Only she remembered what happened on her wedding day. There was another person involved, but he died in a recent workplace accident, leaving her the only one with knowledge of the rendezvous. Given the special day, it might have been impossible to reconcile her role in the innocent happening

Writing it down in her journal to give her a sense of release, Barb told everything and spared no detail. Even now, years later, she flushed as the torrent of sensations flooded her again. His smell… His body heat… The feel of his hands all over her in the dark closet… She thought it was her new husband. But no.


***


“I need to use the facilities,” Barb said. “I expect a dance when I come back. A fast one. Not just a slow dance or two.”

Ronnie hated dancing. But this being his wedding, he would not deprive his bride. “Of course, dearest,” he said. “Hurry back, I can’t wait.”

Thick sarcasm tainted his reply. Disregarding his fake enthusiasm, Barb rose from the table, blew him a kiss, and batted her eyes. The love in her heart for him matched his. Friends and family alike saw the perfection in their pairing. If the idea of soulmates held any validity, these two exemplified it.

Rounding a corner and nearing the women’s room, she spotted a familiar lower leg and shoe disappear in the cloak room. How did he get ahead of her so fast without her catching him? She slipped into the darkened room and found him among the hanging garments.

“You just couldn’t wait until later, huh?” she asked. Her whispered voice dripped with alluring undertones.

Grabbing hold of him, she pulled his face towards hers and engulfed him in a kiss. The heat from their bodies merged into one flaming ball, threatening to ignite the room full of jackets. Hands explored each other’s anatomy. The kiss continued as she wrapped one leg around him.

A strange thing happened as she ran her hand down his back. While he caressed her curves with eager hands, hers found unfamiliar terrain. Ronnie’s hairy lower back had become smooth. Bare skin met her touch, and she froze in panic.

The couple parted with a sudden urgency. Darkness reigned, preventing the two from seeing with absolute clarity. They both understood that the other was not the person they expected.

“Sherry?” he said.

“Ronnie?” she said.

“Crap,” he said. “It’s me, Mike. I work with—”

“I know who you are, Mike,” Barb said. “And I’m not Sherry. It’s me, Barb.”

“Oh shit!” he said.

“Oh shit is right.” She pressed her wedding gown back down into place, trying to compose herself. “Listen to me. Ronnie can never find out. No one can.”

Mike grunted his agreement.

Barb went on, “I am going to step out of this closet and go to the restroom. Give it a solid minute, then go back to your table.” She hesitated and thought a little more. “No, go to the bar and order a drink, drink it, and wait until I come back. Then you go to the men’s room. We need to pile on a few occurrences to make it so nobody can ever think we were off together.”

“It was an honest mistake,” Mike said. “I thought you were Sherry. She’s been chasing me all night. I only came in here because she headed this way, and I wanted to keep my distance.”

Barb huffed. “Keep your distance? If you thought I was Sherry and you were trying to keep your distance from her, why the hell were you so… thorough in your groping? Jesus, I thought we were about to—”

“I know. I torture myself with her. One minute I hate her, the next I want her. … It’s complicated.”

“Whatever,” Barb said. “Do this as a favor to me and never tell a soul. … Yes, we made an honest mistake, but if Ronnie were to find out… Please tell me you will keep it a secret.”

“Of course. You think I want my boss to know I almost did it with his new wife? On their wedding day, no less?”

“So, we’re agreed?”

Mike nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I will never tell a living soul, on my honor.”

“Good,” Barb said as she darted out into the hallway.


***


Years rolled by, and Ronnie never got wise. There had been a few awkward social encounters at various gatherings; however, both parties remained silent. Barb found excuses to avoid Ronnie’s work events, knowing Mike would be there.

Barb kept this secret locked in the vault, as did Mike. After he died, she became the last with any knowledge of the situation. And no one else would ever find out, at least, not during her lifetime. Maybe someday, her progeny would come across her journal and learn the story of her encounter with Mike amidst the jackets.

A wise person once said to tell the truth to everyone whenever you can. She took this life lesson to heart and tried to live by it. In all other aspects of her life, she followed this mantra. Her near-fling in the cloakroom existed as a category of its own.

One reason this event stood out as an aberration in her otherwise virtuous life was that it happened on her wedding day. More than that, she felt something deeper when Mike touched her. Something she could never admit to Ronnie. Something she struggled to admit to herself. An attraction erupted into existence in that moment, which failed to fade away.

Even now, after Mike’s sudden death, she hesitated to come clean. Ronnie knew her too well. If she opened up and told all, he would see through her attempt to make it sound unimportant and forgettable, more than a simple accident. He would see something hidden.

She finished the journal entry and read it. The words made it clear that something more lay trapped in her soul. Though they spoke of her battle to suppress these unwanted feelings for Mike with the aid of her undying love for Ronnie, it was clear there was something else.

Would her kids or grandkids understand the innocence of it? Would they read between the lines and find the buried emotion in her writing? The more she thought about it, the more it became evident; sharing this story from her past provided nothing of value to those close to her.

She tore the pages out of the book and put them through the shredder. She would bear this burden alone and never tell anyone. Some things are better left unsaid.