I Swapped Grooms on My Wedding Day

1: 1

Where we come from, there's a custom for fetching the bride: the bridal car must never turn back. If it does, the marriage is said to be cursed.

But on the wedding day, my fianc Peter Heath's bridal car reached the turn to my house and suddenly swung around.

Mom and Dad had been watching the road, anxious, and made me call him. "Why did the car turn back? I told you the bridal car can't"

He cut me off before I finished, irritated. "That's just some backward superstition. Joanna Reed's period came out of nowhere, so I turned around to take her to buy some pads first. It won't hold things up long."

I hung up. Mom let out a long breath. "Turning the car back is bad luck, sweetheart. Do you still want to go through with this marriage?"

"Yes."

She froze. I went on. "Just with a different man."

Then I called that man. "Come fetch me. I'll marry you."

The voice on the other end trembled with excitement. "Yes. Wait for me. Fifteen minutes and I'm at your door."

The second I hung up, I texted Peter. "Wedding's off. Don't bother coming."

His call came through the instant the message landed, his voice thick with impatience. "Nora Fox, all I did was turn around to help Joanna buy pads. You're a woman too. Why can't you show a little sympathy?"

"Or do you want to see her humiliated? Besides, how much time could it possibly cost? Marriage is a huge deal. You can't just call it off on a whim. You think this is playing house?"

"Ten minutes, tops. Stop making a scene."

I'd thought that on this call he would at least apologize first. Instead, from start to finish it was nothing but blame, without a shred of remorse.

I looked out at the wedding site, every inch of it decked in red. The wind had torn through last night, so the decorations outside the yard had to come down, and before dawn today my parents were up putting it all back together, then greeting relatives and friends, so busy they hadn't had a sip of water.

All of it just to wait for him to arrive and pour the first cup of tea a son-in-law offers.

Before the wedding, Mom had told me over and over to make sure he understood: the bridal car could only go forward, never turn back, or in our town it was seen as bad luck, something people would laugh at.

So I'd planned out the route ahead of time, walked him through it several times, how to come in, how to drive off once he had me, rehearsing it again and again.

Back then I'd said, "If you take a wrong turn on the wedding day and the car has to turn back, I won't marry you."

He'd sworn to the heavens he'd follow my route exactly, not a single step wrong.

Now he'd forgotten all of it.

My throat ached fiercely. My voice came out hoarse. "Why is Joanna in the bridal car? You went and picked her up before coming for me?"

There was a pause, then Joanna's voice came on. "Don't be mad at Peter. I suddenly wanted to come along and soak up some of the wedding luck, so I asked Peter to pick me up first."

"Who knew my period would start on the way. I'm sorry. I've bought the pads, and I'll have Peter come get you right away."

The hand holding the phone was shaking. The car sent to fetch me hadn't only turned back, it had picked up Joanna first.

"Peter, so this is what you did. Not only did you go for her first, you turned the car around halfway. My whole family saw it. I told you plainly, we have a custom here, a taboo, the bridal car can't turn back. If it does, the marriage isn't blessed. When you turned that car around, did you spare a single thought for how I'd feel?"

Still that same careless tone. "It's all just backward superstition. We're young people of a new age. Can't you stop being an old relic like your parents?"

"I already told you it was a special situation. Can't you show a little understanding?"

Then Joanna's voice came through again. "Peter, we're at the store. Can you go in and buy them for me?"

"Mm, sure."

Then he said one more thing into the phone. "What I love most about you is how considerate you are. Stop making a scene. And don't set off the fireworks so early. Joanna wants to watch, so wait until we get there."

Then he hung up.

The call had been on speaker, so my parents heard all of it. Mom's eyes went red, her hands shaking uncontrollably. "This is too much. The welcoming fireworks are set to go off at the lucky hour. How can we push them back for some outsider?"

Just then, a voice called from outside the door. "It's the lucky hour. Do we light the fireworks now?"

Dad stood there with the lighter in his hand, lost. "Sweetheart? What do you say?"

My eyes were steady. "Light them now."

2: 2

When my father heard me say that, he thought I was just being stubborn. He sighed, and the look he gave me was full of ache.

"But Peter, just now, he... won't this whole thing leave a bad taste between you two?"

I shook my head. "The fireworks have nothing to do with him. We're changing grooms today."

His eyes went wide with shock. "That phone call earlier you meant it?"

"Sweetheart, this is not the time to be stubborn. I heard the call you made. Even if the wedding really gets canceled today, your mother and I can accept that. You don't have to grab just anyone to come fetch you out of spite."

