Page 15 of An Unexpected Encounter

I could just walk in, but I don’t. Who knows what kind of lecture could stem from that, and on the off chance my new stepdaddy is still in there, I don’t want to walk in on my new stepfather’s bare ass as he’s railing my mom. Now I need to bleach my eyes because that’s all I can see.

The door flies open, but it’s not my mother. It’s a brunette about my age, with a white blouse and black pencil skirt, standing in front of me. “You must be Selena. Your mother was beginning to worry we’d have to hunt you down since you were late.” There’s a sternness to her voice, but her eyes hold a whole different story; I see compassion. She must see the woman my mother truly is.

“Mom said ten, and it’s ten. So I think I’m right on time and not late,” I joke, as the woman steps to the side, allowing me space to enter the room.

“Selena, you know that is still late. You should have been here thirty minutes ago. And the way you’re looking right now, it's going to take a miracle to make you look presentable,” she says with a sneer, as the woman standing in front of her doing her makeup gives me an awkward smile.

“Well, good morning to you, Mother, and what an honor it is to be a part of your special day, even with how horrendous I look.” Looking over, I see a table already covered with breakfast foods, coffee, and orange juice, and I make a beeline right to it.

I make a cup of coffee first, needing it to deal with my mom, before picking up a croissant and covering it in a maple spread. Mom’s nasally voice pipes up behind me. “Selena, don’t you think you should eat something with fewer calories? The bread will make you bloat even more and we already had to let out the dress yesterday.”

Groaning, I turn to her, before plastering an evil smile on my face and take a huge bite as I glare at her. “I think I’ll be okay. Plus, no one will be looking at me with how gorgeous you’re going to be.” That puts an instant smile on her face because she loves to hear how great she looks.

“Yes darling, that's true. How was your night with your new stepbrothers?”

“Don’t know. I didn’t go because I was having too much fun with Jose, Jim, Jack, and the Captain.” The woman who answered the door, who my mother still hasn’t taken the time to introduce, covers her mouth with her hand, as she attempts to stifle a laugh.

“Really, Selena? Here only one day and already fooling around with four men? You should be ashamed. God help me. If Abel finds out about it, I’m going to kill you. Do you make it your life’s mission to embarrass me?”

“Calm down, Mom. It’s alcohol. I was raiding the minibar and didn’t want to go out.” “Even worse, now he’ll think my own flesh and blood is an alcoholic, which he’ll attribute to one of the reasons you’re so damn fat.”

And that’s when I feel my blood boil. It takes every ounce of my being not to storm out of the room and jump on the first flight back home. One would expect their mother to love them unconditionally. Guess she didn’t get the memo. I make a vow to myself at that moment that if I ever get pregnant, and have a child, especially a girl, I'd never expose her to my mother’s venom. I’d love her no matter what.

“Selena. Hi, I’m Cassandra. Why don’t I go ahead and take care of your hair while Layla is finishing your mother’s hair? Then once Mayrene is ready, she can go over how the wedding entrance and so forth will go. I know the guys all showed up early, and she was able to take care of their part pretty quickly.” She comes over to me, gesturing toward a chair set up on the other side of the room away from my mother.

“That sounds great.” Taking another huge bite of my croissant, I head over to it.

“If you could just change into this button-up shirt, that way your makeup and hair won’t be messed up by pulling your shirt over your head when it’s time to get dressed,” she whispers but not low enough that Mother’s eagle ears didn’t hear.

“Why didn’t you listen to me when I told you what to wear, Selena? Honestly, it’s like everything I say goes in one ear and out the other,” my mother gripes.

“You’re right, Mother, I'm such an ungrateful child. It’s a shame you got burdened with a daughter like me.” Turning away from her, I pull off my shirt, put the other one on, and drop into the chair.

I sit in silence the rest of the time, not saying a word unless I have to while my mother bitches about me. Once Cassandra has my hair up in one of the most beautiful braids I’ve ever seen, she moves over to my mother, before giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and whispering in my ear, “Don’t listen to her, you look beautiful.”

Layla changes places, now done with my mother, and comes over to me, turning my face into a work of art that even has my jaw dropping when I look at myself in the mirror.

“Okay ladies, before we get dressed,” Mayrene says loudly, “let's go over the wedding march. Selena, obviously, you will go first down the aisle. You’re going to stay behind the door until the music starts, then step out. Wait for a count of five and then begin your walk. Abel and his sons will be waiting at the altar with the pastor. Once you are in your spot, the wedding march will play and that’s when Julia will step out. Everyone will take in her beauty before she makes her way down the aisle.” She continues, and I listen, making sure I know what to do and when to do it. I’m just ready for this day to be over.

“Did you hear all that, Selena? You looked like you were falling asleep. Is being a part of my day too much for you?” my mother bickers.

“Yes, Mom, I heard it all.” That's all I have the effort to say because, honestly, I would rather have a root canal than be here right now.

“Okay, Cassandra, if you could help Selena into her dress, Layla and I will help Julia.”

I pick up my dress and wave Cassandra toward the bathroom, not wanting to undress in front of my mother, and listen to the comments she would make once she saw my nearly naked body.

Once I’m in nothing but my thong, Cassandra holds open the dress for me to step into, then pulls it up the length of my body. The satin material feels wonderful and compliments my skin color. “You look stunning, and this dress fits you like a glove. I’d kill for your body,” she says, as her eyes rake down my body, and I get a feeling she may just be into me.

“Don’t let my mother hear you say that. She’ll think you’ve gone mad.”

“I’d be mad any day to have a woman looking like you on my arm.” Yep, she’s definitely interested. Too bad I’m into men and not women.

Stepping back out into the room, my mother turns to face me, dressed in a classic white mermaid dress, and she looks beautiful. Like an older version of the woman in her and Dad’s wedding picture.

“You look beautiful, Mom. Abel’s a lucky man,” I tell her because I can’t lie about that. To everyone but me, Mom is so sweet, caring, and loving. Hopefully, once they’re married, he keeps her so busy that she has less time to see or call to harp on me.

“Okay ladies, time to head down. The men are already there and ready to be in place. No way of them accidentally seeing the bride before the big reveal,” Mayrene announces as she moves over to my mother, placing the final touch on her look, her veil, the very one she wore in her wedding with Dad.

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