Little Girl, Big Fir

October 10, 2019
West Town Bar & Grill
Pinot Grigio

Beth looks like a fairy princess. She is so beautiful today. She looks like she’s made out of frosting, thinks Emily. All brides are pretty, but today her cousin is right out of one of those glossy bride books. Or a Disney story. Emily can’t believe that her former babysitter is getting married today just like a real princess.

Emily looks around the church. It’s so fancy.

She starts to wriggle around in her seat and Daddy puts his hand on her leg, gently reminding her to sit still.

“How much longer, Daddy?” she whispers behind her hand.

“Soon, Baby, soon,” he whispers back.

“Okay.”

She drifts off into her own little world, imagining Beth riding away from the church on a beautiful, white horse, her Prince Charming gazing at her in awe from his magestic, black stallion.

Too bad there aren’t any horses at this wedding, she thinks. Horses make everything more fairy tale-y.

She leans her head on Daddy’s shoulder and stares up at the stained glass. Too bad there aren’t any princesses up there. She yawns. She closes her eyes and lets all the pretty colours make kaleidescope shapes on the insides of her eyelids. She has a little sun snooze.

“Honey, Honey,” Daddy shakes her shoulder softly. “Emily, it’s time to stand up Sweetie.”

She blinks awake just in time to see Beth and Jeremy turn to face their family and friends as Wife and Husband. Wow. That is a big, important thing, she thinks. Emily stands up with everyone else.

Someday, when she grows up, and gets married, she is going to have the prettiest dress ever and ride away on a horse. A white horse.

But now, the boring part. She’ll get to see Beth for just a second as they walk down the aisle, but then…then ugh. She’ll have to stand around while all the adults stand around and blabber to each other about boring adult stuff. Her best cousing, Bradley, isn’t here because he has got chicken pox and had to stay home. What. A. Bummer.

Beth glides down the aisle and gives Emily a special smile that makes her feel very important, but then she’s gone. The people start to leave the church and make their way outside. All she can see is everybody’s butt. It’s boring. So. Boring.

Finally she’s outside and the day is sunny and warm. She moves around, holding Daddy’s hand. Mom stayed home with her baby brother so it’s just her and Daddy today and that’s nice, even though this part is boring.

She looks across the lawn at a stage that is set up in the street. There are lots of people over there, waiting for something to happen. She saw the stage when they got here, but nothing was going on then. Now there is and she is curious.

She lets go of Daddy’s hand and wanders closer to the street. It’s okay because there’s a fence, plus she knows about streets and stuff. She is not a baby; she is six.

There are men and women on the stage and lots of instruments. The two ladies have on super cool sunglasses and long, long sweaters over short skirts and tall boots. They are awesome. All the men have cool cat clothes on.

She stares at them.

Then they start to play the instruments. The lady with the dark hair opens up her mouth and a sound comes out like Emily has never heard before. Emily doesn’t notice herself begin to dance, but she is dancing. She holds onto the wrought iron bars of the fence and peers through them at the band; watches the players play and the singers sing and she is just gone.

She can’t help herself. Her new dress is swinging around her skinny little hips and she is lost to the music.

The blond lady sings next. Her voice is way higher than the other lady’s, and it makes Emily’s hair stand up all along the back of her neck. Then the two sing together, and Emily grins and shimmies and just…floats away.

“Emily!” says Daddy, catching his breath, “Em, Honey you scared the heck out of me!” His big hand is soft on her shoulder.

“Daddy! Daddy, I want to be up there! When I grow up, I want to do that!” She points at the stage.

“They’re really good,” says Daddy, a smile replacing the concern his face. “Like, really good! Wow.” He dances beside her for a minute.

“Em, Honey, we really have to go now, though,” he says. “Sorry, Sweetheart.”

“Daddy, please, just one more song? Pleeeeeeeeease?” She looks up into his face, hers serious and needing.

“Okay, Honey, one more song.”