Page 23 of Father of the Bride
A man with too much to lose.
“Awww…Brooklyn. You look so beautiful.”
Sunny’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of her soon-to-be daughter-in-law in her white dress. It was strapless, A-line, and lace, with beading and flowers embroidered all over. The bottom flared beautifully, leading to a long train. She looked like a princess.
“What do you think?”
“I think you’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”
She beamed at that, staring at her reflection. “I was gonna do a replica of my mom’s wedding dress, but it’s not really on trend.” She paused to look at herself again. “My mom would have wanted me to look and feel my best.”
“Of course,” Sunny agreed, smiling at Brooklyn’s spirit. “That dress is perfect on you.”
The seamstress release a clip at the back of the dress, making the waist go baggy. “We will get this just right for you, Ms. Brooklyn,” she said in an accent. “Will be ready tomorrow.”
“Perfect.”
Brooklyn stepped off the platform and walked a few steps toward Sunny, stopping a few feet away. “I’m so glad you’re here. I wish we’d met and hung out sooner.”
“It’s okay. I’m glad I could be here for you, sweetheart.”
“You take dress off now,” the seamstress announced.
“Oh! Sorry.”
Brooklyn scurried to the back, returning a few moments later wearing the black maxi dress she’d come in.
“Ms. Sunny, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Is Davion okay?”
“Well, I think you’d know that better than me,” Sunny said. “You spend more time with him.”
“I know, but…I don’t know. He’s been off lately. We’re both stressed about the wedding—“
“Why?” Sunny raised a curious eyebrow. “From what I can tell, the plans are all set and everything’s paid for. Why would you be stressed?”
Brooklyn plopped down in the chair next to Sunny and sighed.
“I need everything to go perfectly. And it just feels like things have been going wrong. The weather might not be good on Saturday. My maid of honor is annoying me, my aunt Sadie…” she trailed off. “It doesn’t matter. But like, Davion is here, but he doesn’t feelhere. If that makes sense.”
“I’m sure you know he’s been dealing with the divorce.”
“Right. But that was a year ago.”
“True.” Sunny hesitated, unsure of how much Brooklyn knew.
“I told him, at least you still have both of your parents. You know? Not to sound insensitive.” She shook her head. “That probably sounds insensitive.”
“A little.”
“I’m sorry. I just mean—“
“I know what you mean, sweetheart.” Sunny took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. “You need to talk to him. Yall are about to get married. As somebody who was married for over twenty-five years, I can tell you that communication is the cornerstone. If you don’t have that, it’s all downhill from there.”
Brooklyn nodded. “My daddy told me the same thing.”
