The Choice - 1. Chapter 1

THE CHOICE

2005

1

Your throat locks with emotion. You’re on your way to the wedding and you feel sick. After long periods of soul searching, the final decision to carry out this act must be quick. You’re nervous because after so many years of living in constant fear of being chastised, you finally have recognition.

The office staff will be there, some smiling, some thinking how silly. The press will be there with ink as ammunition.

If you marry, you will be blessed with years of stability, you may raise a family, learn through humility and increase your credibility. If you turn back, you will never know the joy of this man’s bond. You will lose the ability to be true to yourself as a man of your word.

You visualize the heat in the sheets, his soft jasmine smell.

You are about to give your life away to this man. You see the church and friends with their partners. You see your parents and sisters with their daughters and sons. The car slows to a stop. A single chapel stands in the middle of an exotic garden. Suddenly there is a camera in your face. And a barrage of questions from a horde of hardened reporters.

They want to know how will you two have kids? Who is top? Who is bottom? Who will wear the dress?

How naïve people are. You manage to tell a reporter to check out a library for the answers before he runs the press. You stand at the steps, peering in. You have a moment to decide on this. Be normal! Think rationally. Your shirt is wet.

Don’t overstep the promise of commitment. On the other hand you need so much love and he gives it to you in bucket loads – you’re his pet.

The music strikes up and the choir sings. He turns around, sees you striding up the aisle, dressed in a black suit with long tails and a corsage spilling from your breast pocket. You see him as striking and perfect, dressed in white tails and a black Bowtie.

His pocket-watch dangling like a bright silver locket.

You smile a thousand times as you approach that dimple on his cheek and the stretched out hand waiting to take you as his lifelong partner. For better or worse, richer or poorer. You suddenly stop. Halfway down the aisle. Your guests sigh. Is your decision made while the choir begins to sing?

You chuckle and smile, then continue to walk down that forever aisle.

You’re kind of glad you made the right choice.

But

What you don’t yet know,

is that you’ve forgotten the ring.