Wedding Night

soothingly. “Your hands are too high.”
    I pull off my other shoe and stocking, and, since I’m here, reach for the hand lotion to slather on my bare legs. I don’t want to look back and think,
It was such a romantic moment; shame about the scaly shins
. Then I get out my phone. I
have
to text Fliss. I quickly type:
    He’s doing it!!!
    A moment later, her reply appears on my screen:
    Don’t tell me u r texting me in the middle of a proposal!!!
    In Ladies’. Taking a moment.
    V exciting!!! You make a great couple. Give him a kiss from me. xxx
    Will do! Talk later xxx
    “Which one is he?” says the blond girl as I put away my phone. “I’m going to have a look!” She darts out of the Ladies’, then returns a few seconds later. “Ooh, I saw him. The dark guy in the corner? He’s fab. Hey, your mascara’s smudged.” She passes me a makeup eraser pen. “Want to do a quick fix?”
    “Thanks.” I smile companionably at her and start to erase the tiny black marks below my eyes. My wavy chestnut hair is swept up in a chignon, and I suddenly wonder whether to let it down so it tumbles over my shoulders for the big moment.
    No. Too cheesy. Instead, I pull some tendrils out and twist them around my face while I assess everything else. Lipstick: nice coral color. Eye shadow: shimmery gray to bring out my blue eyes. Blusher: hopefully will not need touch-up as will be flushed with excitement.
    “I wish
my
boyfriend would propose,” says a long-haired girl in black, watching me wistfully. “What’s the trick?”
    “Dunno,” I reply, wishing I could be more helpful. “I supposewe’ve been together awhile, we know we’re compatible, we love each other—”
    “But so do my boyfriend and I! We’ve been living together, the sex is great, it’s all great.…”
    “Don’t pressure him,” says the blond girl wisely.
    “I mention it, like, once a year.” The long-haired girl looks thoroughly miserable. “And he gets twitchy and we drop it. What am I supposed to do? Move out? It’s been six years now—”
    “Six years?”
The old woman looks up from drying her hands. “What’s wrong with you?”
    The girl with the long hair flushes. “Nothing’s
wrong
with me,” she says. “I was having a private conversation.”
    “Private, pfft.” The old woman gestures briskly around the Ladies’ room. “Everyone’s listening.”
    “Aunt Dee!” The redhead looks embarrassed.
“Shush!”
    “Don’t you shush me, Amy!” The old woman regards the long-haired girl beadily. “Men are like jungle creatures. The minute they’ve found their kill, they eat it and fall asleep. Well, you’ve handed him his kill on a plate, haven’t you?”
    “It’s not as simple as that,” says the long-haired girl resentfully.
    “In my day, the men got married because they wanted sex. That was motivation all right!” The old woman gives a brisk laugh. “All you girls with your sleeping together and living together and
then
you want an engagement ring. It’s all back to front.” She picks up her bag. “Come along, Amy! What are you waiting for?”
    Amy shoots us desperate looks of apology, then disappears out of the Ladies’ with her aunt. We all exchange raised eyebrows. What a nutter.
    “Don’t worry,” I say reassuringly, and squeeze the girl’sarm. “I’m sure things will work out for you.” I want to spread the joy. I want
everyone
to have the good luck that Richard and I have had: finding the perfect person and knowing it.
    “Yes.” She makes an obvious effort to gather herself. “Let’s hope. Well, I wish you a very happy life together.”
    “Thanks!” I hand the eraser pen back to the blond girl. “Here I go! Wish me luck!”
    I push my way out of the Ladies’ and survey the bustling restaurant, feeling as though I’ve just pressed
play
. There’s Richard, sitting in exactly the same position as when I left him. He’s not even checking his phone. He must be as focused on this moment as I am. The most special moment of our lives.
    “Sorry about that.” I slide into my chair and give him my most loving, receptive smile. “Shall we pick up where we left off?”
    Richard smiles back, but I can tell he’s lost a bit of momentum. We might need to work back into things gradually. “It’s such a special day,” I say encouragingly. “Don’t you feel that?”
    “Absolutely.” He nods.
    “This place is so lovely.” I gesture around. “The perfect place for a … a big