One Wedding Day

My mother woke me with a tender swipe above my cheek and for a second as my eyes seem to draw to focus I thought I saw my mother in her younger years instead of now with grey peppered locks that hung to the left side of her aged face with her glowing life filled eyes of my childhood.

“ Good morning beautiful. ”

“ Good morning Mama. ” I said as I stretched beneath the heavy silk blanket that held me through the night. My mama lifts it and slides close to me holding me tight. Her body heat took me to so many memories of my childhood where a mothers comfort was the only solution to my griefs and pains but today it was to have a private moment of celebration, a decision that the heartbreak that I felt through the twenty-seven years of my life would cease just for today and at this moment she took every horrible memory and stored them away and I was just left with this wedding day glow that I saw in the mirror as I got up to step into the day that would change my life forever.

As I sit and watch as the people around me transform from everyday people to the royal court of the day becoming a show of pure majestic movement I was able to look at as my hair and makeup were getting done. While I sat in my chair getting ready I watched their beauty enhance around me, the people who I’ve loved and cared for danced around me with such grace

As I get up after I’m finished I turn to see my sister in her beautiful dress that seemed to be the perfect dress on her. “Efuru….oh god you look so beautiful like I know I’ve seen you in this dress at least three times you just look so different today this is your dress you know,” I said with a ball of tears stuck in my throat. “Can someone grab the bride some water, she being emotional again?” she said with the biggest smile on her face.

I looked around quickly to find our mother before flipping my beautifully manicured finger at her while sticking out my tongue then a wink releasing the tear from the crease of my eye. That was quickly caught by my older sister Brenda “Y’all two are a hot mess always playing. Watch the tears please you do have on makeup and we don’t want to have to do it again ” When I turned to face her I look into her beautiful brown eyes that the sun seems to catch at the top of her eye turning her eyes a little lighter. “Mama and Ilah are ready for you in the other room to put your dress on.” With a kiss to my temple and a quick squeeze of my hand, she sent me on my way.

On the way to the backroom, I saw my grandma sitting down near the window looking out. As I reached for her cold wrinkled hand I remember the last time I was pampered this much when she did my hair for my prom and the happiness I felt at that moment to have that private moment with her while wishing for just one more. “Do you want to come and watch me put my dress on?” It seems to take a few seconds for her to respond as she turned her face to me I saw the smile I’ve adored my whole life with the mountain-sized gap that made her smile bigger and more beautiful. “You remember what I use to call you girls” I smile and say “your woo woos”

What seems to be a private moment in a room full of people as she began under her breathe to sing the song I heard so many times through the year. I began to sing along with her as I helped her up into the next room where my little sister Nailah sat in the chair in the corner of the room. “Finally, you got to act like it’s about you just because it’s your wedding” she smiles as she takes our grandma’s other hand taking her to the chair she previously was sitting in. As we sat my grandma down her weak hand gave me a strong squeeze like for that moment her years left her and she was young again.

“Yes, grandma”

“You look so beautiful baby, my little biyya baby all grown up.” I began to smile and tear up a little loving to hear that name and wishing I heard it these past two years. “oh no crying baby this is your wedding day” she said as her hand began to shakenly rise from her lap where it resided. It took a minute but as her hand rose to my left cheek I felt this forthcoming warmth that forced my eyes closed as my face shrink in her hand like years rewinding in time to the naive moments of my childhood. As I set there thinking of every moment with her growing up I felt the heat of her breathe in the middle of my forehead followed by her lips with a soft kiss as if she knew where I went. With a small whisper, she says “You go on and get dressed.”

I felt the ground move behind me as if someone was walking toward us. I turned to meet the view of my mother “ hey honey, you ready?” behind her, I hear my sister “Not like everyone isn’t waiting on her” with this graceful movement my mother hits my sister in the back of the head followed by her spat “shut and get the dress”. The utter awe on my sister’s face was both funny and made me sad. “Ma, you didn’t have to hit her. She’s right everyone is waiting on me it time for me to get ready” I said as I stood up. From the closet, I hear someone say thank you followed by my sister coming out with a black dress holder, as my mother unzipped it I saw my silk white dress with the red ascents that was similar to trees at the bottom of the dress. I reach in to pull the dress out I looked at my family “beautiful right?” My mama and my grandma nodded their heads with the biggest smile on their face.

