CHAPTER 1
 
 
 
Is this it?… Is this supposed to be the first day of the rest of my life?
 
She looked at herself in the mirror one more time. Her dress was stunning, her hair looked perfect and her make up flawless. ‘Yes’, she thought, ‘This is all going to be okay. Helena is wonderful and she adores me. And I do love her. She is good for me.’
 
Looking at the beautiful bride’s reflection staring back at her, she smiled. This was her day and she intended to fully enjoy it. She took a deep breath and while putting on her diamond earings, she quickly dismissed this nagging feeling of melancholy that always took possession of her heart at the most unexpected times.
 
God, she missed them dearly. Yes, that’s what it was. She missed her parents more than ever on this very significant day, and their absence affected her in her heart and in her flesh. Tears started to well in her eyes, but the very familiar knock on her door drew her back to the reality of this day and the task at hand.
 
"Come in, Al!"
 
"Hey hey, private Mc Bride! Lieutenant Pieszecki, ready for inspection!"
 
The soon-to-be married woman finished attaching her second earing before turning to her friend.
 
"Hey, I’m so glad to see you, I was jus…" She stopped mid-sentence. "Wow, Alice, you look amazing!
 
"Well thank you. Oh yes, I am gorgeous indeed…!" Alice answered with an over-dramatic effect. Then she looked at her friend and smiled with affection.
 
"But today I’ll make an exception and admit that you win the gorgeousness award… You look absolutely fabulous! Helena is a very lucky woman. I really don’t understand how she can so frequently leave you for these business trips of hers. I mean… hello, wake up, hot babe waiting for you at home!"
 
"Hot babe?!… Well, although I am not quite sure I should take this as a compliment, I will. Thanks! And yes, I wish Hel would stay home for more than a few days – who am I kidding – HOURS at a time, but you know how passionate she is about her business. Plus, she promised me that after our marriage, she would really try to cut on the trips. Not mentionning that wonderful honeymoon waiting for us in Bali."
 
"Well lady, make sure she holds onto her promise… And tell her that if she doesn’t, your best friend will hunt her down and kick that beautiful ass of hers!"
 
"I sure will…", her friend said laughing.
 
Alice smiled at her, and with a frown started to examine her friend’s hair. Then, with frantic hand gestures, she pretended to expertly arrange imaginary strands of hair all around the bride’s head. After a last brush that touched nothing but air, she smiled and looked at her friend.
 
"There you go. Much better. God I don’t know what you’d do without me!"
 
"You know what? I often wonder as well…", her friend replied laughing. "Oooh, by the way Al, Dana called. She left right after her tournament and she promised to be there, but she said it’s possible that she’ll be late. And since you and her are my two bridemaids, I’d hate for you to stand alone. Do you think your date would agree to replace Dana if she doesn’t make it in time?"
 
"She’s not my ‘date’. Come on, I told you about her, she’s a research professor, specialized in tropical viruses, at the CDC office in L.A. She’s brilliant. And also very focused. You know, the workoholic type! She’s a very good friend of mine. But we never dated, it would just be too weird. She… hum… kinda helped my mom a few years back… That’s how we met."
 
The beautiful bride looked at her. She knew something had gone really wrong with her friend’s mother at the time, but Alice had never brought herself to talk about it. She knew she would eventually, but she didn’t want to push her. And this certainly wasn’t the right time anyway.
 
"Yes right, sorry. I keep forgetting about her", she lied, "I guess that’s because we never got to meet."
 
"Hmmm, yeah, that’s weird, cause you know most of my friends. Oh well, I guess it just wasn’t meant to be yet. But today is the big day! Yep, today Tina, you’ll finally meet Professor Bette Porter!"