Prompt - The morning after (6/7/14 Prompt)
A couple of small lifts were being used in the Country Club ballroom. As the decorations came down, some were being boxed up, others littered the ground. Only a few workers were here now, others would be coming in during the next hour. The bride's mother was walking around, a worker following her as she indicated what items were to be returned to the rental store and which were to be sent back to her home. She continued talking as she gave a small wave to the groom's parents who had just walked through the door.
The bride's father was unwrapping the fruit and pastry tray they had set on what had been the bridal party table. He looked over to be sure his wife was fully involved with what she was doing and grabbed a pastry for himself. He missed her smile when she caught him out of the corner of her eye and the soft shake of her head. She was indulging him, she knew, but he had been a trooper this last month. The wedding had come years earlier than planned, as would her grandchild. It wasn't really a surprise though. The young couple had been in love forever. She herself had just met her husband when she was her daughter's age.
The groom's father walked over to the pastries and grabbed one for himself as he set down a plate of cookies. A few workers had come over to pick up something as the groom's mother had encouraged as she came through the door. They had not needed to come but Caroline was happy to see them. Maybe they could go to a late lunch later.
The music started over the quiet noise in the room. Promptly at eleven every day, as the restaurant opened, the music would begin. Caroline stooped below the table and picked up the box to begin boxing the punch bowl. Helen came over and the two engaged n small talk as they began wrapping the bowl and cups up for the ride home where they would be cleaned and put away for the next formal occasion.
In a matter of moments, the rest of the wedding party came and helped pick up the garbage and stacked chairs. The music continued as a light background noise to cheerful discussions. Caroline noted that two of the wedding party seemed to be deliberately keeping to opposite sides of the room, similar to what had happened at dinner last night. She stopped and went back to last night, seeing her daughter and her long-term love dancing their first dance as a married couple. Suddenly she realized that the music playing was their song. A tap on her shoulder surprised her. She turned and her husband had his arms open, inviting her to dance with him among the remaining wreckage of the night before. She went with him, gliding along, noting Helen and Peter also dancing. Then she saw Trixie and Jim, Bobby and one of the twins, Dan sweeping the other giggling twin into a huge turn. She looked at the two who had been tap-dancing around each other. Looking over at her friend Helen, she realized she was not the only one watching them. No one knew what had happened to break up what had been thought to be a certainty, but this weekend had been a weekend of breathholding whenever the two had been in the same room. She looked back into her husband's eyes, seeing their past, acknowledging their future. The two were next to each other now, he held a hand out to her in invitation. Just as she was going to reach back, the music changed. They stepped back from each other, both looking quickly away as a quick moving song began. Caroline looked around the room again, noting the looks of disappointment on everyone's face as they avoided looking at either of the couple. As tasks and quiet conversations began again, Caroline watched surreptitiously. She noticed the two people keep looking cautiously towards the other, turning whenever they thought they might be discovered.
Maybe there was still hope?