25
MARIA

"Maria, I have something very important to ask you." I watched as Max got down on one knee before me. I must admit I got a really excited but stupid looking grin on my face. I was in heaven.

My smile got even bigger when he held out a small jewelry box to me. "What is it Max?"

"We've known one another for years and we've grown extremely close. You know that I love you right? You're the truest best friend I've ever had."

"Why are you telling me all of this Max?" I was about to jump out of my skin. I just knew he was getting ready to ask me to marry him. I was so giddy.

"Well I just wanted to ask if you would do me the honor of being my Best Man?"

"Huh?" That's the point when I would wake up.

It's been three weeks since Isabel told me about Max's upcoming wedding, two weeks since I received the invitation in the mail without the bride's name, and one week since I received a visit from Max where he asked me to be his Best Man. The dream started that night. Every night the same dream came through to me like clockwork. I could just scream.

Max wants me to be his Best Man. How sick is that? Lord why are you punishing me? What'd I ever do to deserve this? Did I say yes? Well of course I did. I mean Max is my best friend after all. I would do anything for him.

I looked at my bedside clock and realized that I had to get moving or I would be late. Isabel was picking me up in about an hour. We had to go shopping for the dresses for the wedding. Yes I was wearing a dress. I refuse to wear a tuxedo.

I climbed out of bed and went straight to the bathroom. Forty-five minutes later I was fresh, clean, and dressed. I fixed me something quick to eat and sat in the living room until Isabel came.

"Maria, are you ready to go?" Isabel asked ten minutes later when I answered the door.

"Yeah just let me go get my purse."

When we arrived to the bridal shop I asked Isabel a question that had been on my mind for a while. "Why are you the one planning the wedding?"

"What?" She hadn't been paying attention to me she was too busy trying to find a parking spot.

"I'm just wondering, where's the bride to be? Why wasn't her name on the invitation?"

"Hmm, well it must have been a typo. Ah I found one. Just in time we're almost late." She threw the car in park and quickly got out. "Come on Maria we can't be late."

"Izzy you haven't answered all of my questions." She just walked off hurriedly so that I had to take longer breathtaking strides to keep up. When we got in the bridal shop the questions soon slipped my mind as we launched into full shopping mode.

Later on that night the question came up again. Who was Max's bride? And why was Isabel trying to keep it a secret?

tbc