The wedding scene here is hardly detailed, but to a six or seven-year-old introvert, the sights and sounds can be overwhelming.
Vignette 8
Jake knew his time
was short, so he flipped over the chair in the living room and
climbed underneath it. He positioned his hands as if he were holding
a joystick and moved them right and left. He made a roaring sound as
he feigned adding power to his makeshift jet. For a moment, he
imagined himself in the air. He looked to one side and saw another
jet as his wingman. He waved to the pilot, his father, and he smiled
and waved back.
“Jake!”
The voice startled
him and brought him back to his view of the upholstered seat of the
chair. “Yeah, Mom?”
“Why aren't you
getting ready? We need to go soon!” She pulled him out from under
the chair and straightened it.
“Aw Mom, can't I
have a little fun?”
She dragged him to
his room where the suit she had spent a month getting to fit right
lay on the bed. She pointed to it and started to pull off his shirt.
“I hate ties.”
“It's a clip on.
It won't kill you.”
“It's the top
button that chokes me!”
He gagged lightly as
his mother buttoned his shirt to the top and put the tie on. She
pulled down his pants.
“Mom! I can do
this myself!”
She let go. “I
don't have time for this! I need to get dressed too!” She left him
with his pants off. He stared at the pants she wanted him to wear.
She had forbade him from wearing them at any time except during
fittings and they were flat, crisp and clean. He put them on and the
material scratched his thighs. He sighed and then put on the belt.
All that was left was the shoes and socks. He picked up the pair of
black socks and sat on his bed.
Jerry came in,
already dressed. “Hurry up loser. Mom says you'd better be ready to
go in five minutes or she's leaving you behind!”
“Wouldn't be the
first time.”
Jerry grabbed him by
the tie and forced him to stand up. “Listen dipwad, this is her
special day. Don't you ruin it by acting stupid!”
He let go and Jake
did his best to straighten out his shirt and tie. “I'll be good if
you will!” He wanted to kick Jerry, but his feet were still bare
and he knew he'd only hurt himself. He stared at the hard shoes he
was going to wear and realized that if he kicked Jerry with those
he'd probably scuff them, and he had spent half an hour shining them.
He sighed, put on his socks and his shoes. They were loafers, and he
was glad. He wasn't very good at tying shoes yet.
He went out to the
den, where the rest of the family stood. Priscilla approached him and
straightened his tie again and then looked him over.
“How did you
wrinkle your shirt already?”
“You wouldn't
believe me.” He glared at Jerry, who snickered.
She gave an
exasperated sigh and pulled his jacket tighter over the wrinkled
part. “Maybe the jacket will hide it.” She fussed over him until
their mother came out. She wore a simple green dress. Priscilla had
been disappointed that she wasn't wearing a traditional wedding
dress, but Mom had told her that was for first time brides only.
Mom scanned the
troops quickly, fidgeted with Jake's tie, shirt and jacket and then
sighed. She licked her hand and tried to pat down the part of his
hair that always wanted to stick up. Jake shuddered. “Let's go!”
Jake had never been
to a wedding before. The sights, sounds and people made him want to
crawl away. But this was an important day for his mother and he
resisted all urges, and just tried to smile as people he didn't know
grabbed his hand and shook it, or hugged him, or tried to talk to
him. The ceremony itself was simple. “To have and to hold...” He
didn't understand the meaning, but he understood the sentiment.
Afterward, he smiled
as pictures were taken, then found his social energy was waning and
longed for home and the relative peace of his room.
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