Where the Streets Have No Name
Chapter 38
The week preceding the wedding proved even more trying for Edward.
Six days before they were to take their vows, on his way back from the hospital, Edward collected the ring that he had ordered for Carmen. Even though she herself had picked it out at the store, she burst into tears when Edward presented her with the tiny elegant box.
Edward mistook it for tears of joy and was about to draw her into his arms when she set him straight.
"This isn't the ring I picked. This... It doesn't even look like the one I wanted." She sobbed.
"Why can't just one thing go the way I want?" Carmen lamented tearfully.
A perplexed Edward quickly pulled out the receipt to check for any possible mix up. No, it was his signature on the order and his credit card number on the invoice. What's more, the ring looked exactly like the one Carmen had chosen to be fitted for her size.
"Uh... Carmen, honey, maybe you're not remembering right. This is the one you picked," Edward began cautiously.
"No! It's not the one; it looks nothing like it. The jewellery store ripped us off. This is not platinum, and that stone is definitely not a diamond." Carmen screamed out the words as she threw the ring at the wall.
Edward wondered if he should point out that Carmen had changed her mind at the last minute and opted for white gold instead of platinum. As for the gem stone, he was no expert, but it looked identical to the one they were shown at the store.
No, pointing those things out would only upset her more.
"Carmen, we'll take it back to the store and have them fix it the way you want, okay? Just don't cry, sweetie. Everything will be fine," Edward said softly, then bent down to pick up the ring from the floor, glad she hadn't thrown it out the window.
"There's not enough time." Carmen shook her head adamantly. "It doesn't matter anyway. Nothing is going right, why should the ring be any different? The dress is a joke, the church is a shit hole, my mother hates me, your mother hates me. I just... I only wanted this one thing to be perfect, you know? Just how I always wanted," Carmen spoke sadly. Her mood had once again shifted toward the other extreme. She sounded completely pitiful and dejected.
Edward felt better equipped to deal with this side of Carmen than the turbulent tornado she was a moment ago. "It doesn't matter what the dress looks like, or how small the church is. You'll be the best dressed woman there, I promise. And no one hates you." Edward paused. "Your mother hates me, not you. And my mother isn't capable of hating anyone.
"If the ring can't be fixed on time, we'll get it fixed after the wedding, I promise. Or you can get a whole different one. Okay? Just don't be sad. It's not worth the tears," Edward said as soothingly he could.
Carmen sat down on the bed and slumped her shoulders. "Whatever," she said indifferently. Then curled up in bed, shutting Edward out.
Thank you Lulabelle98, HeidiJoVT, and Dinx.