"Crying In The Chapel" (Written 3yrs prior to my father's passing..Published after for obvious reasons)

My parents have been divorced for 22 years. They have both dated different people during that time, some of which I have approved of and some of which...well let's just say not so much.

I have never considered how I would feel if one of them remarried because none of their relationships seemed to be heading in the direction of the whole rings and vows ceremony...Until about six months ago, when I got a call from my father. He had one question for me...How would I feel if he got married?...

My reaction was immediate..I felt the sting of tears in my eyes and nearly choked on the softball sized knot that was forming in my throat. He's been seeing this same woman for a few years and so my siblings and I have gotten to know her.

Knowing her led me to have a fleeting thought, along with my tears and choking. When I heard his question...I thought "Oh God...the duct tape I'm going to have to wear over my mouth to keep me from speaking now or forever holding my peace is not going to look good at all with my dress......

Sharing my true feelings with my Dad at that point just didn't seem right, so I did what every good daughter, who was raised right, would do, and I said simply..." I love you Daddy, and I want you to be happy, so if that would make you happy, then I am happy for you."

Well, as the last few months passed by, without another mention of this, I was sure that my father had changed his mind. I was wrong...The wedding is today.

Now before you think that I am a horrible person, let the record show that I'm not, but...she is......

She is the worst kind of woman. She does all of her evil in a way that I call "around the corner" When I say around the corner, I mean when no one else, (especially my father) but her intended victim can see or hear her. Now to further clarify let me define victim for you in this instance... Victim: Any one of my father's five children.

I think that she says and does things in this manner so that just in case we have any great ideas like trying to clue our father in he'll think we have lost our minds and his response will be something like "y'all are wrong, she's such a sweet woman".....or "I've never seen her do or say anything out of the way towards any of you".

Sweet woman? Sweet like the Wicked Witch of the West..Lord when the Minister says I now pronounce you husband and wife, she'll probably yell "Release the flying monkeys!", at which point my Dad may begin to see her true colors, but it will be to late for him then...Bless his heart, even if I put red glitter on his shoes and he clicked his heels together three times..when he got home she'd be there..wives live with their husbands..

The bottom line is I love my Father with all of my heart, and I will be at that wedding today...handkerchief in hand...I will hug him and kiss his cheek and tell him that I wish him all of the happiness in the world..and that will all be true...

I will also be sending up a prayer that the Lord doesn't let me lay eyes on a bucket of water during the ceremony...I mean the last words spoken at a wedding really should be you may kiss your bride, not "I'm melting".......