Ami was awake, she was staring at the ceiling. It was Sunday, the twenty third. She wanted to get out of bed but her mind kept wandering back to last week. It was supposed to be her day. But he took it from her, it was a bride’s worst nightmare. He wasn’t dead, wasn’t killed in some horrific car crash, it was much worse. He never showed up for their wedding. It was early morning then too, if she recalled correctly…


Monday 17th
    Ami Mishima was so excited! Her maid of honor, Kari Billson, was with her at the bridal shop called the Bridal Garden. She had found the perfect dress. It was exactly what she wanted. She was looking at herself in the full body mirror, there was one to her front, side, and back. She couldn’t stop smiling. Her parents, mostly her mother, had wanted a traditional Japanese wedding, but Ami wanted it this way instead. Ami had never lived in Japan, she was born in America.
    The bridal consultant, Crystal, fluffed the dress out around Ami. “I think that dress fits you nicely. How does it feel?”
    Ami thought a minute. “It seems to fit me just fine.”
    “Let’s put the veil on to see how it will look together.” Crystal took the gauzy veil that would attach to Ami’s head with a small tiara. Crystal stood in front of her and situated the veil on her straight black hair and stepped back. “Now that’s better.” She stepped aside so Ami could see her reflection in the mirror. Ami’s eyes pooled with tears, Brice, her fiancée would love it. He wasn’t here, she didn’t want him to see her until she walked down the aisle! Ami looked at Kari, “What do you think Maid of Honor?”
    Kari walked around her once. “I think Brice is going to be knocked off his feet. With your hair and makeup done, you’re going to look amazing.”
    Ami turned her head and looked at Crystal.  “We’ll take this one.” Ami and Crystal went into the fitting room and got her out of the puffy white dress. Crystal rang up the dress and Ami gave her seven hundred dollars cash for the wedding dress. Crystal helped Ami and Kari load the dress and veil into the back of Ami’s green Cadillac. The dress took up all of the backseat, plus the separate bad for the veil. Ami thanked Crystal, and got into the driver’s seat. Kari had already gotten inside and buckled in.
    Ami sat down and buckled her self in also. “So where should we get lunch?” She turned to Kari, all smiles and in a wonderful mood.
    “How about Sparx?” Kari suggested. Sparx was a popular restaurant, a sit down burger place.
    Ami thought about it for a moment. “Sparx sounds fantastic.” She started the car and drove out of the lot. It was only four more days until she would be Mrs. Brice Prince.

    Ami had finally gotten out of bed. She walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, she hadn’t done anything all day yesterday. Except take one phone call. She’d taken last week, and this week off to celebrate her wedding. She felt so betrayed. Her heart ached, but looking back on it, she should have seen it coming.


Tuesday 18th
    Ami sat quietly in the passenger seat of Brice’s Escalade.  He hadn’t said much, they were going to have dinner at their favorite restaurant, Dolce. It was the kind of place you had to dress formally. It was going to be their last  date before they were married. They went into the restaurant and approached the podium. “Name?” The hostess asked smiling broadly.
    “Prince, party of two.” They were the first words that he had spoken since they left Brice’s apartment earlier.
    The hostess flipped through her rolodex and when she came to their card, she brightened with recognition. Dolce was also catering their wedding. Mr. Mishima spared no expense when it came to his only daughter amongst six sons. “Oh yes! Mr. Prince and Miss Mishima. Dolce is really looking forward to your special day.”
    Ami beamed. “We’re so glad you had room to get us in you’re so, well, exclusive.”
    “Not at all!” The hostess said. “Dolce couldn’t refuse after Mr. Mishima’s generous donation.” Their waiter arrived.  Ami and Brice followed the tall man to their table at the back of the restaurant where they would have privacy. He seated them and took their drink orders. “A glass of white wine for me, and a glass of spring water for my fian…her.” Brice opened his menu but didn’t look at Ami.
    After an awkward silence Ami spoke up. “Brice, is there anything wrong?”
    Brice just shook his head.
    “Are you sure?”
    He looked up at her with just his eyes, he didn’t move his head. “I’m sure.”
    “You just seem to have something on your mind. And with it this close to our wedding…”
    “Ami,” Brice interrupted her. “All you’ve been talking about is wedding this and wedding that, wedding, wedding, wedding. That’s all I hear about anymore. Can we please have this one night just to be together without the wedding being the fifth wheel?”
    Ami was hurt at first, but realized that he had a valid point. “I’m sorry. I won’t talk about it anymore tonight. I love you Brice.”
    Brice smiled for the first time the whole night. “Thank you Ami. I love you too.” Brice took the conversation into a different direction, about some of the cases he was working on at the law firm where he worked. Brice was working on trying to get partner. There was a big case he was second chair on, an embezzlement trial. If he could win this case for the firm, he would get his name on the door too. Ami fiddled with her engagement ring as she listened to the sound of Brice’s voice.  It was only three more days until she would be Mrs. Brice Prince.