"Marriage is a lifelong thing. If Peter won't do, we can wait a little longer. Your mother and I aren't afraid of the gossip. We're only afraid you won't be happy."

His words made my eyes sting at once. He had never been a man of many words, and here he was, defying tradition for the sake of my happiness.

Our village clings hard to its customs. If the wedding fell through today, there was no telling how the whole village would talk about my parents, how they'd twist it around.

I don't live at home for work, but my parents would be the ones facing the rumors day after day.

I couldn't let them worry over me any longer. And the man I'd chosen shouldn't be a bad pick.

I stood and looped my arm through my father's, keeping my tone light. "Dad, I didn't make this call carelessly. This man is good. Better than Peter. You'll be pleased with him."

Seeing he still looked uncertain, I smiled. "If you're not happy with him when he gets here, I just won't get in his car. Simple."

Only then did my father let out a breath. "If you're this set on it, I'll go light the fireworks. Otherwise, if the party arrives before the fireworks go off, they'll think we don't respect him."

The colorful bursts cracked open, one after another, ringing out for nearly ten minutes.

Around here, fetching the bride comes with a welcoming ritual: before the bridal car arrives, you set off fireworks to greet it.

The more fireworks, the more it means you're pleased with your son-in-law.

To show how much he valued Peter, my father had prepared a hundred and twenty tubes well in advance, the highest honor our village could offer.

Afraid the delivery people wouldn't be careful, he'd driven his own three-wheeler back and forth, hauling every tube home with his own hands.

And yet all that had been thrown back in his face. The man on the other end never cared about his heart at all, and now he'd flung it on the ground and ground it under his heel.

Just then, Peter called me again.

When I picked up, his voice was thick with anger. "I told you to hold the fireworks until I arrived. Joanna wants to see them. Now you've set them off early what's she supposed to look at when she gets there?"

"Today is our big wedding day. Can you not make a scene?"

"There's still time. Have your family go buy more, right now, so we can set off another round once we arrive."

I let out a cold laugh. "Peter, so you do remember today is supposed to be a joyful day."

"You sent the bridal car to pick up Joanna first, then turned it around for her, and now you're demanding I delay the fireworks all because Joanna wants to watch them."

"Don't you know there's an auspicious hour for fetching the bride, and an auspicious hour for the fireworks too? Today is our wedding. But have you put our wedding first at all?"

He paused, maybe realizing his attitude really was off, and his voice softened. "All right, say I was wrong. I just didn't think it through. The fireworks are set off, they're set off. I won't make you buy more."

"But you'll have to wait a bit longer. Joanna's dress got dirty, so I'm taking her to the mall to buy a new outfit first. The moment we're done, we'll come straight over to get you."

"And the hotel ceremony might run a little late. Find some excuse and let people know."

I wanted to tell him again that the wedding was off, but suddenly I decided to hold it back. I wanted to see the look on his face when he arrived and there was no bride to collect.

"Fine."

At that, he breathed easier. "I knew you'd be reasonable about it."

The moment I hung up, cheering broke out from outside. "The wedding party's here!"

3: 3

I went to the window and looked down, and sure enough there was a line of wedding cars waiting below, the one in front decked out in the yellow roses I loved most.

Once, I'd told Peter I wanted the cars and the ceremony done up in yellow roses, but he'd said a wedding was a joyful occasion and only red roses were festive enough.

So I'd let it drop. And now here was a man who hadn't needed me to say a word, and he'd chosen my favorite flower on his own.

A moment later, he was shown up to the room.

His name was Luke Farley. We'd met on a trip through the Rocky Mountains. He'd come down with altitude sickness and I'd given him medicine, and after that he'd started pursuing me.

I told him I already had a boyfriend, but he wouldn't give up.

Even when he heard I was getting married, he didn't back off. The day before the wedding he came to find me and said that the moment I changed my mind, he would drive the wedding car over to collect me at once.

I'd thought he was just sore about it, throwing out a bold line.

So when I called today, I only meant to test him. I never expected him to agree on the spot, and to have everything prepared so completely. It seemed he really had put together a whole wedding for me somewhere else.

He held a bouquet of yellow roses, his eyes full of nerves, sweat even beading on his forehead. "Nora, I'm here to take you."

My parents could see how much thought he'd put in, and they said nothing.

Sitting in the wedding car, I took out my phone and sent a message in the bride's side family group chat, telling the relatives who were heading straight to the hotel to go to a different one instead.

