Although weddings are meant to be joyful occasions, I felt queasy as I watched Shanize walk up to the altar. There was an unease that I was unable to ignore. I was stunned to discover the reality when I eventually moved forward to raise her garment.

Dave and I go back more than thirty years. Together, we experienced awkward adolescence, laughed through secrets, and grew up. I was really happy for him when he told me he was getting married to Shanize—this graceful, beautiful woman he met a year ago.

To be honest, I never thought that anyone could bring him to heel, but here we were, the day of his nuptials.

The wedding was flawless, almost too flawless. Shanize’s long white dress flowed down the aisle, giving the impression that she had just stepped out of a bridal magazine. Something wasn’t right; I should have been lost in the beauty of it all.

I initially assumed it was simply nerves. I mean, weddings are stressful, right? But I watched Shanize walking strangely as she took one stride, then another. It was hardly the elegant, self-assured bride’s stroll you might imagine. Her gait was uncertain and tiny, almost like she was tripping.

“She’s gliding!” a man with a humorous voice murmured behind me. That comment struck me as really cold. Once more, I leaned in near Heather, speaking no louder than a whisper. “Have you heard that? Soaring? That’s precisely it. She isn’t walking correctly.”

With her patience wearing thin, Heather said, “Janice, for God’s sake.” “Dave will be embarrassed by you. Give up behaving this way!”

I couldn’t stop, though. I peered at Shanize’s feet as she got closer, trying to make sense of it. Her garment flowed in an unusual way. It was more than I could handle. Before my thoughts could react, my body began to move.

I said, “I have to check,” and moved forward. As I pushed passed Heather and fixed my gaze on the bride, I heard her loud gasp.

“Janice!” Behind me, Heather growled, her voice tense with fear. However, it was already too late. I had already arrived.

My hands trembled as I reached out, and my heart was racing. As I bent over and raised Shanize’s gown’s hem a few inches, time seemed to stop. I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting to see, maybe a wardrobe malfunction or something with her shoes. However, what I discovered defied reason.

There was a startled quiet throughout the congregation.

My thoughts briefly stopped working since there was something startling and inappropriate hidden beneath the exquisite white robe. Shoes for men. Big, elegant men’s shoes.

I blinked, thinking I was seeing things. When I looked up, nobody was moving. Nobody was breathing. This lady, Shanize, did not respond, but I did. I took a deeper bow and peered in. The fabric of the suit pants caught my eye and was partially covered by the dress, which made my stomach turn. My gaze then quickly shot up to the face.

That’s when I became aware.

Shanize was not this.

A man was there. A man wearing a wig and a veil that obscured most of his features, but from up close I could see the real thing. My throat became parched. I looked up into Dave’s eyes, my hands quivering at my sides.

“Janice…?” Dave watched me, his voice wavering, his happiness disintegrating into confusion. “What’s going on?”

I had no idea how to respond to him.

Nobody moved for a little while. Everybody in the church was staring at the man dressed as the bride at the altar with their mouths open and their eyes fixed on him. What I had discovered weighed so much that it felt like a bomb about to go off.

Dave’s pale face and wide eyes darted between the bewildered visitors, the man wearing the wedding attire, and myself. Backward, he stumbled and almost tripped over his own feet.

“What? “What in the world is this?” Thick with incredulity, his voice cracked.

The visitors began to murmur, their voices filling the space like a swarm of bees.

A smirk stretched over the man’s face as he stood upright, dressed like the pretend Shanize. He removed the veil from his head slowly and deliberately, allowing it to fall to the floor. Next, with a flourish, the wig came off to expose short dark hair. With the metamorphosis complete, there was a flurry of puzzled conversation in the church.

He exclaimed, “Surprise,” with a smug sense of delight in his voice. “You didn’t even notice, did you?”

Dave opened and closed his jaws like a fish out of water as he blinked. He asked, his voice scarcely coherent, “Where’s Shanize?” “Where is she?!”

The man, who was Dave’s closest friend, laughed and shook his head. Dave, she’s not with us anymore. departed a few days ago. Don’t worry, though; she was aware of this. It was she who requested that I do it.”

There were more and more whispers in the church, and I could hear people shifting in their pews. I was paralyzed as I stood there, unable to comprehend what I was hearing. Had Shanize, Dave’s best friend, who was standing there wearing her wedding gown, been in on this as well?

A mixture of surprise and wrath twisted Dave’s face. “What on earth are you discussing? How did you handle her?” With his fists clenched, he stepped forward, his voice rising in panic. “Where is she?!”

The best man’s eyes glinted with triumph, but he held up a hand to indicate calm. “Alright, she’s secure. Remain calm. But Dave, she wanted you to experience this moment. She desired for you to understand what blindsidedness feels like.”

Dave became even more perplexed. “What are you talking about?”

The best man grinned, but it wasn’t a warm, fuzzy smile that extended to his eyes. Dave, she found out. regarding Vanessa and you.” His comments were so full of hate that his voice trailed off to almost a whisper. “The bridesmaid you have been secretly seeing? Shanize was aware.

The room lost its air. Dave’s eyes were wide with terror, his face devoid of color. “No, that isn’t… That is untrue.

“Oh, but it is,” the best man cut in, his voice harsh. She became aware of it a few days ago. She had the option to call off the wedding, but what would be the pleasure in that? No, she was trying to make sure that your true self was seen by all.”

My knees started to get weak, so I grabbed the back of a pew for stability. My thoughts were racing. Dave? Using a bridesmaid as a means of cheating on Shanize? I cast a quick peek toward Vanessa, who was seated a few seats away. She couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes as she glanced at the floor, her hands shaking and her face looking pale.

Dave furiously shook his head. “No, no, this isn’t happening.”

However, the best man moved forward, his voice growing louder as he said. “Dave, this is truly occurring! You turned on her! You’re paying the price today that you wasted your opportunity at happiness on a quick hookup.”

Chaos ensued in the room. In an attempt to piece together what had just transpired, guests were shouting questions at one another and talking over one another. While some stood prepared to leave, others gaped in shock at the man wearing the bridal attire who was still standing tall at the altar.

Dave gazed at me as though I might save him from this nightmare, his eyes wild with dread. “Janice,” he gasped and extended his hand to touch me. “Please, you must have my faith. This is not how it appears to be.”

I returned his gaze, heart pounding. “Dave… what have you done?”

The best man’s icy words pierced the atmosphere like a knife as the congregation became silent once more. “Dave, this is your punishment. due to your treatment of her.”

Then he pivoted on his heel, leaving Dave standing there by himself, completely broken, exposed, and devastated.