Three hours later:
"Isa, come on, you're being unreasonable." Esme called through the door of the changing room.
"Well, I can't help it if I don't want to look like a big puffed pastry made of lace the day I get married." I snip back.
I heard her sigh, whether it was out of frustration, amusement or just plain annoyance, I had yet to find out.
"You do not look like a puffed up pastry made of lace, Isa! Now, get your behind out here!" She finally calls through the door.
I look down at the lacey puffed up material of the skirt of a dress, scowling at the layer, texture, and color.
"It is not a 'puff pastry' it's a tiered dress made of tulle and lace." Sully calls out to me.
I mutter, "My ass." Before stomping out.
The four prior dresses I had tried on were plain nightmares. I gagged at the sight of one of them, and I think I even got hives when I touched one of those nightmares.
The first was a way too tight satin ballroom gown, in pale white and pink bows, with a long train. Satin add-on sleeves, and a corset to boot. I could hardly breathe in that thing once it was fastened.
The second one was a weird hybrid. It was a romper type of thing with a tulle skirt overlay. The fabric was stiff, and felt itchy at the seams, I was only too glad once I got out of it.
Regretfully I was then stuffed into yet another dress.
This one was a lace pants romper, which amused my Nonna to no end since it too had some sort of skirt overlay on it. The fabric was silky and caused me to slip when I accidentally stepped on the too long pant legs.
After that, I was handed another dress, this one wasn't too bad, itchy all the same though. The dress was an off the shoulder, lace grenadine, lace sleeve, backless, tiere wedding dress.
Though it wasn't my first choice, it wasn't as bad as the other choices I had been forced into.
Once I was out of that one I was forced into a tulle, and lace, tiere ball gown that had a too big skirt and flowers embedded into it.
As I walked out and stepped onto the small platform, pouting. "I hate this dress." I muttered, grasping onto the skirt, as Esme comes and places a flower crown on my head.
"Oh, cara! You look so beautiful!" My Nonna said, her eyes tearing up as she looked at me.
"Nonna sembro stupida." I complained. (Grandmother, I look stupid.)
"Sei bellissima, cara." She responds reproachfully. (You look beautiful, sweetheart.)
"Well, if you don't any of these... what do you like? You've made it perfectly clear that all the dresses we've picked for you, you don't like. If you really hate them all, then allow Lucy take you to see what else she has and you pick out something." Edward's Nonna suggested.
A small smile came on my lips as I heard her.
Finally.
I quickly stepped down from the small platform, and headed towards the changing room to change out if the dress. Pulling on the white satin bathrobe Lucy gave me when I walked in earlier.
After pulling it on, I quickly exited the changing room and walked in the direction of the simpler dresses I had seen when I first walked in.
I quickly pulled my choices off the small rack Lucy had brought out when she first led us here.
Then slowly walked back into the dressing room, slowly unzipping the first garment bag.
It was a white patchwork, lace grenadine, boatneck, backless, mermaid style dress with lace overlay.
Since it was backless I had to take off my bra.
I began to feel sudden nerves as I slid my hands into the sleeves, but as I tried to zip up the zipper placed in the lower back of the dress, I had to wipe my hands twice on my clothes, thanks to my sweaty shaking which I couldn't control.
It had a matching thin tulle veil, but I avoided looking at myself in the mirror for fear that seeing myself would make me lose my nerve, or send me into another attack.
Avoiding the mirror, however, didn't work...and lose it, I did.
The severity of the situation was starting to finally get to me.
Losing the image of what my parents were. To not be able to have them here, to share the moment with me, hurt. My Nani's last wish before she dies, hurt. My own 'family' lying to me about the heavy meaning of the Oath, hurt.
'How do I even do this?' I thought, as tears began falling down one after the other. 'Where do I find the strength?'
Esme found me five minutes later crying my eyes out in the small room. "Isa, what's wrong?" She asked, after she stepped into the small room and found me in tears.
"I don't know if I'll ever be able to do this without crying." I whispered, after she pulled me into a hug.
"What do you mean? What's wrong, Iz?" She asked me again, concern evident on her face.
"I'm about to get married, and no one is here to walk me down the aisle... I have no maternal or parental figure here to share these experiences with me… I'm basically alone." I quietly told her.
Looking down at me feet, the sight brought a brief memory of a familiar woman before I felt more tears form.
