Something in white...
Nicole had been a vision the day of her wedding. Sharon couldn't help looking for the parts of her that were like her father, and was pleasantly surprised when she saw so much of Andy in the young woman, no matter what he had said to the contrary. Nicole was her father, not her mother. So when the time came to join the family again for the Nutcracker, she had not minded at all. She knew Andy was keeping something from her, but knowing him it was larger in his imagination that it really needed to be.
She had been right. During intermission, she had the displeasure of standing close to Andy's ex-wife as they waited their turn in the washroom. The woman didn't deserve a name, in Sharon's estimation. She could not understand why there was so much hostility after that many years. The divorce was history, and she was remarried. Still... perhaps Sharon did understand it more than she first thought. She had had her own hopes that Jack would improve over the years, and had been disappointed every time something promising turned out to be nothing by lies and manipulations. But for Andy's ex-wife, the hopes of change had been realized. The only problem was they had been realized after the ink on the legal papers was dry. The betrayal was more about his ex-wife throwing away the promise of a future with Andy, then the drinking in the first place Sharon decided. Andy had become the man of her dreams after she had turned him away.
"Why are you here?" the hiss came.
"I was invited."
"No one wants you here."
"I beg to differ." Sharon hoped this wouldn't take long and the woman would either get to the point or shut her mouth.
"You're just one more in a steady string of bad choices," the hiss continued.
Sharon kept her peace. The reason for Andy's discomfort was becoming clearer.
"And look at you. Don't you think off-white is a little glaring? Do you really think he'll marry you? He isn't husband material."
Sharon choke down her reply, grateful the line had moved enough that she was next. The woman was nasty from one end to the next, and the only thought Sharon had was no matter what Andy did, she would be there for him. No one deserved that kind of venom in their life.
Both women returned to their seats around the same time. Andy looked at Sharon, then his ex, and back again. She had known for some time that he was one of the few able to read her, and he knew something unpleasant had been said.
"Everything okay?" he asked, as she sat beside him.
She could read him, too, and she knew he was getting upset on her behalf. He looked wonderful in his white dress shirt and dark suit, and she had resisted touching him most of the night. Giving in, Sharon reached over to pat his chest, but decided to rub him reassuringly instead. "Fine... its fine."
Andy grunted and placed his hand over top of Sharon's. Then he reached behind her with his other arm and pulled her closer. Sharon gladly laid her head on his shoulder and accepted his kiss on her head. Neither of them cared about the opinions of the others or the white lie Andy would have to explain in the morning.