by Cecilia Kennedy
Under a Trellis with Vines and Blooming Forsythia, Sadie and Darren Invite You to Celebrate Their Union
They met by the river last week, while he was swimming, and she was collecting watercress. He said she made a salad from the fresh, tender leaves, so delectable, he fell in love. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and he does look a Petrarchan pale—smitten by love.
Saturday, 6:00 p.m.
It has been a full week since they’ve met, but no one knows where she is or if she’ll even show up. No one has seen her. Rumor has it, she’s just a tiny thing, translucent in a stunning way.
Wedding Location: 12345 River Bend Way Church Gardens
When we get there, the grounds smell a bit musty, but someone has tried to decorate the chairs with a few flowers, now wilting. Every seat is taken, each of us hopeful to see if the bride shows up or if Darren is going to be left alone in a white tux. She’s supposed to wear water-drop pearls.
Reception to Follow
We weren’t given choices for a meal, so I’m not sure what will be served or where the reception will be, but the priest is here, and so is Darren. Sadie is nowhere to be found, but Darren insists she’s coming and to get started without her. The priest refuses, saying it’s not traditional, but Darren grows agitated, paler. Perspiration pours from his forehead—and blood drips from his mouth, staining the white suit, but he insists that the priest go on—and when we reach the part where Darren is supposed to say, “I do”—and he opens his mouth to utter the words—a flat-headed shape springs from the back of his throat and flops around on the grass. The way he reaches for it, tenderly, leads us to believe that Sadie made it after all: a fluke, a passing thing looking for a new host, bits of watercress still clinging, the bouquet thrown, reception over.
Cecilia Kennedy (she/her) is a writer who taught English and Spanish in Ohio for 20 years before moving to Washington state with her family. Since 2017, she has published stories in international literary magazines and anthologies. Her work has appeared in Hearth & Coffin Literary Magazine, Maudlin House, Tiny Molecules, Rejection Letters, Meadowlark Review, Vast Chasm Literary Magazine, Kandisha Press, Ghost Orchid Press, and others. She currently works full time as a copywriter and does freelance work as a proofreader for Flash Fiction Magazine and as a concept editor for Running Wild Press, LLC. You can follow her on Twitter (@ckennedyhola).
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