The woman on the back row sat silently, trying to control her trembling lips and shaking hands. She prayed that no one had noticed her enter the church. They would surely wonder who this uninvited stranger might be.

The music began; the bride was making her way down the aisle. Oh! Lilly looked so beautiful dressed in snow-white bridal lace. She smiled lovingly at her father as he escorted her toward the alter. Her mother sat on the front row seat, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

Rose petals drifted from high above as the groom reached to take the bride’s hand. The glow of love filled their eyes as they began to speak their vows. Lilly looked so very happy.

The woman’s heart began to flutter—- someone had turned and taken notice of her. She ran from the church to compose herself, then hid behind a trellis of cascading flowers. After what seemed like an eternity, the church doors flew open and the newly married couple exited amid rose petals, rice and laughter.

It was at that moment that she realized the time had come to walk away. She had to put the past behind her. For more than twenty years she had watched from a distance, but Lilly was a happy woman now and she knew that she must somehow find peace for herself. The cloud of guilt that had loomed over her for years began to lift—she knew she had made the right choice after all.

As the bride and groom were seated in the limousine and the doors began to close, she stepped forth from her hiding place. She blended into the crowd of friends and family and watched as the couple drove away into the distance. She threw a kiss and then waved a final goodbye to the daughter that she had given away at birth. Now, hopefully, she could forgive herself.

Copyright © 2005 Barbara Cagle Ray