Chapter 2 - Chaos Continues

POV: Caleb 

The wedding goes on as planned. The ceremony was beautiful. Mom and Thomas shared an uncomfortably raunchy kiss at the end. Seeing one of your parents make out with someone never gets easier. After the ceremony, there was a brief photo session. I was roped into a few pictures but quickly excused myself and left the wedding party to it.

Don't get me wrong, I had nothing against Melissa. I was actually glad that my dad met someone that he loved so much, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. I just hadn't been involved in any of the wedding planning so far and it didn't feel right to butt in all of a sudden. I decided to keep my distance and proceeded to the reception tent with the rest of the guests.

Immediately I entered the tent, I felt as though I had been transported to a whole other world. The decorations in the tent made the whole thing look whimsical. The inside of the tent was brimming with fresh flowers and lush greenery.  There was a dance floor set up in the middle of the room right in front of the high table. The rest of the room was filled with round tables with tall leafy centrepieces. The tent's beams were all wrapped in garlands and fairy lights hung on the ceiling making the lighting soft and romantic. Dad hadn’t spared any expenses.

"This is stunning! We need to get the name of our wedding planner for our wedding. What do you think babe?" my date asked me, snapping me out of the trance I was in.

She wrapped her arm around mine and pulled me to the seating chart. We found our table and got settled in. Soon after, the wedding party came in. The newlyweds were introduced and had their first dance. By the time they were done, there wasn't a dry eye in sight.  Even I got emotional. It was so obvious to everyone in the room that they were deeply in love with one another. My dad struggled a bit because he had two left feet but he got through it.

Afterwards, dinner was served. We conversed with the rest of the table as we ate the wonderful three-course meal that was placed before us. The wedding party toasts began. 

My little brother, Eric, went first. His best man speech was short but sweet.

"Why aren't you giving a speech?" the lady on my right, asked me.

I had avoided this question all night long. I had not played any part in the preparation of my dad's wedding ever since he announced his engagement. I wasn't even able to attend his bachelor party. To be fair, it was just a bunch of his friends playing golf and they had dinner afterwards. I don't think I missed much but I would still have loved to be there for my dad. Sometimes I hated how demanding my job could be.

I was a paediatric surgeon at Mediheal Referral Hospital in Los Angeles. I hardly got any time off, my life revolved around the hospital. I was my father's oldest son so it made sense that people questioned why I was not a part of the wedding party. 

I was about to give her an answer when someone else stole my attention. She stood up from the high table and started walking toward the centre of the room. She wore a teal dress with a sweetheart neckline, a bodice that cinched her in at the waist and a flowing floor-length skirt. 

Victoria Johnson. I hadn't seen her since we graduated high school. Nothing could have prepared me for how good she looked. Her curly flaming red hair fell down her back in waves and that dress did wonders for her curves. She tripped on her dress just before she got to the microphone stand. 

Typical! "I guess some things do not change," I thought to myself. 

She was still as clumsy as ever. She regained her footing and grabbed the microphone off the stand. 

"Sorry about that folks. I probably shouldn't be walking around without my glasses on. Hello everybody, my name is Victoria Johnson. I am Melissa's daughter," she started to say before the microphone emitted a high-pitched noise. She pulled it farther away from her mouth and cleared her throat.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the love between my mom and Thomas…" she went on with her speech.

The entire time,  I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. I couldn’t help but notice how the paper in her hand shook as she spoke for how tightly she had clenched her fist around the mic. Her voice even shook a little.  She had never been a fan of public speaking. She rushed through her speech. 

"I would like you all to raise your glasses and help me make a toast," she reached for her glass of champagne. "I wish you both a lifetime of happiness. I love you guys. Here's to you two. To the bride and groom."

"To the bride and groom," the rest of the wedding guests join her in raising their glasses and toasting the newlyweds.

She rushed back to her seat beside her mom. Even in the dim light, you could see a sheen of sweat on her face. Melissa stands up and hugs her tightly before they sit down then she takes a big gulp of her wine and fans herself using the programme.

The rest of the speeches go by and before we know it, the cake has been cut and it's time for the last dance. Afterwards, the band that had been hired started playing. Everyone got up to mingle.

I headed straight for my dad who was in the middle of the dance floor, dancing with his new wife. His smile hadn't left his face this entire evening. Immediately he laid eyes on me, it got even wider.

He held out his hands and came towards me. "Caleb, my boy. It's so good to see you," he hugged me tightly. 

When he finally let go of me, I hugged Melissa. "Congratulations you two. You look absolutely beautiful Melissa. Welcome to the family." 

"Hey, what about me?" My dad asked. 

"You look beautiful too, Dad. That suit does wonders for your figure." We all laughed. 

I talked to them for a few minutes before I was half-tackled from the side. Eric! He gave me a bear hug.

"Brother! It's been too long. It's really good to see you," he said as he patted my back so forcely, it stung a little. Eric lived in Arizona along with the rest of my family which meant that I rarely got to see him. 

"Where is your date?" he asked. 

"She's around here somewhere."

The four of us chatted for a little while. 

"Have you said hi to Tori yet? I'm sure she'll be thrilled. How long has it been since you guys saw each other?" Melissa asked.

"No, I haven't talked to her yet. The last time we talked, we had just graduated high school."

"Oh my! Well, there she is. You guys should get reacquainted," she said, pointing to a spot on the dance floor.

Victoria was dancing around in circles with two little kids; a boy and a girl. She had to bend low to hold their hands and the little ones giggled. They seemed happy. I thought of going over to her but I couldn't. I tore my eyes away from her. I was not sure she would want to see me after everything that happened between us. It has been far too long.