Three weddings in one year. I think that's enough to last me a few lifetimes.
Sydney Walker finished packing her suitcase and double-checked she had everything. The four-inch stilettos that cramped her pinky toes? Check. The too-tight bridesmaid dress that required her to wear one of those 'sucker inner' panties? Check. The fake eyelashes along with the caked-on makeup that accompanied the equally hideous hairpiece she needed to wear that required she had a little extra 'oomph'? Oh, hell, no. She made sure those were in the trash bin. If she weren't in her hotel room, she would've burned that shit.
The things a girl would do for her fellow sorority sisters.
She only graduated from college just a couple of years ago and it seemed she was the very last one of the bunch who was still single. It got to the point that her fellow sorors felt so sorry for her, at the last wedding, the bride simply handed the bouquet to Sydney.
Bitch.
She wasn't single because of choice, but rather circumstance. She's had many relationships, some of them long-term. But when it was clear marriage and children were not in the picture, she simply bounced. There was no point of wasting her time if both parties didn't share the end goal.
In her mind, she was probably too young to get married. She just barely turned 24 a month ago and she wanted just a bit more experience before she became someone's wife and mother. She wasn't sure what experience she was looking for but something more than what life currently gave her, which was little to nothing.
Nevertheless, the many weddings turn Sydney into a miniature expert in crisis management. Whenever a maid of honor failed to do the very basic of duties, Sydney stepped up to the plate. If something was missing, Sydney seemed to find it. If the bride was getting cold feet, it was Sydney that convinced her the man waiting for her at the altar was the very best she was going to get.
She was a godsend in the land of Vera Wang bridal gowns, monogrammed napkins, and Jordan almonds.
Now reality was calling her back home. Her managerial position at Macy's in Union Square was flexible enough for her to leave for a few days but a few days was all she was going to get. The upcoming holiday season meant long hours and the dreaded Black Friday, which meant she was going to be working sometime on Thanksgiving Thursday. She would get a single plate of food and finish it just in time to head to the store and began stocking up.
The life of a retailer.
She looked out the window one last time and saw the snow was coming in a bit harder than it was before. It was rare that she saw snow and enjoyed her time playing in it and creating snow angels with the children of wedding party, fantasizing about one day doing the same with her own kids. That was a great fantasy but she needed to get back to the reality known as her life. She needed to head to the airport now before she was stuck.
Maybe on the flight back, she might finally meet someone. A forever, soul-crushing love? Probably not the sort. But maybe someone who could entertain her and keep her from sinking down to a depression about her singledom. She was returning home to an empty, overpriced apartment where she lived next to newlyweds. She thanked the Good Lord for noise-canceling headphones.
Being a bridesmaid was officially getting old and tired but it was a step up from being lonely and single. She had enough for it to last a few lifetimes.