"I don't know how people wear stuff like this all the time," Trisha said, fidgeting in the back passenger seat in her dress, "I only wear dresses to Church, and maybe to certain formal family events. Can you imagine wearing something like this all the time?"
"I can't, no," Mae replied, "but it's nice. It's nice to be pretty. I like it anyway. I'm surprised your mom let you come." "My mom likes weddings," Trisha said, "She says weddings are the most honest expression of love two people can have for one another because they're openly celebrating it." "What does she think anniversaries are?" Mae asked, and Trisha got a weird look on her face. "I...don't know," she muttered, making Mae chuckle. Mae had been allowed to invite one friend to her aunts wedding, so she chose Trisha, because Trisha was the most proper of her friends, in the sense that she knew how to behave well at things like this. The aunt in question getting married was Mae's aunt Mary, who was finally marrying her longtime boyfriend. The two had been together for over a decade, and were finally tying the knot, much to the family's relief. As they parked the car, the girls were impressed by the amount of guests and tables of snacks laid out. The wedding was taking place outdoors at a small country club estate, all very well to do, and paid for by Mae's grandparents. Mary was their youngest, so they were happy to see her finally get hitched, and as such they had no problems paying for the necessities either. Mae and Trisha climbed out of the car as Scott exited the drivers seat, stretching. "God, an hour and a half drive," he said as Juliet came around the car and stood beside him. "I know, she couldn't get married somewhere close by, it has to be somewhere special." "Who does she think she is?" Scott asked, the two of them chuckling. Mae liked it when her parents got along and joked together. She often wondered if she'd ever meet someone that she could have the same sort of relationship with, where they were partners but also best friends. Trisha took Mae's hand, and together the two girls walked behind Mae's parents up to the estate courtyard, passing through the gates. "Look at that fountain," Trisha said, stopping and pointing, "it's a mermaid!" "That's so cool," Mae whispered in awe. "Maybe your aunt picked the right place after all," Trisha said, "I want a mermaid fountain at my wedding." "I just want a mermaid fountain, I don't need to get married for it," Mae said, the girls laughing. As they got further into the courtyard, they saw the bridesmaids hanging out together, all wearing emerald green dresses, eating snacks and laughing. They all looked so young, but they were adults. Age was weird to the girls. Suddenly a hand tapped Mae's shoulder, and she squealed only to see her Uncle Owen come around in front of her, kneel and grin. "You like the fountain?" he asked, nodding towards it and both girls lit up. "It's so cool," Trisha said, "does it belong to the club?" "No, we had it brought in specifically for this event," Owen replied, "it just...felt right, ya know? So, you girls want any snacks? We have a lot of sweets. Little cupcakes and fancy cookies, or there's a platter of nice cheeses and meats. Take your pick." "I promised my mom I wouldn't have any sugar," Trisha said quietly. "Well your mom ain't here, is she?" Owen asked, "I don't see why she'd need to know. Go, you're young, gorge yourselves on forbidden desires." The girls, giggling to themselves, raced off to the snack tables to eat sugary delights, while Juliet and Scott approached Owen, who was watching the girls rushing off, laughing to himself, his hands in his pants pockets. As Juliet and Scott approached him, he turned and nodded at them. "Congratulations," Scott said, shaking his hand, "it's about damn time." "That's what she said actually when I proposed," Owen replied, grinning, "no, but thanks, seriously, I'm...I'm happy to make it official in the eyes of the government, and our lord and savior, whoever that winds up being." "Where is my sister?" Juliet asked, and Owen pointed to a small white wooden building that looked almost like a shed. Juliet thanked him, then walked on by, heading towards the building as Owen turned back to facing Scott. "So tell me," Owen asked, "does being married change anything really besides your finances?" "Are you asking because I'm Jewish?" "...that hadn't even occurred to me, and I apologize," Owen said, the both of them cackling. Meanwhile, sitting at a table nearby the snacks, Mae and Trisha exchanged sweets with eachother, each one trying to get the other to try something different. After a while, the girls had had their fill of sugar, and decided to switch to actual food instead, loading up small plates and carrying them around as they walked amongst the grounds, looking at all the beautiful flowers that surrounded the estate. "Do