A Walk Down the Aisle

And even as he had the thought, he felt guilty. His younger sister might not have dyed her hair blue, but she had gotten her belly button pierced. His parents had a farm in Fredonia, about forty-five minutes away, and he didn’t see them as much as he’d like, especially in the spring and summer. But they’d come up for a day a few weeks back. The whole family had gone down to the lake for an afternoon. Misty had on a bikini, so the piercing was right there for the world to see. He’d been shocked, and when he said something, his mom and sister both laughed. “A woman’s only got a few good stomach years,” his mother had said. “Your pregnancy ruined mine and any hopes I ever had of a belly button ring. I said yes, because I thought Misty should capitalize on the fact that she can still wear one.”

“Plus,” his little sister had said, “I didn’t get a tattoo or pierce something highly visible. When I’m tired of it, I’ll take it out.” She’d leaned forward and kissed him. “You really are a stick-in-the-mud, you know that?”

Maybe he was a stick-in-the-mud. Maybe it was too much to ask that someone you’re vowing to spend the rest of your life with tell you the truth. He knew it was impossible for anyone to know absolutely everything about someone, but seriously, how hard could it be to say, My parents aren’t dead, and oh, by the way, I had a baby I gave away?

He forced himself to keep his mind on his friends’ conversation. Thankfully they didn’t expect much from him in terms of participating. That was a good thing about having a reputation as being quiet—no one expected too much conversational help from him.