As she lay there in bed, she shed a tear or two just from the memory. The priest had them turn around after that to face the congregation as he said "May I present Mr. And Mrs. Stephen and Linda Herron!" and all the friends and family applauded. The rest of the day went exactly as she and the wedding planner had hoped. The old ladies and children threw bird seed instead of rice when they exited through the high, arched front door, but rather than get into a car, they formed a line with the bridesmaids and groomsmen.
A parade of people strolled through the line to speak with everyone, with Stephen and Linda at the very end. One by one Linda's aunts, old co-workers from County General, and friends of her mothers kept on telling her how beautiful they thought she was. "I feel like a movie star," she said to Stephen.
He smiled warmed down at her. "Well, today you are a movie star." Quickly he had to return to shaking hands with all of his co-engineers who'd made the drive and accept a long, warm hug from his mother, who was red-eyed and clutched a handkerchief.
Linda had invited a couple of friends from the crazy apartment where Lauren had lived, since she'd had so many friends there and lots of good times. Marie suddenly appeared, dressed in a smart mauve suit with an orchid on one of the lapels. She'd driven down from Chicago.
"I work for a lawyer up there," she said. "It's pretty good." Linda remembered the time when she was trying to clean up after a party and Marie had crept down the stairs, hissing at her to keep quiet. "You look so gorgeous." Marie seemed awed and moved.
"Thank you. That's very nice."
Marie leaned in closer to her, taking her hand as she said "Lauren would have loved to be here."
Linda nodded, feeling choked up, not sure if she could speak just then. "I think…I think…that she is here."
And Lauren had just proven it by showing up in her wedding picture, seven years later. Linda swung her legs off the daybed and tried to avoid dropping her feet to the floor with a bone jarring clunk. She didn't check a clock, but knew she'd been laying there reminiscing for close to an hour. Slowly, cautiously, she rounded the corner and stepped into the hallway for the entertainment room.
As she approached the mantel sideways, she could see the wedding picture at the very end, distorted by the glare of the late afternoon sun. The details of the picture came slowly into view. She could see herself and Stephen at the center. Before shifting her eyes to the right, she squinted and took a deep breath. When she finally allowed herself to study the details of the bridesmaid all the way to the right, she saw Julie's reddish hair, pale complexion and freckles. She was smiling like an all-American girl, a cheerleader.