I look over at Mom and notice a small tear trailing down her cheek.
“Oh, Mom… don’t start!” I motion to her. “If you start, it’ll make me start!”
I fan my face, doing my best to keep the tears at bay.
KEEP IT TOGETHER LIZZIE.
“I just can’t believe you’re getting married.” She gives me a watery smile.
“I can’t believe it either. How do I look? Do you think it all looks okay?”
I do a slow spin. A small, simple white dress, just enough to celebrate this day. Nothing over the top. Nothing extravagant. But it’s perfect.
“You look incredible. Amazing. Fabulous. All of the adjectives,” Gabby says, spinning into a quick embrace.
And then… Dad comes in.
And when Dad comes in, that’s when the real waterworks start.
He gazes at me with longing in his eyes, the same rare smile I’ve always cherished. Life hasn’t always been easy, and Dad hasn’t always shown his love in the ways I might have needed as a kid—but I know, deep down, he does love me.
And my eyes start to fill just looking at him. Enough for me to look at the ceiling and pretend I’m looking at anything butthe ceiling—maybe the sky, or maybe I should think about what we’re having for dinner tonight?
That seems to do the trick as I look back down. But as soon as I do, the tide of emotion rushes all over again. He comes over to me and gives me a hug.
He’s not the overly affectionate type. He’s always the more stoic type of man. The type that doesn’t show emotion but holds everything underneath, simmering. As if he’s put a pan top on it. Like a pressure cooker. Sometimes that steam—those emotions he buries—just needs let out. But most times, it’s kept inside.
And he’s here, hugging me.
The same dad who taught me to ride a bike and warned me not to date until I was thirty… he’s standing here, hugging me now.
That’s the pressure cooker letting out steam. His emotions spilling over as he hugs me tight.
And I can’t help but get emotional myself. My eyes quickly pool up with water, threatening to drain out.
“Dad,” I choke out. Trying to keep my composure still feels like a feat I may as well give up, but I’m not a quitter and I’m not about to start now.
He releases me.
“Nate is a lucky man,” he says simply. He straightens himself, clears his throat, and returns back to his stoic self.
I quickly glance over and see Mom and Gabby desperately trying to keep it together, trying not to follow suit.
Gabby has already grabbed herself a tissue, and Mom is just about to have tears spill over.
I can’t let the tears win—not yet. Because I don’t want my makeup to get messed up, I naturally have to bring humor in.
“So… how about the football yesterday, huh?”
Was there football on yesterday? Did anyone watch? I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you. I just came out with the first thing that popped into my brain.
Everybody laughs. It did the trick. The tension lifts.
Gabby claps her hands.“So, let’s get you married, huh?”
The shuffling begins. Mom gathers her bag, Gabby scans the room for last minute necessities. And me… I realize I haven’t put on my earrings.
I thought I had put everything on, butoops!