you think you'll ever get married?" Trisha asked, and Mae thought about it. "I...don't know," she said, "I mean, I like the idea, it's cute, but...it seems complicated. I like the idea of just being on my own too, you know? Not having to listen to anyone else. What about you?" "I will," Trisha said, "I'd have to find the right boy first, but I will. But my mom's gonna throw a fit if he isn't from our religion, so that will be fun to deal with." "You can't date outside your religion?" "I will, she just won't like it," Trisha said, chuckling. "...do you think..." Mae asked, before pausing. She wasn't sure she should ask this, considering how religious Trisha's family was, but she knew Trisha wasn't like them exactly, so she figured it'd be safe; she cleared her throat and started again, asking, "do you think sometime it'd be okay to marry a girl?" There was a pause, and Trisha thought for a moment. "I mean," Mae said, "all my best friends are girls, and your partner is supposed to be your best friend, right? So why wouldn't it be okay?" "Well, my church says that marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman, but when I asked about that, they couldn't explain why they believed that. I think it's because the church wants more people to be born so they can have more people in the church, but mom says that's heresy to think so. I don't know though, I think it'd be okay, right?" Neither girl really knew what to say in regards to it, so they instead dropped the subject altogether. Mae felt awkward now. She'd never brought this question up to anyone before, for fear of the answer, and now she felt even weirder about it. She went back to her snacks. Meanwhile, Juliet had entered the little shed building, and found her sister Mary sitting down, smoking a joint. Juliet sat down and Mary immediately passed it to her. She took a long inhale, then waited and exhaled before going again and then passing it back, Mary smirking all the while. "If mom could see us now," Mary said. "She probably could, it's not that door has a lock," Juliet said, "...so, are you nervous?" "Please, when have I ever been nervous?" "Your entire life you've been a nervous wreck," Juliet said, laughing, "but today is the one day it's totally okay for you to be nervous. You're gonna be a wife in a few hours, that has to be somewhat stressful. Are you worried about anything?" "I'm worried that he's only marrying me because it's easier than starting over." "What? That's ridiculous, you know he adores you." "I know it's ridiculous, that's what irritates me about it," Mary replied, "Is how aware of its ridiculousness I am. Yet, I can't help for shake it. I think it's just something women of our generation had built into us thanks to the women who came before us. Like, mom likely never attended any suffrage rallies or political protests, you know? Her entire purpose was just to be a wife, and I think that got passed down to us, but we learned about the world, and how we deserve more than that from it." "Boy I bet mom really regrets sending you to college," Juliet said, making Mary laugh and choke on the smoke she was trying to exhale. The ceremony went off without a hitch, and was lovely. Trisha and Mae sat in the front row, watching as Mae's aunt and uncle were married. Cheering, whistling, celebrations. The wedding was a lovely way to spend a weekend, and it was a gorgeous day outside to boot. Afterwards, the girls climbed back into the car and headed home. Falling asleep in the backseat, Mae's head on Trisha's shoulder while soft rock played over the car stereo at a low level, it felt like it'd been the perfect kind of day. "I like weddings," Trisha said quietly. "Me too. I like it when things are happy and nice," Mae said, "It's a shame most marriages don't seem to stay that way." "Let's plan our weddings together," Trisha said. "That sounds cool," Mae said, yawning, "I'll get the markers if you get the paper and we'll draw what we want it to look like." "Sounds like a deal," Trisha said. As both girls drifted off to sleep, Juliet looked behind her seat at them, smiling warmly. She looked back at Scott as he drove, and she cozied up in her own car seat, thinking about her sister and what she'd said about getting married. Juliet hoped she was setting a good example for Mae - and to an extension her friends - that a woman could be more than just a wife. A woman could be anything she wanted. She didn't have to be defined by the marital status of the state. But most importantly, she wanted the girls to know that a woman could be just that, a woman. And there was nothing wrong with that at all.
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FANNYPACK follows 4 girls - Chaz, Allie, Trisha and Mae - in the 90s as they deal with adolescence and friendship. Archives
December 2022
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