Meant to Be
Chapter 7
[i]August[/i]
Janie’s wedding was three days away, so everyone was getting ready to head out for Winnipeg. Don’t ask me why we’re going from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg for a wedding; all I knew was that the groom, David, was originally from Winnipeg. Eric had been trying to talk to me for the last month, but I decided to ignore him to give myself some time to figure things out for myself. I was also a bit preoccupied with getting everything packed and squared away for when I left for school; I decided that I was going to go to Illinois State University, because they had a really good business program there.
As I was packing my bag, Mom came into my room. “Hey honey. Almost ready to go? You’re dad wants to hit the road in a few minutes; he thinks we can make good time and be checked into the hotel by dinner.” I looked at the clock and rolled my eyes, it was already 11am. Dad was all about making good time, no matter where he was going; even just to the grocery store.
I finished wrapping my dress and turned to her. “Yeah, I’m just about ready to go,” I replied. She just continued to stare at me. “What?” I asked, shifting my feet nervously. I knew what was coming.
“Have you talked to Eric lately?” There it was; I knew it was only a matter of time.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “No, Mom, I haven’t. I haven’t spoken to him since I found out I got into North Carolina,” I replied, sitting down on my bed. “I’m trying to make it easier on all of us,” I continued, playing with my fingers like I always did when I got nervous or scared.
She sat down on the bed next to me and pushed some stray hair behind my ear. “What do you mean? He’s miserable, you know that right?” she asked.
I scoffed. “Really? I highly doubt he’s miserable. The last time I saw him he had another girl in his room with him. I’m sure he’s fine,” I said. “Besides, we wouldn’t have worked anyway; he’s going to North Carolina and I’m going to Illinois. Knowing how hectic out schedules will be, keeping a long-distance relationship will be next to impossible,” I continued, standing up and picking up my bags for the wedding. “Can we go now?” I asked, picking up my dress bag as well.
She nodded and followed me out of my room and down the stairs. “Everybody ready?” Dad asked; he was waiting for us by the garage door. We both nodded. “Alright then, let’s get a move on.” With that we locked up the house and piled into the car after storing our bags in the trunk.
The drive out to Winnipeg took us about seven hours, and we got to the hotel by 6pm; dinner time. Remember me mentioning my dad loved to make good time? Yeah, we didn’t hear the end of it for the rest of the day. When we checked into the hotel Mom and Dad got their room, and I was happy to learn that I got a room all to myself; Janie was good for something after all, haha.
Janie, David and their immediate families arrived in Winnipeg the day before us, so we just met up with them at the hotel before heading out to dinner together. Of course, Janie was attached to my hip the entire time, drowning me in details about the next three days. I honestly thought my ears were bleeding before I was even served my entrée. “Janie, can you please shut the fuck up?” I asked, nicely as possible, as I cut into my steak. She looked hurt at my little outburst, and I felt bad. “It’s just, I already know, by heart, everything that is going on for the wedding. I don’t need everything to be reiterated every ten minutes,” I continued.
She sighed and nodded. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. I’m just so nervous and excited, and I want everything to be absolutely perfect,” she replied, digging into her own dinner.
“As well you should,” I replied. “Just tone it down a bit; we don’t need you going total bridezilla on our asses,” I chuckled. She gave me a playful shove and we all finished dinner before we all headed back to our houses and hotel rooms. David was staying at his house, while Janie was staying with her parents, my aunt and uncle, in the house they rented; a hotel room was way too small for a bride to get everything ready in apparently.
Janie actually didn’t even go back with her parents; she came with me and my parents to hang out with me in my hotel room. When we got back to the hotel, I saw the people I least expected to see, and I freaked out. I grabbed Janie’s arms and dragged her into the elevator, making sure they didn’t see me. “Ow! What was that about?” she asked, rubbing her wrist once we were in the elevator and I let go.
“You invited the fucking Staals to your fucking wedding?” I seethed.
She nodded, confused. “Yeah. We invited them before all the shit between you and Eric went down. Why? Are you okay?” she asked, concerned as we went into my room.
I groaned and fell back onto the bed. “Well, I was perfectly content with not seeing him anymore until I saw him on TV playing in the NHL, but you kinda ruined that plan,” I said, turning my head to look at her. She looked even more confused than before. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “I decided to go to Illinois State, not North Carolina. I figured he was perfectly content with that other girl, so I thought I would make it easier on all of us and just go away from everyone. We never would have worked anyway; we could never hold together a long-distance relationship with our soon-to-be hectic schedules,” I explained.
I looked at her and she was speechless. “Are you sure?” she finally asked. “How do you know you can’t keep a long-distance relationship if you don’t even try?” she continued as she joined me on the bed. I just rolled my eyes and scoffed. “I mean, come on Jeanie. You’re his best friend, and he’s bat-shit crazy for you. Has he not been trying to talk to you every day for the last month?”
I sighed. “It’s better for everyone if we don’t go there; no one will get hurt,” I replied. “Besides, you didn’t see the look on his face when I walked in on him and that girl,” I continued, rolling onto my side away from her. “He’s way better off without me; he lasted thirteen years without seeing me anyways.”
She sighed and laid down next to me, pulling me into a hug. “I know you,” she whispered. “I know you better than you think. This isn’t how you’re feeling, I know it. This is just you trying to push him away; I’ve seen you do this too many times. Once you’re finally happy and think nothing could go wrong, like with what you and Eric have, you get scared that you’re going to get your heart broken and run away, hurting everyone else involved in the process.” I wasn’t facing her, so I let the few tears that had built up fall, but I didn’t say anything. “Okay,” she said, once she realized I would reply, “get some sleep kiddo; we have a lot of partying to do tomorrow,” she finished, kissing my head and leaving my room, closing the door behind her.
