Free The Wedding Caper by Janice Thompson Page A

moment I
wondered if, perhaps, she had morphed into the role of mother, and I, the
child.
    “Sure I
did.” I offered up a retort. “You love the white china with the silver trim.
Round, not squared.” How’s that for not paying attention?
    She
cleared her throat as she lifted a beautiful square plate in front of me. The
wide black trim offset its deep ivory color.
    “Wow.
That’s pretty.”
    I didn’t
think it was possible for the wrinkles between her eyes to deepen, but lo and
behold if they didn’t.
    “I’m
getting worried about you, Mom.” At this point her voice dropped to a concerned
whisper. “We all are.”
    All?
Who’s all? “Oh?” I tried to act natural, in the hopes that she would change the
direction of the conversation. In the way of a diversion, I reached for an
elegant crystal goblet and lifted it for her approval. “What do you think of
this one?”
    She shook
her head and her lips tightened. Uh oh.
    “The same
thing I thought the last time you asked me. I think it’s awful. Gaudy. And
Scott would never go for it. He likes the modern look. We both do.”
    “Right. I
knew that.” I placed the goblet down and flashed a smile that would’ve dazzled
Hollywood paparazzi.
    The words
from yesterday’s lesson came back to me in a flash: In order to better hone in
on clues, an investigator has to focus on his or her listening skills. I stared
into my daughter’s troubled eyes and had to conclude. .
. she was giving me plenty of clues with the wide-eyed stares. And they weren’t
pleasant ones.
    With new
resolve, I turned my attentions to listening to her needs. This was her day. I
shifted my mind—away from suspects, clues and other such
distractions—and toward the beautiful daughter standing in front of me.
She needed me. And I needed to get with the program. Pronto.
    Together,
we picked out silverware—technically flatware, since she opted not to go
with real silver. She chose a simple but elegant pattern that looked terrific
with her new dishes.
    From
there we moved on to linens. I bit my tongue as she pored over the various
patterns and textures and offered up a smile when she settled on “the perfect
one.” Should I tell her that satin sheets aren’t really practical over the long
haul? Tell her my own honeymoon story about wearing a satin nightgown in a bed
with satin sheets—how the combination had nearly proven deadly? Nah.
    After
that, we headed to the bath department to select floor mats and towels. Purple?
She’s doing her bathroom in purple? I had to laugh. Internally,
of course. As a new bride, I’d chosen brown and gold. Very
trendy—back in the day.
    Of
course, a lot of things had changed since then. When Warren and I married, we
registered for china and crystal. That was about it. These new-fangled brides
registered for everything imaginable. Want to buy the lovely couple a wall
clock? Simple! You’ll find one listed on page three of their registry. What
about kitchen towels or pot holders ? You’ll find several
options on page five. Thinking about picking up a toothbrush holder for the
master bath? Why stop there when you can buy a matching tissue-paper holder and
soap dish? See page eleven of the registry for details.
    Yep, you
could register for just about everything these days. Heaven help the poor
wedding guest who purchased the happy couple a set of bath towels without
checking the list for the appropriate style and color. I shuddered, just
thinking about it.
    Ah well.
Brandi and I did have fun making the selections. In fact, by the time all was
said and done, I’d joined right in as if the presents would eventually be
floating my way instead of my daughter’s.
    We
finished out our “Saturday Shopping Spree” with a trip to a nearby pizza
parlor, where we nibbled on Alfredo pizza, a favorite for both of us. I let her
ramble on and on about the wedding, and enjoyed sitting in silence. . . just listening. Perhaps that’s all she really needed from me