The group chat blew up at once.

"What's going on?"

"Isn't the wedding at this hotel? The welcome photo by the door is Nora."

"Right, by rights you should be about at the hotel by now. Did something happen?"

I typed out another line. "I've changed grooms today. It's at a different hotel. Sorry for the trouble, everyone."

Then I sent a big cash gift into the group.

"Consider this to cover your travel, and thank you all. I'll explain the reason at the wedding."

Seeing me say that, and hand out an envelope so freely, everyone figured it had to be something serious for the groom to be swapped out this suddenly, and for the moment no one pressed further.

Then, out of nowhere, Peter's mother called me.

Her voice carried both worry and probing. "Nora, did something happen? Why did your side's relatives suddenly leave, and why are they saying the reception's at a different hotel?"

"What on earth is going on? Today's the big day. If Peter did something wrong, I'll scold him for you myself, just don't lose your temper today."

"Alberta, you'd better ask Peter about the details. I can't go through with this wedding to him."

And with that I hung up.

Right after, Peter's call came through. There was a note of awkwardness in his voice. "Nora, it'll be a little while before I can come get you. Joanna suddenly got bad cramps, so I'm taking her to the hospital first."

4: 4

"Don't make a scene. Calm your parents down. I'll apologize to them the moment I get there."

So he still hadn't gotten the call from his mother.

"You go do your thing."

My flat tone caught him off guard. Peter sounded puzzled. "You don't mind?"

"I don't mind."

I was about to marry someone else. Who he went off to take care of was none of my business.

"I have things to handle too. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."

He went right along with it. "Right, you still have to explain things to the relatives. Go on then, get to it. I'll take Joanna to the hospital first."

Just then Joanna's coaxing voice drifted over. "Peter, my stomach hurts. Come rub it for me."

Then the fumbling click of the call ending.

My heart still ached, out of nowhere.

Barely a few minutes later, his call came again.

This time his tone had turned furious. "Nora, what's the meaning of this? You already agreed to let me take Joanna to the hospital first, so why did you send the relatives away and tell my mother the wedding's canceled?"

"Do you have any idea? My mother tore into me. She yelled at Joanna too."

"You're about to be my wife. Can't you show a little sense?"

On his end, Joanna spoke through her sniffles. "Peter, don't worry about me. Your wife's already angry. Just let me off the car, I'll go to the hospital myself."

"I'm fine, really. Even if I pass out on the side of the road later, I can't hold you up from going to fetch your bride."

Peter got even angrier at once. "Nora, are you set on driving Joanna to her death? The wedding matters, and Joanna doesn't?"

"Hurry up and explain to my mother. The wedding isn't off today, it's just running late. Can't you stop kicking up a fuss and show some sense?"

Even now he was still calling it a fuss. I glanced at the time on my watch. My voice went cold. "Peter, do you know what time it is right now?"

"Why are you asking that?"

Hearing how clueless he sounded, I couldn't hold back the sneer. "It's almost midnight. You're still off taking Joanna to the hospital, so what day exactly do you plan to come fetch me?"

His tone turned guilty in an instant. "Didn't we say even if it's late"

I cut him off. "At first you said ten minutes to take Joanna to buy pads. Then it was buying clothes. Then it was going to the hospital."

"If she needs to be admitted in a bit, are you going to stay in the hospital with her too? Do you actually intend to hold the wedding today? Have you ever once put me in your heart? "

"There were plenty of people in the wedding party. You're telling me not one of them could take her to buy pads, buy clothes, go to the hospital?"

Battered by one question after another, he had nothing to say. In the end he could only manage weakly, "She's not comfortable with other people, I"

"Enough, Peter. Since she's only comfortable with you, then just marry her."

I hung up the moment I finished.

He called again. I blocked the number outright.

Then his message came through.

"Nora, I'm rushing back right now to apologize to you and your parents. It won't take long."

I blocked him again.

Then the car came to a smooth stop. We'd reached the hotel where the reception was being held.

Luke got out to help me down, while over on his end Peter had already turned the car around and was driving toward my home.

But when he got there, he found the front doors shut tight, not a single family member in sight.

He was baffled. Even if I was angry, I should still be waiting at home for his apology now. How could there be no one? And right then his phone rang.

"Peter, I sent you some photos. Take a look at how Nora's marrying somebody else."

He fumbled his messages open, and when he saw the photos his friend had sent, panic seized him at once.