TICKLISH
By Amy Lamare
Sarah twirled effortlessly around the dance floor, the skirt of her ivory bridal gown billowing around her. She threw her head back and laughed, deeply, completely-all who watched her felt the lightness of her heart, the absolute rightness of the decision she had made that day in front of God and her loved ones. She stopped twirling and faced her new husband. Their eyes met and her smile grew brighter and was reflected in his eyes. Suddenly self-conscious, Sarah and Ryan looked around the room, saw all the eyes on them and dissolved into giggles. The guests started clinking the sides of their wineglasses with their spoons-a tradition that urges the bride and groom to kiss.
Sarah and Ryan obliged their guests and continued giggling.
“I’m so happy, so incredibly, completely happy,” Sarah said.
“So I am, SarBear. God, I love you.”
The bride and groom engaged in a kiss that had nothing to do with tradition.
He smoothed his salt and pepper hair as he exited his nondescript rental car with a left hand noticeably devoid of a wedding band. Not that a tan line could be seen, but the hand, the very man, suggested its absence was felt. He leaned into the backseat and withdrew an elaborately wrapped wedding gift. With a look over his shoulder, he slammed the car door and strode across the country club parking lot toward the clubhouse.
Sarah and Ryan stood at the cake table. They eyed one another suspiciously.
“I swear Ryan Mackenzie, if you so much as smoosh an ounce of cake on my face, I’ll…I’ll”
“You’ll what, darling?” He asked, his voice trying to sound menacing while controlling his laughter. “Divorce me?”
“Don’t tempt me honey,” she said barely keeping her smile from breaking through her threat.
The newlyweds picked up the cake knife and, after waiting for the photographer to snap several photos, turned and cut their wedding cake together. Sarah took control of the piece first and carefully and neatly fed a bite to her husband. She smiled sweetly and looked over her shoulder at her maid of honor Beth. Ryan picked up the cake and as Sarah turned back to look at him was met full on with whipped icing and cake across her right cheek.
She stared at Ryan, stunned, for a split second before fire raged in her eyes.
“Oh, oh, oh. This is…this is WAR!” She shouted as she dug both hands into the cake and covered Ryan from eyebrow to chin in icing and chocolate cake. The best man pulled her away as she reached for the chocolate syrup.
Ryan was stunned and Sarah was struggling against her captor, but as soon as their eyes met, they dissolved into hysterical laughter with the rest of the guests. It was a video perfect moment, provided the videographer was far enough away to not get splattered with cake himself. The bride and groom kissed and ate cake-off one another’s faces.
He turned heads as he strode into the lobby of the clubhouse. He asked where he could find the Saunders-Mackenzie wedding and was met with a blushing sixty-year old woman’s stammered reply. He had magnetism in spades and he was well aware of it.
Sarah was whisked off to the ladies room by Beth to clean up her cake-laden face. Trevor, Ryan’s best man, handed him a napkin. Ryan wiped his face roughly-a stark contrast to the delicate ministrations that were going on in the ladies room.
“I hope the cake was good.” Ryan turned to see who had spoken and was greeted by the magnetic stranger.
“Yes, it was. Very good. Chocolate…”
“Ah, Sarah’s favorite.” He said and walked away. Ryan shrugged and dismissed the strange exchange with hardly a thought, the day was teeming with weird relatives he’d never met.
Sarah and Beth finished reapplying Sarah’s makeup and were ready to rejoin the party.
“Hold on Sar, you’ve got some frosting in a curl.” Beth pulled on one long, auburn curl, removing the offending frosting from it.
“Thanks Beth.” Sarah sighed. “Today has been perfect. Completely, utterly perfect and I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Beth was choked up by Sarah’s remarks.
“Oh, Sarah, I’m so happy for you. I love you.”
“Thank you. I love you too.”
The two women hugged, wiped the tears from their eyes and left the restroom to rejoin the reception.
“Where is my wife?” Ryan bellowed through the microphone as Sarah and Beth exited the ladies room. “Oh, there she is.” He cocked a finger at her in a “come here” manner. “Mrs. Mackenzie, your presence is required on the dance floor. This song is for you.”
Sarah walked to the dance floor as fast as her voluminous skirt allowed as the opening notes of “Come Rain or Come Shine” start to play. Ryan began to sing.
“I’m gonna love you like nobody’s loved you, come rain or come shine.”
Sarah was overwhelmed. Her eyes filled with tears and she smiled bittersweetly, remembering the first time they danced to this song. Ryan continued as Sarah manuvered though the throng of guests ringing the dance floor.
“High as a mountian, deep as a river, come rain or come shine…”
Sarah finally reached the dance floor. Ryan dipped her, kissed her, and brought her upright in time to catch the next line.
