “What on earth– Of course you cried. Um, I need a band-aid and a pair of scissors,” she said to the others.
    Travis came over with his pocket knife that had a small pair of scissors on it, and the photographer’s assistant produced a band-aid from her purse.
    With the needle no longer poking her, Missy’s tears stopped, and she stood still as her sister bandaged the scrape and cut off the needle. After she was zipped back up, she wiped her tears and returned to Tanner.
    “Molly, what–”
    Shaking her head, Molly returned to her place as she said, “There is a button sewn on the inside of the dress, and the needle and thread were still there. Somehow the needle got into such a way that your arm probably jabbed it into her after it scratched her, Tanner.”
    “I’m so sorry, Missy.” Tanner gave her a gentle hug, and Alaina leaned over and brushed a lingering tear off her cheek.
    Missy managed to smile for the rest of the pictures, staying seated on her brother’s knee. Then, before she could get down, Tanner stood up with her in his arm before giving his new wife a hand.
    “Missy,” Tanner asked quietly, “how did that button get on your dress?”
    “I sewed it there. Only I didn’t know how to get the needle off without the button falling off.”
    “Why did you want to sew a button on your dress?” Alaina asked.
    “I needed something blue.” She saw her brother exchange funny looks with Alaina and tried to explain. “I had to have something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”
    “What did you have that was old and what was borrowed?”
    Missy dropped her eyes. It was a little embarrassing to tell. “Your tie clip,” she whispered.
    “Where is that?”
    “In my shoe.”
    “Is that why you’re limping?”
    Before Missy could say anything, Tanner had pulled off her shoe and Alaina had removed the tie clip.
    “But I have to have it still,” Missy protested.
    “Honey,” Alaina said, “the wedding part is done. But why did you think you needed something old, new, borrowed and blue? That’s what the bride does if she’s into that superstition stuff.
    “Lindsey said the flower girl was supposed to be just like the bride and had to have those things too or the wedding wouldn’t be happy or the bride and groom wouldn’t have a good life.”
    “Oh, Missy,” Alaina sighed and looked at Tanner.
    “And I wanted you two to have a good life and a happy wedding because I love you both!”
    Tanner wrapped one arm around Alaina and then said, “Missy, good lives doesn’t come because of what you or anyone else wore or didn’t wear on the wedding day. It comes when husbands and wives put Jesus first in their marriage. When they walk with the Lord and love each other as Jesus loves them. That’s what makes a marriage happy and good.”
    “But we love you for wanting to help us,” Alaina put in, smiling at her.
    “Do you understand?” Tanner asked.
    Missy nodded. “I didn’t need to follow what Lindsey said. But can I still wear your tie clip until you leave?”
    With a laugh, Alaina clipped the tie clip on Missy’s sash and then helped Tanner get her shoe back on.
    “Come on, ladies,” Tanner said, offering his arm to Alaina after he set Missy on her feet. “Let’s go get some cake.”
    “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Missy chanted softly, skipping along beside them. “Should be Jesus’ love when you say I do.”

The End