    Ami had showered and blow-dried her hair. She was thinking about Brice. What had he been thinking? She wished he would have talked to her more instead of letting it go so far. She started to cry again. She felt sick, she didn’t know if it was from the hurt, or the nerves. She was meeting Brice today. Just to talk. She definitely had a lot of questions.


Wednesday 19th
    Ami was at Brice’s parent’s house, Minnie and Edward Prince. Brice had been held late at the firm, due to the trial. He had already assured her he wouldn’t be disturbed on their wedding day, or the week after. It was his promise. Minnie brought a tray in, it had coffee for her and Ed, and tea for Ami. Ami took the tea cup and thanked her. “Mrs. Prince,”
    “Oh Ami,” Minnie interrupted. “You can call me Minnie. You’ve been part of the family for so long.”
    “Minnie,” She started again. “Does Brice seem to be acting strange to you?”
    Minnie thought a moment. “No, not any more than usual. But we don’t see much of each other now that this silly trial keeps him away.”
    Ed sat down on the couch next to Ami and lovingly put his arm around her. “I wouldn’t worry about him. He’s just got nerves is all.” He laughed. “I remember how nervous I was before me and Minnie got hitched.”
    “Really?” Ami asked her future father-in-law.
    “Oh sure!” He bellowed. “I was so nervous, that I got constipated…”
    “Oh Ed don’t tell that story!” Minnie said throwing her hands up.
    “As I was saying,” Ed continued, “I was so constipated that I didn’t got to the bathroom for two days. So The day before the wedding I took some laxatives.”
    “Ed I’m warning you.” Minnie wagged a finger in Ed’s direction.
    Ed waved her off and kept going. “They didn’t kick in until just before the ’I do’s,’ I couldn’t stand still, fidgeted the whole time. When the Priest finally said ’You may kiss the bride’ I pecked her cheek and ran down the aisle for the bathroom.” Ed and Minnie erupted into laughter, and Ami laughed too. She spent the rest of the day there, and waited until late when Brice came home. Ami spent the night. It was only two more days until she would be Mrs. Brice Prince.

    Ami was standing in the open doorway of her closet. She was meeting Brice at Starbucks, so it didn’t have to be anything fancy. She wondered why she was even thinking about what to wear. She wanted to punch him in the face. The only reason she had agreed to meet him, was because she deserved an explanation. She wanted to know why, and what he was thinking. She’d asked him that question once before too.


