Page 64 of Still Yours

Pretti, Storm, and a few of their other friends were at a bridal boutique in New Jersey. Champagne flowed, and music played as the girls tried on their dresses for the last time. It was two weeks from the wedding, and she had finally decided to wear white with gold trim, while her bridesmaids wore fitted gold satin dresses.

“The time has finally come, ladies. The beautiful bride finally gets to try on her official dress, and it is a dream,” Betty, the owner of the shop, who was also her seamstress, said as she brought out her dress. It had a long train with sheer sleeves, and the neck was laced with gold and small diamonds. It was classy and looked like something she could wear to a ballroom party for the rich.

“I’d like to help you try on the dress if you don’t mind. This was one of my favorite pieces to make,” Betty said to Pretti with a huge smile. She looked at Storm and her other bridesmaids. Storm shrugged her shoulders because she was supposed to be the one to help her.

“Ah, sure, I don’t mind. That way you can show me where all the zippers and buttons are.”

She walked to the back with Betty. She helped Pretti slide on her dress and zip it up. Then she turned around and looked at herself in the full-length showroom mirror that showed all angles. Tears fell from her eyes when she laid eyes on herself wearing her dream wedding dress. She couldn’t believe this was her reality.

“You look so beautiful, my beautiful child,” Betty said with tears in her eyes as well. However, Pretti was thrown off by the woman’s words.

“Excuse me?” she responded as she gazed at the woman through the mirror.

“My poor baby doesn’t even notice the lady who has been making her dress all this time has the same eyes as her.”

She gazed into the woman’s eyes, and it came to her so quickly that she started crying again. “Your name isn’t Betty. You’re my mother,” she replied, childlike.

“Yes, baby, it’s me. I’ve been looking for you for years, but the system never told me where you were. After I couldn’t find you ten years ago when your father died, I moved here and opened this boutique like I always wanted. I’m so sorry for leaving you, Pretti. I’m so sorry!” she cried out.

Pretti stood quietly, just glaring at her mother. She had lived her life so long without her mother that she had forgotten about her. She didn’t know how to feel. The love she had for her parents, she compressed and buried it years ago. So, she didn’t know whether to be mad or excited. But she chose to have animosity.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were my mother when I came and first checked out your shop?”

“I was scared. I was afraid you would not accept me, so I kept it hidden, but seeing you in this dress made me speak up. I would love to see you walk down the aisle and start over with you.”

“See me walk down the aisle and start over? I don’t think so. You left me years ago, and I hardly recognize you, so I don’t think coming to my wedding would be appropriate. I haven’t talked about my life as a child in many years, and I don’t want to explain this to my fiancé or my new friends.

Maybe we can meet up after my honeymoon, but you're not coming to my wedding. In fact, I don’t even want this dress anymore, and you can keep the money for it since you did your job. I am not selfish like you. The only thing I’ll be keeping is my bridesmaid’s dresses, because I don’t have time to find them anything, but my daughter and I won’t be wearing your pieces,” Pretti spoke boldly.

Shocked but somewhat understanding, Michelle helped her take off the dress. Her mother put the dress back on the hanger and left Pretti alone in the dressing room. After crying her eyes out and feeling frustrated, she got dressed and met with her friends. They stood around with white satin garment bags in their hands, holding their dresses, but they all looked confused because she didn’t come out wearing her gown.

“What happened, sis? Where’s the dress, and why is your makeup smeared?” Storm asked, looking confused.

“I don’t even want to talk about it right now. Let’s go,” Pretti stated bitterly as she headed for the door.

Instead of getting the dresses her mother made for her and Beauti, she went to another designer who already had something like the dresses her mother had made. Two weeks later, she walked down the aisle without feeling bad about her decision not to wear the dress her mother made.

Chapter 38

HER PRESENT

“This beautiful woman standing next to me, and I have been through a lot together. From living in the same foster home to sleeping in motels, she has always been down for me. I remember when she was a tiny little thing, but I watched her become a woman. I was down for a few years, but no matter what, I knew she was going to be my wife, even if she didn’t feel that way.

I loved her since I was fifteen, and I still feel that same skip beat in my heart every time I’m around her. She’s held me down through everything, so I knew she deserved the dream wedding she always talked to me about late at night as a teenager. You knew I hated talkin’ ‘bout that girly shit, but I love you, and I wanted to always be in that wedding with you.” Dexten smiled brightly as he gazed into her eyes as he spoke at their wedding reception before making a toast.

“Thank you for always being there for me too. You're right, we’ve been through a lot, but we always knew we would make it out. You kept me off the streets and away from vulnerable situations. You taught me how to be strong and to take care of myself when I had nobody else. You taught me how to survive, be loyal, and make a name for myself. I will forever be grateful for you, baby.” Pretti stood up and kissed his lips. Then, everyone toasted their glasses.

That's when their wedding song started playing. She smiled as he grabbed her hand and walked to the dance floor behind him. As they started dancing, she decided to take that time to tell him about her mother. It had been on her mind for days, but she didn't have room to be mad about the stunt she pulled. She had to make sure everything was perfect for her wedding, but now she was ready to get his opinion.

“Baby, so last week when I went to try on my custom dress, I found out it was my mother’s shop. She had made all the dresses, so I didn’t take mine or Beauti’s because I didn’t want to wear anything she made for me,” she blurted in his ear above a whisper.

Dexz stepped back a little so he could look at her.

“What? What do you mean, ma? And I knew this dress looked different than the one you had been showing me.”

“I mean, all this time, she has been making my dress, and I didn't know she was my mom.”

“Damn, how did you miss that?” He pulled her back close because the cameraman walked in front of them.