“And I guess when you met me, it was just one of those things…” Ryan hammed up the line.
Sarah rolled her eyes for the benefit of their guests.
“But don’t ever bet me, cause I’m gonna be true if you let me.”
Sarah leaned in and kissed her groom. She brushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead. She was so visibly happy it made the hearts of all who watched her swell with joy. Ryan leaned away from her and brought the microphone to his mouth.
“You’re gonna love me, like nobody’s loved me, come rain or come shine.”
Sarah, and all their guests, nodded affirmatively.
“Happy together, unhappy together and won’t it be fine. Days may be cloudy or sunny…” He held the microphone out to Sarah, who grabbed it and sang the harmony…off-key.
“Sunny…”
“We’re in or we’re out of the money…”
“Money…”
“But I’m gonna love you…I’ll always love you…come rain or come shine.”
Ryan dropped the microphone, grabbed Sarah and kissed her deeply. Their guests applauded. The D.J. played a ballad and the bride and groom danced, unaware that anyone else in the world existed. Other couples joined them on the dance floor, trying to remember a time when they were as in love as Sarah and Ryan.
“When do you think we can make our getaway and get on with our wedding night?” Ryan asked with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
“Not until I’ve milked this day for every last drop of brideliness. It makes all the stress of the last eight months well worth it.”
“O.K. SarBear. Can we maybe escape into a dark corner for a quickie?”
Sarah laughed and punched him playfully. “I’d like to see you try and find me under all this fabric,” she said as she held out one side of her huge skirt.
They continued their dance, enjoying their moment and reveling in the perfection of it.
“WHAT are you doing here?” Ryan heard his mother-in-law hiss from a few feet away. He turned to see who the object of Annemarie Saunders’ venom was and locked eyes with the magnetic stranger.
“You couldn’t expect me to pass up my daughter’s wedding, could you?”
“She’s not your daughter…” She said as he strode purposefully toward the dance floor.
He tapped Ryan on the shoulder.
“Excuse me, may I cut in?” He did not wait for a reply and Ryan watched as Sarah’s face went deathly white.
Annemarie pulled Ryan away.
“Hello Sarah.”
Sarah’s eyes met his and all the happiness she’d felt that day turned instantly into malice. Their eyes stayed locked for a split second and she stalked away. He started to follow her and was stopped by Ryan on one side and Sarah’s mother Annemarie on the other.
“Stop right there George.” Annemarie pulled on him as he tried to walk forward. “You will leave her alone.”
“You’re wrong, Annemarie. I will speak to her.” He pulled himself free and walked towards Sarah.
Ryan looked at Annemarie. “I’ve got to go see if she’s OK.”
“Give them a minute. Then go to her.” Annemarie said, never taking her eyes off her ex-husband’s back. “He’s a son of a bitch but he was her father for twelve years.”
“Excuse me? What about Mr. Saunders, er, I mean Bill?” Ryan looked absolutely confused.
Annemarie suddenly realized Ryan had no idea who George was. She laughed nervously.
“That’s my ex-husband George, Sarah’s step-father. Pretty much the only father she knew while Bill was stationed in Japan for fifteen years. We haven’t seen hide nor hair of George since we divorced when Sarah was sixteen.”
“Stay away from me.” Sarah said as George neared her refuge out on the golf course.
“Sarah. Sarah my love. But I haven’t seen you in, what, fourteen years?”
“It could be fourteen centuries and it would be too soon to see you again, you sick bastard.”
George caught up with Sarah and grabbed her by the arm with such force she was unable to stop the momentum of her body turning to face him. He smiled at her. Leeringly.
“You look beautiful. My God. You’ve grown into a lovely woman.”
“Fuck you.” She spat in his face and walked away. “Keep cool. Keep cool. He does not have any power over you anymore,” she chanted under her breath as she moved as fast as her gown would allow across the dewy grass of the second green.
George watched her figure from behind appreciatively for a moment before starting after her. Suddenly, Sarah stopped and whirled around. Strength had replaced the fear and malice in her eyes.
“How dare you. How dare you have the audacity to come here. It is my wedding day. Mine. My day. And I cannot believe for a second that you were not aware that I would want nothing to do with you on this day or any other day for the rest of my life.”
The corners of George’s mouth curled in a repressed smile.
“Don’t look at me like that you smug, sick, son of a bitch. You have no right…”
“Don’t I, though?” He said, voice dripping with innuendo.
Sarah just looked at him. She could not believe her ears.
“What the fuck do you mean?” She barely contained her fury.
He waited a pregnant moment before responding.
