“Sure mom.”  She is going to make dinner again.  Who is this woman and what did she do with my mom?  “Um…Mom?”  She turns around in the doorway.  “Thank you”

She nods her head shutting the door behind her.  She knows what I am grateful for.

After the door clicks shut I lay in my bed staring up at the white ceiling thinking about last night.  Gabe enters my mind and chills run through my body.  Trent is always my Basso brother.  We are meant to be together or so I thought once upon a time.  From the way Trent acted last night I know he wants us to rekindle whatever we had but how many chances are we supposed to give this fated love?

That word fate rang in my ears.  I jump from my bed looking through my new dresser drawers finding nothing.  Running over to my closet, I fling the doors open in a panic.  All I find is a closet full of my old clothes, things I will never wear again.  Bending down I look at the floor crawling on my hands and knees searching for it praying no one threw it away.  Accepting defeat I push myself back leaning against my bed looking into my closet.  I knew I should have taken those things with me but I left in such a hurry.

Then I see an outline of the box in the top right hand corner of the closet.  Standing on my tippy toes I reach with my hand as far as I can get it barely getting a corner.  My fingers find the top edge enabling me to scoot it closer to me until I can get it.  The flower box with stickers all over it is lighter than I remembered.  It takes me back to my innocence.  Walking over to the bed I sit Indian style hesitant to open my past.  My hands rest on either side of the lid as I contemplate if I should open this Pandora’s box.  Before I can second guess myself I rip it off and I can’t stop the smile from forming on my face.

My MASH book is on top.  Mackenna and I had filled so many but this is the only one I kept.  It was my last year with her.  Flipping through the pages, Trent’s name fills every page.  Mrs. Trent Basso is written on the cover, the back and I imagine pages in between. Picking up the book, I notice the loose-leaf paper under it.  It has been folded and refolded at least ten times.  I put it in my hands holding it against my heart.  My eyes close remembering that day in the driveway when Mackenna handed it to me, saying it was a good one.  When I drove away with my parents reading the MASH she gave me I was speechless.  I wondered then as I am now, is there something as fate?  Or is it all coincidence and luck of the draw?

A half hour later Gabe rings my doorbell.  Since I took a trip down memory lane, my hair is wet.  Pulled back in a ponytail and I threw on capris and a t-shirt with my favorite flip flops.

“I guess you don’t want to impress that Basso brother.”  Ian smirks at me from the kitchen doorway as I walk by him.

I flip him off while snatching the granola bar from his hand.

“Hey Madgirl.”  Gabe looks me up and down.  I can’t tell if he is disgusted or pleased. “Hi Ian.”  He waves walking into the house.

“Gabe.”  I state.  He is wearing a pair of khaki shorts with a tight fitting blue tee and a pair of sneakers.  The shorts show off his muscular, long tanned legs.   When he walks by me the tee shows off his tapered waist. I shake my head knowing I should not be thinking of Gabe nonetheless checking him out.

“You heading over with us, Ian?”  Gabe asks him, making himself comfortable at the kitchen table.  Not even paying attention to the remodeled house.  I figure either he doesn’t care or has already been over since it was done.

Ian looks down at himself dressed in his pajama pants and shirt shaking his head.  “No, since I agreed to take this as my vacation to help out my girl in crisis, I am taking at least one day to lie around.”

“Sounds nice.”  I sneer at him.  “I get to go try on some hideous bridesmaid dress hearing people tell me I can wear it again sometime.”

“Don’t sound so bitter.  It’s your brother’s wedding.  Now go put on your happy face and be that cheerful bridesmaid I know you can be.”  Ian smacks me on my ass walking out of the room.

“Whatever Sleeping Beauty.  Please enjoy your day of leisure.”  I sneer back at him.

“Don’t hate Madeline Jennings.  It isn’t becoming of you.”  Ian remarks walking back upstairs.

“Let’s just go get it over with.”  Gabe says hopping off the stool putting his hand on the small of my back leading me to the door.

I turn my head over my shoulder but he never removes his hand until I am safely in the passenger seat of the blue machine.  Once in the car my heart starts beating faster and my breathing is erratic.  Does Gabe have this effect on me?  I don’t know what has happened in the last twenty four hours but he has weaseled into my thoughts and I can’t shake them.

“So, I want to talk to you about the dance.”  He glances over to me.  I probably look like I am coming down with something.  My face pale when he brings up last night.

“Oh Gabe, its fine.  Just a dance with your little sister right.”  I want to play this off.  One Basso brother had torn my heart to shreds on numerous occasions.  I wasn’t going to let another one get to me again.

“What?  Little Sister?”  He questions looking confused.

“I know you and Doug have always thought of me as Little Jennings.”  I confirm.

“Well…yeah…when we were younger.”  He confirms.  “But now…”  His phone interrupts him.

“Hello?”  He answers, giving me an apologetic smile.

A pause while he listens.

“I will be back next Monday.  Can’t this wait until then?”

“Absolutely not.”  He seems angry at whoever is on the other end.

“Listen.  I am here for a good friend’s wedding.  There are events planned all week long and I don’t have time for this right now.  We can discuss this on Monday night when I get back.”

Monday night?  I assume it isn’t business must be personal.  Girlfriend?

“I don’t know how much clearer I can make this for you.”  He is curt.

We turn down the downtown area towards the dress shop.  He parks along the diagonal parking spots that line the street on either side.

“I have somewhere I have to be right now.  It is Monday night or never, you decide.”  He gives them an ultimatum.

“That’s what I thought.”  He hangs up the phone with no goodbye.

I have never seen Gabe act like this to someone so I can’t imagine what or who it is that would make him have such a personality change.

“Sorry about that.”  He smiles over to me.  He gives me no explanation, not that he has to give me one.

“It’s ok.”  I smile back.  “Let’s get this thing over with.”  I can’t get out of the car fast enough and away from Gabe.  I leap out of the car walking into the dress shop.

“Hey hold up.”  Gabe grabs my elbow bringing me back to him before I can open the door.  “Is something the matter?”  His face etched with concern for me.

“No, I just want to get this dress thing over with.”  I lie.

He looks at me hard and long eventually accepting defeat letting my elbow go.

The dress shop is small and quaint with the tuxedo shop through a little walkway to the right.  I notice all the guys already in the tuxedos since we are late.

“What the hell Basso?”  Jack is screaming to Gabe.  “Maddy, the girls are waiting for you in the dressing room.”  He points me in the right direction.

Gabe and I raise our eyebrows at each other walking away from each other like school girls that just got in trouble but don’t care.

“Finally Maddy.”  Lindsey comes out from the dressing rooms urgently waving her hands at me to meet her.

“Are we really that late?”  I ask checking my watch realizing I was in such a hurry I forgot to put it on.

“We only have an hour before the next bridal party.”

“Are you serious?”  I say in disbelief.  They couldn’t spread out the whole two weddings that happen in this town a year.