Elizabeth Deveroe had thought of her one day at
Farthy and then brought her out here to meet Tony?
Was it good luck or bad luck that he took one look at
her and fell in love? Did Daddy think it had all been
bad luck? Was he thinking that now?
Where was Daddy this very moment? I
wondered. Was he halfway to Florida, perhaps
standing on the bridge of his ship, looking out at the
sea and wondering about us back here at Farthy? Was
he thinking of me?
"Good luck, Momma," I muttered quickly and
she continued on to the back of the line.
We heard "Here Comes the Bride," and the
procession began. As we descended the great
staircase, I looked down at the sea of faces, at all these
elegantly dressed men and women, who were all
gazing up at us, and I felt as if I were part of a great
show. Momma, of course, was the star. Eventually, all
eyes were on her. I was already in my place so when
she made the turn at the foot of the stairway, I could
see her face. She looked beautiful and ecstatic. She
was just where she had always wanted to be, I
thought, at the center of attention.
And all at once, I wanted to shout,
"STOP!" I
wanted to end everything, scream my discomfort and
agony. "How can you all be so gleeful and excited!
How can you all want to be part of this?" I dreamed of
shouting. I wanted to tell all these rich and refined
people the truth. "My mother never told my father the