Free Stories

Jolie managed to get the spare on without incident, but as she tucked the jack back into the trunk, her knee brushed the license plate, snagging her panty hose. She might have made it to the church on time if the first drug store had carried anything but black hose.

Unfortunately, things had started going wrong long before she got out of bed this morning. Take yesterday, for example, when she realized she’d misplaced the invitation to Todd and Sandra’s wedding. It had taken several phone calls to find someone who knew when and where her old school chums would be getting married.

“One o’clock, St. John’s,” Todd’s harried sister had said.

Jolie glanced at her watch. Unless it had decided to go the way of her hair dryer, she was only ten minutes late. No one seemed to have noticed her tardiness, and once she had a chance to replace the cowboy’s hat, all would be right with the world again.

At least, as right as her world could be…

She settled back and listened to the preacher’s clear voice, reverberating from every rafter in the cavernous wood and marbled space as he read from Genesis: “…’and she shall be called Woman, because she is taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh…’“

The bride and groom exchanged vows, shared their first kiss as man and wife and turned to face the congregation. She hadn’t realized Todd was so tall. And when did Sandra put on all that weight around her middle? The church had been decorated with white roses and daisies, and gigantic pink satin bows hung from the end of each pew. If I ever have a wedding, Jolie thought dreamily, I hope it’s as pretty as this one.

The newlyweds linked arms and headed for the narthex to form the traditional receiving line. It wasn’t until they drew near that Jolie realized…

…they weren’t Todd and Sandra!

It had never occurred to her to ask Todd’s sister which St. John’s…