Life changes
Whether we notice or not
When I think back to the early days of our marriage, many things have since changed. We had a long distance engagement, close to two years long. When I think of it now, it’s amazing that we made it to the wedding. But we did and I’ve never looked back.
I had never been close to any of my siblings and I felt quite alone that day, and spent the last half hour before the ceremony alone. Two of my sisters had flat out said they didn’t want to be in my wedding, which was a blow. I ordered invitations for our small ceremony. The wedding day itself, I was alone in preparing to get married. The florist did her job, the photographer showed up as expected, the cake maker brought our beautiful cake. All of these arrangements had been made by me, on my own. I knew of a seamstress to whom I took the fabric and lace for making my dress, and I also took my mom to be measured for her dress, as well as my best friend and my one sister who was happy to be in my wedding. I found a hat and slippers. I paid for everything myself. Our family has never been good at communication, to say the least. By this time, I wasn’t sure how I would cover the rest of the costs, and lived in a continuous state of anxiety. Then my father and I had a big run-in, ending with my face getting slapped. I cried most of the night. The next day, I called my then-fiancé, and told him that I thought we should just elope. There seemed so little point in trying to have a wedding of any kind; it certainly wouldn’t be the typical happy event. He calmed me down but we really decided nothing.
In short, my father came through somehow, and we got married. We had a simple reception. Neither of the two sisters who’d opted out of our wedding party spoke to me. The next day, we drove to my now in-laws home and within a couple of days, we jetted off to our short honeymoon. A few weeks later, we set off to drive to our new home, where my husband would undergo training in the armor branch. We did stop briefly at my parents, where one uninterested sister behaved as usual, ignoring us, and the other was nowhere to be seen.
We drove to Fort Knox where my husband had to attend the basic course for his branch (armor). Besides being happy to be with my husband, I have fond memories of feeling free to no longer being treated like a child. To have our own place (even as pitiful as it was). The closest little town to Fort Knox was Radcliff, and there was nothing we could find. The next town was Elizabethtown, which meant a good thirty minute commute. A friend also lived in the same ratty complex so thy often carpooled, allowing me to use my brand new husband's beautiful Celica Supra. This was the beginning of a glorious time. He and I and many new friends.