"Oh, sore, surely you realize that you aren't here alone. You've got us. Though not related biologically, we have formed a greater bond that no man can break." She said, as she pulled my hand into hers. "You will never be alone, ever again." She promises, wiping my face. (Sister)
"Now, let's go finish doing this task, and then we can go home and drink so much needed wine." She suggested, smiling at me.
I nod, wiping my face as she adjusts the veil on top of my head.
Moments later we walk back out, and Esme helps me step onto the small platform in the middle of the room.
"Isa, you look gorgeous in that dress!" Sulpicia cries out, happily.
I smile turning so they see the whole dress and not just the front of it.
"That is one of the newer ones." Lucy says smiling, "My daughter helped with the design." She adds, nodding in approval.
As I turned full circle I heard everyone gasp in surprise.
"Cara, this dress shows too much in the back." My Nonna Franny gasped.
"Maybe, you should try something else?" Zia Didyme suggested, diplomatically.
I nodded in agreement, before slowly stepping off of the platform and walking back into the room.
Next was a white patchwork, lace grenadine, lace cuff sleeve, aline skirt, lace overlay dress.
It was more modest, though the skirt was a bit too long and heavy.
Esme came in and helped me zip up the back of the dress.
"That one is the dress." My Nonna said, smiling.
"No, it isn't." I quickly refuted, looking down at the dress.
"Why not? It's modest, and beautiful." She asked, surprised.
Was she being serious? The bodice of the dress is too loose, and the skirt is too long for me. I could trip and break my neck as I walked down the aisle. Not to mention a possible faux pass if the dress falls and I accidentally flash everyone.
"I don't like it." I state, simply.
She nods in understanding before I walk back into the dressing room.
Next was an off the shoulder, a-line lace wedding dress.
I slowly stepped into this one, and smiled as I realized it had a matching lace veil.
Sully and Esme gasped when they walked in to help me button up the back of the dress and gently pin down the veil onto my hair.
"I think this is it. This is the one." Sully whispered, smiling at me.
I nodded once, before we walked back out.
A chorus of gasps were heard from all the women in the room.
"Dolcezza, you look beautiful!" My Nonna said, her eyes growing wet.
"That you do, dolce." Edward's Nonna said, in agreement.
It seemed everyone was now crying as I walked back into the changing room.
Sul and Esme came back in to help me unbutton the dress and take it off.
Before I looked at the next dress it was an off the shoulder, trumpet, mermaid dress, with v-neckline and white lace overlay. It had a matching white lace veil and a small train.
I tried it on briefly before putting them all back into their garment bags.
"So, which one are you getting?" Esme asked as I pulled on my clothes.
"The last two, and the last one before that one." I said, smirking at her surprised expression.
"What wonderful idea did that brain of yours just hatch?" Sully asked, amused.
"It's nothing. Just a small idea." I say shrugging it off as I stepped into my shoes.
"Ooh…I like that." Sully says grabbing the dresses and walking out.
I smiled at Esme innocently, before she shook her head amused at me, "We'll talk later. Let's go pick out one more thing." She says, pulling me out of the changing room.
She led me over to the shoes, and other accessories.
"You need shoes, something blue and something new." She informs me.
"Doesn't the dress count as new?" I asked, raising my brow at her.
"Not... in this family." She says walking away, heading towards a rack full of braid's maid dresses.
"What color did you want our dresses to be?" She asked.
"This crazy ass family and their weird customs." I mumbled, in annoyance before sighing and looking over at the shoes in the display case. My fell on a pair of leatherette, rhinestone encrusted, closed toed stiletto heels.
I picked them up, inspected them, biting my lip before setting it back down on the shelf.
I briefly wondered if I could make it down the aisle without killing myself, or injuring myself or someone else in the process.
A small, sapphire blue heart shaped necklace caught my eye.
"Oh, a dark or navy blue." I replied, distractedly, looking back at the shoes.
By the time we are finished with all the shopping, I'm emotionally, mentally, and physically tired.
"So, where to now, Miss. Isabetta?" Ivan asks, as we all climbed into the back of the SUV.
"Home, Ivan. I want to see my Nani." I reply, tiredly.
"As you wish, Miss Isa." he muttered as we pulled away.
The last thing I remember is the car pulling up into the driveway of my Nonno's home before I zonked out.