We spent the rest of the morning there, drinking glass after glass of champagne while throwing some ideas around for Raquel to think about. She wasn't overwhelmed in the slightest even though she had an actual deadline of when to be married by.
Raquel even took the time to ask when I would be gone for my other friends weddings, writing down which dates wouldn't work for me. So kind. It was hard to be mad at her even if I thought she was making a tremendous mistake.
I couldn't express that with her around, but once I was home, I was quick to find my dad. He was in the backyard by the pool, watching my nephews play in the pool.
"Where's Veronica?" I looked around for my obviously missing sister.
"Shopping." He answered. "Took her husband too because she has attachment issues."
I snickered.
He looked up at me, eyes narrowed. "Have you been drinking?"
I collapsed in the chair next to him. "You would be too if you lived my sad life."
He laughed. "It can't be all that bad. You live in Southern California, paying way below the average rent."
"Yea because I live in a full house!" I sighed. "I'm never going to move out."
"Why? Did you overspend on alcohol last night? Got depressed and then continued to spend more on alcohol this morning?" He continued. "You're lucky it's Sunday. If it was a weekday, most people would think you have a problem."
"It's called being a young adult!" My hands made moves in the air without reason. I put them down, realizing I was more buzzed than I had thought.
"Valerie..." My dad sat up a little straighter in his seat, looking me in the eyes. "If you're this stressed about money for these weddings, then I can just stop charging you rent for the summer. You don't have to get so depressed and turn to alcohol. This is supposed to be the time of your life. Celebrate your friends and be happy."
"Dad..." I reached out to hold his hand. "I'm so happy to hear you say that. Especially, because, I have another wedding to be a bridesmaid at."
My father stared at me blankly. "What? What do you mean?"
"I'm going to be a bridesmaid at three weddings this year. Not two." I let go of him, stood up and twirled around. "I'm breaking last year's record! Woo-hoo! Look at me! I'm being happy and celebrating my friends!" I was being sarcastic at first, but the alcohol got the best of me and I started to laugh as I spun around.
"Val, be careful!" I could hear my dad say.
I slowed up, but the rest of the world was spinning even faster. I sighed, moving back to the chair. I collapsed on it and closed my eyes.
"Valerie? Who's the third wedding for?" Dad asked.
"Raquel!" My eyes burst wide open. "That's right! Let me tell you! It's a crazy story!" I recapped on what had happened last night and this morning, repeating every detail I knew about this guy.
My dad knew Raquel since we were in middle school so it was a shock to him too. "So she met him college?"
"I guess so." I shrugged. After high school, Chrissy, Raquel, and I, all went to different colleges. It was hard for me to remember every person that they ever mentioned. "He seems okay."
"Yea? Everyone seems 'okay' until they turn into a cold-blooded killer." Dad told me.
I rolled my eyes. "I doubt he's a killer. It wouldn't make sense. Now, I wouldn't be surprised if he ran off after he got his green card. Or started a secret second family and only used Raquel for selfish purposes." I put my hand to my forehead, trying to stop the spinning. "This just isn't what I imagined for her, ya know?"
"Eh, I'm not too surprised. If Chrissy pulled this though, I'd be stunned."
"What about me?" I asked.
Dad laughed. "I'd be impressed if you had the guts to get married at all."
"Hey!" I yelled, offended. "I'll get married eventually. I just haven't found that other half yet."
"You're not even looking." He chuckled. "You can't find the needle in a haystack unless you're actually looking in the haystack."
"I'll start looking next year." I sighed. "This year, I'm booked."
"You're not going to find a plus one to all these weddings?" Dad asked.
"There's not enough time to find someone, date him for a reasonable amount of time, and then take him all around the country to meet all my friends. That's just too much." I got up from the chair. "I need a nap."
"Still hoping it's all a bad dream?"
"Too late for that." I checked my phone and saw a missed call from Chrissy. "Chrissy called. Bet she wants to start planning our Easter weekend in Vegas. With my comps." I teared up at the thought.
"You wouldn't have had the time to use them for yourself anyways." Dad told me. "At least this way, you won't be alone." His eyes drifted to the boys playing in the pool. "Don't worry, be happy."
I groaned. "You know I hate that saying!" I stomped away. I'm a natural at worrying. It's what I did best. Some might call it being pessimistic, but it's better than having high hopes and being let down all the time.
I dragged my feet to my room and flopped on my queen-sized bed. Hitting Chrissy's name on my phone, I called her back. "Hey, what's up?"
"I was thinking more about this upcoming Vegas trip. Wouldn't it be kind of nice if we included dress shopping? Both for her as the bride, and maybe look at options for us?"
"I don't know...usually the bride likes to have her colors picked out. Did Raquel say anything about her colors?" I kicked off my shoes and cuddled up under a blanket.
"Her favorite colors are pastel pink and yellow so she might be leaning that way."
I groaned. If I have to wear a pink bridesmaid dress, I really might cry. Cry in frustration, that is.