Thursday 20th
    “What are you thinking?” Ami asked looking down at Brice. They were having a picnic at the park. Brice looked up at her.
    “I wasn’t thinking about anything.” He said.
    “You looked like you had something on your mind.” Ami took a piece of broccoli and dipped it in her ranch dressing. Just before it got to her mouth, Brice smacked her hand. It caused her to squish the ranch covered vegetable into her nose. “Brice!” She shrieked.
    Brice laughed and got a napkin out of the basket and wiped her nose. “Ami you look adorable.” He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips.
    Ami smiled, “Oh Brice, you’re so sweet.”
    Brice embraced Ami and fell back on the blanket with her. He ran his fingers through her hair. He looked up at the sky, watching the clouds drift across the blue. He put on a brave face for Ami, but he was so nervous, his stomach wouldn’t settle. He kissed Ami’s forehead and wondered what she was thinking about now.
    Ami had a smile on her face, because something inside told her that everything was going to be okay.  Tomorrow, she would be Mrs. Brice Prince.   

    Ami had decided on just a pair of jeans and a plain blue shirt. She liked red, but she didn’t feel very red today. She took a deep breath and walked in the kitchen. She sat down at the table. Her parents were already gone to their Senior Citizen meeting. But her mother had left her a couple blueberry muffins and some tea. She ate one muffin, and only a few sips of tea. Had it really been only that short time ago that Brice left her standing?


Friday 21st
    Today was finally here! Ami and her bridesmaids were in their room at the Grand Hotel Château. Kari helped her get her veil situated. Ami had spoken to Brice and he was a little late, but he was on his way and it wouldn’t hold up the wedding. Ami believed him. Her other three bridesmaids, Jessica McKinney, Candace Watts, and Diane Spicer were ready in their matching pale pink dresses. Kari was wearing a white dress, with a red sash around her waist. Ami couldn’t stop crying. She was so happy. Kari and the other girls had to keep touching up her makeup. “Ami,” Kari said dabbing some liquid makeup under Ami’s eyes. “You need to calm down, we can’t do this during the ceremony. And you need to look beautiful for the pictures too okay?”
    Ami took a deep calming breath. “Okay, I will try.”
    The wedding was supposed to start at six o’clock. But it was six thirty. Ami wasn’t worried, yet. Every wedding she had been to ran a little late. One of the groomsmen came to the room and wanted to talk to Kari. Kari left the room and Ami sat on the edge of the bed. She had an ominous feeling something was going to go terribly wrong.
    Kari came back into the room. Ami could tell by the look on her face something was bad. “Kari, what’s going on?”
    Kari looked to the other maids before speaking. “Ami, we can’t find Brice.”
    Ami felt her stomach knot up. She took a few deep breaths. “What do you mean?”
    “Ami, he never came to the hotel, Marty has been trying to reach him, but no one can.”
    Ami stood up. “No, he was on his way, I spoke to him earlier!”
    At that moment, Minnie and Ami’s mother, Whynn entered the room. They both had very sad looks on their faces. “What’s going on?” Ami asked. “If this is a joke it’s not funny.”
    “Ami, sit down please.” Whynn said as she walked over to her daughter and guided her back down to sit on the edge of the bed. Minnie sat down on Ami’s other side. “Ami, sweetie, we have some bad news.”
    Ami looked between her mother and Minnie. “What bad news?”
    Minnie squeezed Ami’s hand. “Brice isn’t coming today.”
    Ami was floored. She didn’t know what to say, what to think. She just stared at Minnie with her mouth hanging open. A gasp came from several of her bridesmaids. Everyone was shocked. They didn’t know what to say. Brice and Ami seemed so in love, what had brought this on?
    Ami screamed. She fell into her mother’s arms in tears. Some of Brice’s groomsmen had came into the room to see what was going on. Ami was wailing now, she was heartbroken. The bridesmaids and others left to leave Ami alone with her mother and Minnie. Kari went and told the priest that the wedding wasn’t going to happen.

    Ami was wiping tears away from her eye as she drove the country road away from her home into the city. She was still heartbroken over the whole thing. She could still feel that moment. It would be with her for a long time. She was always quick to forgive Brice for anything he’d done. But she would have a hard time working forgiveness in this situation. Her cell phone rang. It was Kari. She didn’t answer. She hadn’t spoken to anyone besides her parents since the incident. She had spent all day Saturday lying in bed.