“Being your first, and all…”
“Go to hell. You sick fuck. You still have no idea, no fucking clue…I was four years old. Four!”
“You liked it. Don’t you remember?”
“Fuck you. What’s to remember? How my step-father, my beloved step father, molested me? What a happy family memory that is.”
“Don’t you remember?” He asked a little more loudly.
“Yeah I remember. I remember that you were oh so kind as to wait until I was eight to penetrate me for the first time. You were what? Forty years old and I was eight. Nice. Nice happy family.”
Sarah started walking back towards the clubhouse, her rage evident in the swing of her skirt. George’s next words stop her in her tracks.
“Don’t you remember what we used to call it? What you used to call it?”
Sarah’s posture slumped with defeat and acquiescence.
In the distance Sarah saw Ryan through the windows. He was talking to a friend from college and he kept looking out at the golf course right towards Sarah as if he could see her out there battling the demons of her past.
“You used to ask me for it Sarah. Don’t you remember?” George said with a mean vein throbbing in his forehead.
“Tickle me.” Her voice was small, quiet, like that of an eight-year old.
He smiled in the darkness. “Yes you were very ticklish. I wonder if you still are?”
Sarah’s back stiffened. You could feel, rather than see, every hair on her body stand on end. George walked closer to her, murmuring the whole way.
“Don’t you remember? You used to beg me for it. Tickle me Georgie.”
He walked closer. Sarah was rooted to the ground. Her eyes had a far-away, dead look in them.
“When you were ten you were especially smitten with me. Do you remember?”
She could feel his hot breath on her neck. Still she did not move. She seemed to diminish in his presence.
“Tickle me with your tongue Georgie, you used to say. Yes you were particularly fond of me going down on you that year. We did it every morning after your mom went to work and before you went to school, if I remember correctly.”
He paused for a moment. “And I wonder, little Sarah, if you still taste as sweet.”
Suddenly Sarah came screaming back to life. She whirled around and slapped him hard across his left cheek.
“You will never find out. Never. And you will not ruin my day, let alone my life, you prick. Oh, I’ll give you credit, you certainly tried to. Tried with all your might, day in and day out-or I should probably just say in and out in and out for twelve years. Well I’ve got news for you, you sad, sad, little man—you didn’t ruin me, and you won’t ruin my wedding day, valiant effort though you’ve given it.”
Ryan exited the building in the distance.
“Sarah!”
Sarah looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. She turned back to George and the malice returned to her eyes.
Ryan spotted them and started to run across the golf course toward them.
“So you can take your sick self and get the fuck off my turf and out of my life. You are not wanted, you never were. You played on, you preyed on, the innocence of a child…well you destroyed that innocence and I will not let you destroy my happiness.”
George was furious. “You little cunt. You loved the way I fucked you. Loved it. And you ruined my life when you opened your mouth-that sweet mouth that should’ve remained wrapped around my cock…”
Ryan reached them and heard their exchange. He looked from Sarah to George in disbelief.
“What the…?”
George looked at Ryan and a snarl transformed his handsome face into the predator that Sarah knew him to be.
“Didn’t you ever wonder? Didn’t you ever wonder how she got to be so good? How she got to be so professional, sucking and blowing, working your cock into a frenzy…”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed in revulsion as he looked from Sarah to George and back again. A strangled cry escaped her mouth. George smiled in satisfaction and continued.
“Yes she was an eager student, our little Sarah…”
Ryan snapped and laid George flat with a right hook.
“You sick son of a bitch, stay away from her, stay away from us, stay out of our lives!”
Sarah stood a few feet away, shaking with the fear that the revulsion she saw moments before in her husband’s eyes was directed at her.
Sarah looked at George who sat on the ground rubbing his jaw. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper.
“I never told her. Mom. I never told her a thing. She left you because she knew you were fucking someone else, she didn’t know it was me. And I was just so damn relieved to be away from you, I swore to myself I would never tell her, never see in her eyes what I just saw in Ryan’s.”
George looked at her in disbelief. Sarah continued.
“So even though you ruined my childhood, even though you tried to ruin my life, even though I hate you with an unbelievably burning intensity, I could not bring myself to ruin your life the way you ruined mine. And though you destroyed me and it took me years to rebuild, and then you came here tonight and destroyed the man I love’s opinion of me, I still cannot ruin you, and that, dear Georgie, is what makes me better than you. And that is how I will survive.”
Sarah turned and strode away. Ryan and George looked at one another for a moment before something snapped in Ryan’s mind and he tore off after Sarah.
“Sarah! Sarah wait!”
Copyright 2008 Amy Lamare. All Rights Reserved.
Ticklish by Amy Lamare is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.amylamare.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.amylamare.com.