“Let’s get this dress on,” my sister said as the moment rested in everyone’s smile and eyes.

I dropped my robe that I was wearing exposing my body that was only covered by my panties that wear a lacy white thong “Us brewer women huh ma? Look at this body man what I’d do to be a little bit younger” my mama said with a smile on her face. “Mama it’s kind of cold” I say holding my exposed breast. “Now my naked daughter wants to cover up after years of being the naked one. Nailah take the dress out.” She demanded with a snap of her finger I’ve seen all too many times before. As I stood on the velvet platform in front of the covered mirror I watched as my mother took the dress from my sister and scrunched it up on her arm. I stood there obeying every command verbally and the ones that weren’t. My sister was behind me tighten the back of my dress as I sucked in my stomach while I mentally asked myself why I choose this dress. I heard my sister release a long breath and when I turned around she smiled at me while she rolled her eye. I mouthed “I know” to her finishing with a silly face before turning around to my mother with her hands cupping her face with ocean filled eyes “ Awe mama you going to make me mess up my makeup.” I said as I stepped off the platform. “Stop!” I quickly freeze and see my sister come around me

“You didn’t have to freeze like that. You look slow, looking stupid on your wedding day”

“At least mine isn’t an everyday thing like you” I squawked at her as I straightened up. She brought our mother a tissue to dry her tears that were still flowing. As an attempt to get herself together she cleared her throat and pointed to the shoe box by my grandma. “Ilah can you grab the shoes,” I said since I knew my mama was in no position to talk. Nailah obeyed and grabbed them. She opened the box showing these gorgeous snow-white shoes that had gold stems that lead to two red roses on the heel of the shoe. I look up at my mama who’s smiling ear to ear. “You found them? I looked everywhere for them! ” The tears swelled in my eyes as I looked at the shoes I only dreamt about and spend two months looking for them after I got engaged last summer. They were nowhere to be found so I ended up settling on some white shoes that had a silver line in the back. These were my dream shoes and my mama found them she really found them. As soon as my sister put them on I could do nothing but jump for joy like a child on their birthday. The amount of happiness I was feeling was uncanny. Everything is perfect so perfect I screamed as I jumped and hugged my mama with everything in me. She always made my dreams come true the strongest women I know. “I love you” I whispered in her ear.

“Alright, Miss. Sabiyya time for you to see yourself are you ready” I released my mama and straighten my dress and patted under my eye with the napkin my mama had “wait before we show you where’s the vale” I hear my sister run and ramble through the closet before I heard

“I can’t find it “ come from the closet. All three of us at the same time said “WHAT?” then we here a laugh as my sister appears from the closet with a big box. “ How long is your trail, baby?” I thought for a second then remembered “About six or seven feet I think?” My sister burst into laughter “Your trail is taller than you !!!” I rolled my eyes, “could you just put it on me please?” she sit the box on the ground before opening it. She walked to the front of me as my mama held the lace vale at the back of me. As she rested the tiara into the perfect place on my head she whispers “Perfect! You’re ready” My mama opened the door to the room we were in and called all the bridesmaids into the room for the reveal. Once everyone was in I hear Efuru say “Leave it up to mama to make everything grand” Everyone laughs then my mama tells everyone to quiet down as she prepared everyone for her speech about me and who I’ve been since I was a child as the tears and the laughter seem to fill the room then with my mama’s final words and an air kiss directed toward me. I faced the mirror patting under my eyes as my younger sister take the sides of the curtains. As the curtain fell I saw the most beautiful sight, it was me except I was this angelic person I had dressed up before never like this though. As I looked in the mirror I see my family and I am happy with everything. “I think I’m ready to get married you guys” I said as I reached out for my mother’s hand. As she took it and lead me off to the most special day of my life.