Page 68 of Holiday Wedding
“If you’re stuck at the airport, then so is everyone else. All of our families. This storm is affecting the entire country,” she reminds me.
“What should we do? Reschedule it?” Panic stirs when I think how hard it would be to move the wedding date. We’d have to rebook all the vendors. Most of our guests are from out of town. How many of them would make a second trip?
“That’s not necessary. If there’s any chance of you making it, I say we keep everything as is.”
I let out a sigh, glad she isn’t urging me to change the date. “I’m still hoping we get in on time.”
“Everyone understands the situation. Your guests are more flexible than you give them credit for—hang on a minute.” There’s the rustle of her speaking to someone and the sound of a door closing. “Seth’s going to bed. I wanted to let him know I was talking to you. Was it just the wedding that’s got Caleb upset?”
“No. He says he might want to do movies again.” I move back to the toilet and sit down on its closed lid.
“Is that a bad thing?” she asks.
“It means he’ll potentially spend months on location.”
Time away from me.
“If you hold him back, he’ll grow resentful,” she warns.
“What about me?I’mgrowing resentful.” I shift into the same position I was in earlier, with my feet on the toilet seat and my knees pulled up to my chin. Quickly, I fill her in on what happened with Skylar, Lola, and my presentation.
“None of that’s Caleb’s fault,” Mom says. “He can’t control how other people act.”
“I know, but still it feels like there’s so much I have to sacrifice to make this relationship work. Things Caleb has to give up too, like how I don’t fit into the typical celebrity wife mold.”
Mom surprises me by laughing. “Did you expect it to be different?Allrelationships require sacrifice and compromise. That’s what happens when two people come together and agree to share their lives. There’s no way they’ll both want the same things at the same time.”
“You and Dad weren’t like that,” I’m quick to point out. “I don’t remember you ever arguing.”
She laughs again, even louder. “Of course we fought, Gwen. We just did it at night after you kids were in bed.”
My jaw drops.
“Your father was a wonderful man, but you romanticize him, honey. He was so smart that sometimes it made him overconfident, hard-headed. He was certain he knew the best path for our family. When I didn’t agree, it couldtake hours of debate for him to see my point. The good thing was that, once I explained myself well enough, he took what I had to say into consideration. We both compromised a ton. Gave up what we wanted to keep the peace.”
I can’t picture my dad being that way. “Really? Like what?”
“So many things. I wanted to live in Chicago close to my family, but your dad said California was better for his job. He wanted to put you all in private school, but I thought public school was fine. He wanted to bike to work, and I was worried he’d get run over.”
“How’d you figure it out? What you chose?”
“Sometimes I would get what I wanted, and sometimes he would. We stayed in California. You went to public schools, and he only biked on the weekends. That’s the compromise part. It wasn’t easy. Some arguments spanned years. Some were never resolved, and that’s okay. It’s the same way with Seth. The same for all couples, at least the ones I know.”
Her words settle me down. “What you’re saying is that no one ever wins? Someone’s always giving in?”
“Basically,” she says in a cheery voice. “It’s so worth it though, Gwen. For all the times that you and Caleb disagree, there’ll be far more when you see eye to eye. That’s because you’ve picked wisely. You’ve selected a partner with similar values and goals. Together you’ll build a family. When the years have passed and you look back at all you’ve accomplished, you won’t remember the fights—you’ll only think about your triumphs.”
She takes in a breath. Emotion makes her voice waver. “At least that’s how your father and I felt when we thought about you kids and the life we built. For all our bickering, at the end, before he died, he said the greatest thing he did was marry me and have all of you. I’m sure you’ll feel the same way about Caleb.”
Talking about Dad brings tears to my eyes. Those were the last words I had heard him say—that Mom and us kids were the best decisions he’d ever made.
Mom’s right. When I look at my life, all the things I’ve done, my relationship with Caleb is what I’m most proud of, most passionate about. As much as I love medicine and will never leave it, the people in my life will always be my top priority.
“Thanks, Mom,” I tell her, wiping away a few stray tears. “That was exactly what I needed to hear.”
?
Caleb was correct. Flights are grounded the next day and the day after that. Every morning, the shuttle drives us to the airport. We watch with strained eyes as the time to board our flight lengthens, and the word “delayed” eventually turns to “canceled.” Every night, the shuttle takes us back to the same hotel room so we can go to sleep and then get up and do it all over again.