Janie’s wedding was three days away, so everyone was getting ready to head out for Winnipeg. Don’t ask me why we’re going from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg for a wedding; all I knew was that the groom, David, was originally from Winnipeg. Eric had been trying to talk to me for the last month, but I decided to ignore him to give myself some time to figure things out for myself. I was also a bit preoccupied with getting everything packed and squared away for when I left for school; I decided that I was going to go to Illinois State University, because they had a really good business program there.
As I was packing my bag, Mom came into my room. “Hey honey. Almost ready to go? You’re dad wants to hit the road in a few minutes; he thinks we can make good time and be checked into the hotel by dinner.” I looked at the clock and rolled my eyes, it was already 11am. Dad was all about making good time, no matter where he was going; even just to the grocery store.
I finished wrapping my dress and turned to her. “Yeah, I’m just about ready to go,” I replied. She just continued to stare at me. “What?” I asked, shifting my feet nervously. I knew what was coming.
“Have you talked to Eric lately?” There it was; I knew it was only a matter of time.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “No, Mom, I haven’t. I haven’t spoken to him since I found out I got into North Carolina,” I replied, sitting down on my bed. “I’m trying to make it easier on all of us,” I continued, playing with my fingers like I always did when I got nervous or scared.
She sat down on the bed next to me and pushed some stray hair behind my ear. “What do you mean? He’s miserable, you know that right?” she asked.
I scoffed. “Really? I highly doubt he’s miserable. The last time I saw him he had another girl in his room with him. I’m sure he’s fine,” I said. “Besides, we wouldn’t have worked anyway; he’s going to North Carolina and I’m going to Illinois. Knowing how hectic out schedules will be, keeping a long-distance relationship will be next to impossible,” I continued, standing up and picking up my bags for the wedding. “Can we go now?” I asked, picking up my dress bag as well.
She nodded and followed me out of my room and down the stairs. “Everybody ready?” Dad asked; he was waiting for us by the garage door. We both nodded. “Alright then, let’s get a move on.” With that we locked up the house and piled into the car after storing our bags in the trunk.
The drive out to Winnipeg took us about seven hours, and we got to the hotel by 6pm; dinner time. Remember me mentioning my dad loved to make good time? Yeah, we didn’t hear the end of it for the rest of the day. When we checked into the hotel Mom and Dad got their room, and I was happy to learn that I got a room all to myself; Janie was good for something after all, haha.
Janie, David and their immediate families arrived in Winnipeg the day before us, so we just met up with them at the hotel before heading out to dinner together. Of course, Janie was attached to my hip the entire time, drowning me in details about the next three days. I honestly thought my ears were bleeding before I was even served my entrée. “Janie, can you please shut the fuck up?” I asked, nicely as possible, as I cut into my steak. She looked hurt at my little outburst, and I felt bad. “It’s just, I already know, by heart, everything that is going on for the wedding. I don’t need everything to be reiterated every ten minutes,” I continued.
She sighed and nodded. “I know, I know, I’m sorry. I’m just so nervous and excited, and I want everything to be absolutely perfect,” she replied, digging into her own dinner.
“As well you should,” I replied. “Just tone it down a bit; we don’t need you going total bridezilla on our asses,” I chuckled. She gave me a playful shove and we all finished dinner before we all headed back to our houses and hotel rooms. David was staying at his house, while Janie was staying with her parents, my aunt and uncle, in the house they rented; a hotel room was way too small for a bride to get everything ready in apparently.
Janie actually didn’t even go back with her parents; she came with me and my parents to hang out with me in my hotel room. When we got back to the hotel, I saw the people I least expected to see, and I freaked out. I grabbed Janie’s arms and dragged her into the elevator, making sure they didn’t see me. “Ow! What was that about?” she asked, rubbing her wrist once we were in the elevator and I let go.
“You invited the fucking Staals to your fucking wedding?” I seethed.
She nodded, confused. “Yeah. We invited them before all the shit between you and Eric went down. Why? Are you okay?” she asked, concerned as we went into my room.
I groaned and fell back onto the bed. “Well, I was perfectly content with not seeing him anymore until I saw him on TV playing in the NHL, but you kinda ruined that plan,” I said, turning my head to look at her. She looked even more confused than before. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “I decided to go to Illinois State, not North Carolina. I figured he was perfectly content with that other girl, so I thought I would make it easier on all of us and just go away from everyone. We never would have worked anyway; we could never hold together a long-distance relationship with our soon-to-be hectic schedules,” I explained.
I looked at her and she was speechless. “Are you sure?” she finally asked. “How do you know you can’t keep a long-distance relationship if you don’t even try?” she continued as she joined me on the bed. I just rolled my eyes and scoffed. “I mean, come on Jeanie. You’re his best friend, and he’s bat-shit crazy for you. Has he not been trying to talk to you every day for the last month?”
I sighed. “It’s better for everyone if we don’t go there; no one will get hurt,” I replied. “Besides, you didn’t see the look on his face when I walked in on him and that girl,” I continued, rolling onto my side away from her. “He’s way better off without me; he lasted thirteen years without seeing me anyways.”
She sighed and laid down next to me, pulling me into a hug. “I know you,” she whispered. “I know you better than you think. This isn’t how you’re feeling, I know it. This is just you trying to push him away; I’ve seen you do this too many times. Once you’re finally happy and think nothing could go wrong, like with what you and Eric have, you get scared that you’re going to get your heart broken and run away, hurting everyone else involved in the process.” I wasn’t facing her, so I let the few tears that had built up fall, but I didn’t say anything. “Okay,” she said, once she realized I would reply, “get some sleep kiddo; we have a lot of partying to do tomorrow,” she finished, kissing my head and leaving my room, closing the door behind her.
10/11/13