Saturday 22nd
    Ami ignored the knocking on her bedroom door. She had done good to get her wedding dress of last night. She was wearing just her underwear, after getting out of the dress she just got into bed. She was so depressed that she hadn’t even taken her veil off. Whynn took her daughter’s veil out of her hair and set it on her dresser. She left the wedding dress crumpled on the floor. Which was where Ami was looking now. It was the symbol of everything she’d hoped for.
    Her mother finally stopped knocking. She could hear her muffled voice through the door. “She isn’t answering…yes I will tell her…goodbye.” Ami held her breath until she couldn’t hear her mother’s footsteps anymore. Everyone had been calling all day. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. A few moments her cell phone rang. It was Jessica. She didn’t answer. She wondered if it was Jessica on the phone, or just one of her angry relatives. Some of them demanded they be paid back for half the trip from Japan, Ami’s father, Kim Tsung, had in fact paid several of them. But most were sympathetic and simply offered words of apologies. One of her cousins told her not to worry, that Brice would pay in the afterlife for this disgrace on his ancestors.
    But Ami just wanted to sleep. She napped for a while. Her cell phone rang, she looked at the number. It was Brice. She answered it, her heart pounding and her body shaking. “Brice, is it really you?”
    “Yes Ami, it’s me.”
    “Why?”
    “Ami, we need to talk, can you meet me tomorrow?”
    “Why not today?”
    “Because I need to do the same thing you are, I need to gather myself.”
    “Okay Brice. Where?”
    “Meet me at Starbucks okay, can you make it around one?”
    Ami had the whole week off from work, she was available anytime! “I can be there.”
    “Okay, I’ll talk to you then. Bye Ami.”
    “Bye.” Ami hung up. He didn’t say ‘I love you.’ He didn’t say ‘I do’ either though. She put her phone back onto her nightstand. She pulled her covers up over her head and just wanted to go back to sleep.

    So that is what brought us to this point. Sunday, the twenty third. Ami was pulling into the parking lot of the Starbucks. She saw Brice’s Escalade parked a few spaces down. She took a deep breath and walked into the shop. He was sitting at a table in the back. He was wearing a white shirt and a pair of jeans. He hadn’t been at work at least. Ami sat down across from him. “Why?” She asked.
    Brice was tapping something on the table. It was her wedding band. She had his too, in her purse. Would they trade bands and never speak again? Ami studied Brice’s face. She could see he was very deeply troubled. “Ami I hope you will still care about me. I’m just not ready for this right now.”
    Ami was actually relieved. At least it wasn’t another woman. “Brice, why didn’t you mention this before?”
    “You were so happy about being engaged that I figured it would be even better if we just went ahead and got married. But I was wrong. Ami, I was wrong.”
    “Brice, I told you you didn’t have to marry me right away. We could wait. I rushed it along so fast because I thought you wanted it that way.”
    “Ami, I want us to be together, but I want to wait. I’m just not ready, and you’re right, I should have said something before it got so far along. Saying sorry won’t help this, but I want us to work for it okay?”
    Ami reached into her purse and took Brice’s wedding band out. Funny, she thought all this trouble over nothing but a silver band. “Brice, I was so angry with you for doing this, I just wanted to die.”
    “I know Ami, and I’m sorry I did it. All I’m asking for is another chance. Let’s do this right.”
    Ami knew it would be a tough road to get back to where they were, but she still cared about Brice, and she knew he was still the one for her. She would be able to forgive him in a while, “Okay Brice. We’ll work everything out before hand this time.”
    Brice reached across the table and took her left hand. He took the wedding band and slid it onto her finger on top of her engagement ring. “I’m sorry.”
    Ami smiled, she did the same, putting the wedding band on his finger. Brice held her hands, and since they had the week off, they had a lot of time to get to know each other. Again.