The day was absolutely beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, the sun shining through the stained glass windows, casting rainbow beams onto the heads of the invited guests. The flowers adorning each pew were sickly sweet and their colours, pink freesias, purple carnations, yellow daffodils only added to the happiness that this day was to bring. He stood looking over his shoulder, his palms slightly sweating, his breathing heavy, his heart beating like a runaway train. Here he was standing in his tailored suit, ready to be made the happiest man on earth. Someone from behind him patted him on his back as the bridal march began and the guests stood to receive the bride. He gulped and turned around and drunk in the vision coming toward him. Betty, in her elegant gown, veil over her face was accompanied by Ignacio, whose eyes were full of pride to be giving her away to the man she loved. She smiled at him, the sunlight from the open doors made her look like an angel. His angel.
He'd been waiting his whole life to find someone that he felt so right with, and now, this was it! Betty was the love of his life, his soul mate. No one ever came near her. He'd loved her from the first moment he saw her, coming towards him to buy a sandwich at her workplace. He knew then that this was the girl he was going to marry. It was his destiny. It was written in the stars. Then, all of a sudden he wasn't standing at the alter anymore, he was facing her directly. He looked down, his suit had transformed into a vicar's robes and he stood clutching a Bible in his hands Huh? What was going on? He was the one getting married! He looked at the couple standing in front of each other staring lovingly into each other's eyes. Betty looked so in love, like she worshipped the ground her partner walked on. She should be looking at him like that! Inside his mind was telling him to scream, but his lips remained pursed together. What's more, he was smiling! As the groom turned to face him, ready to be joined together with his love, he was shocked. Daniel! Betty was marrying Daniel! And he was smiling at them! He was smiling and opening his Bible! His mouth was moving. He was welcoming the guests to the wedding of Betty Suarez and Daniel Meade. He was reciting words. Love is patient, love is kind…He was singing 'All Things Bright and Beautiful'. He was asking them to repeat the wedding vows. They were putting the rings onto each other's fingers, never breaking their gaze from each other's eyes. Inside he was crying, his mind telling him to stop, but he didn't. He couldn't. He just continued. Until he was pronouncing them man and wife! The guests clapped and cheered. Daniel tentatively unveiled her face, taking it softly in his hands and planted a lingering kiss upon her lips. This was the biggest blow, she was now Betty Meade and there wasn't anything he could do about it. He had lost her. He had lost the women he passionately loved. His heart had been ripped out. As the organ began to play the soft, romantic music for the newly weds to walk back down the aisle in union to, Betty turned and looked him directly in the eye, looking right into his soul. She knew it was him, Gio, the guy she had once called Gio, her Gio, pickle napkin Gio. The guy that she knew had loved her unconditionally, who would have done anything for her. And she smiled. Not the smile that he was so used to, this one was a smirk. A wicked smirk that seemed to say 'You fool for thinking you could have me'. And with that she pulled her arm through her husbands and walked into the flurry of confetti raining down from above them.
BEEP BEEP BEEP…Gio started with a gasp, a cold sweat engulfing his body. He lay in his bed for a few moments, trying to recollect himself, before heading to the shower. As the water cascaded over his body, he pushed the latest episode of the string of nightmares he had been having recently to the back of his mind. Betty Suarez, at night was occupying his thoughts and he had no control over it. He sighed and closed of the tap, there was no way that this was going to let her fill his mind during the day too. As he dressed for the day ahead, his mind began to mentally prepare for the sandwiches he would make and the new people he would meet down at the Smiling Pickle.