STEP, together. Step, together. Mollie floated down the aisle just as she’d been shown. It was harder work than she’d thought it would be, because she kept getting excited and going too fast and then almost stepping on the edge of Jennie’s lovely white dress.
Jennie looked like a princess, with her hair all up and that thing… What was it called? A tia… A ti…. Well, that sparkly crown-thing in her hair. Her dress was long and smooth and white, and Mollie had decided she wanted one just like it if she ever got married or became a princess. Although, maybe she’d make sure there were more diamonds and pearls on hers. Jennie’s was pretty, but it was a bit plain. Not a frill or a bow in sight.
And Daddy almost looked like a prince in his dark suit. He certainly looked very solemn. It was just as well princes didn’t wear sparkly crown-things, because it would have looked silly on him. She bit back a giggle and brought her bouquet up higher to cover her mouth.
She still didn’t quite understand why Daddy and Jennie needed to get married twice. Hadn’t it worked properly the first time? Still, she didn’t really mind. She got to wear this lovely white dress with the dark green sash, and got to carry flowers, and everybody she passed as she walked down the aisle behind Daddy and Jennie made a face that told her she looked cute. She pretended not to notice, but secretly she was rather pleased.
The only thing she was sad about was that Mummy wasn’t here to see her. She’d heard Daddy say something once about ups and downs and how the mountains had helped him when he felt sad.
They’d stopped at the front of the church now and the vicar person was saying something boring in his up-and-down voice, so Mollie thought a little bit more about mountains. There weren’t any in Elmhurst, but maybe, when she was sad, she could climb up to the top of the climbing frame in the garden. That was very tall. She still got sad and cross sometimes, even though she wasn’t always sure why, but Jennie had said that was okay, and when she felt like that Jennie would give her a big hug and Daddy would sit down on the floor in the living room with her and they’d play games and read books. She bit her lip. Maybe she wouldn’t need the climbing frame after all.
Everyone was singing now, so Mollie took a chance to look behind her. She could see her new friends waving at her from somewhere near the back. She wanted to wave back, but she wasn’t sure bridesmaids were allowed to do that, so she just smiled.
The singing stopped and Daddy and Jennie were looking at each other and saying mushy things. Jennie was crying a little bit, so Mollie dug into the secret pocket in her skirt and handed her the hankie Granny Marion had made her put in there earlier.
Everybody laughed. Everybody. The whole church!
She hadn’t done anything funny, had she? Daddy was laughing, too, and he scooped her up in his arms and held her close as he and Jennie finished being mushy. Everyone was looking at her.
And then the vicar said Jennie and Daddy could kiss, so Mollie wriggled out of Daddy’s arms and got out of the way before they started getting sloppy. She pulled a face as they started kissing. Yuck!
Mollie pouted and held her chin high in the air. Some people just didn’t get it. Weddings were serious things. She sneaked a look at Daddy and Jennie.
Yup. Still kissing. It seemed they were taking it very seriously.