Lipstick on A Pig

Biggest day of your life! Are you excited?” asked Lacy’s mother as she walked into the bridal suite.

Lacy just smiled softly as she sat in the chair getting her makeup done. The suite was buzzing with chatter.

Bridesmaids were steaming dresses, pinning up hair, and gluing eyelashes. The vendors were starting to arrive

at the venue delivering food and flowers and setting up the last minute touches. The energy was electric as

everyone was putting together last minute details in order to make sure everything was perfect. Despite the

detailing and work that had to go on, everyone was still talking and laughing and genuinely seemed to be

enjoying the day. Everything was shaping up to be a truly picture perfect day.

Ryan’s parents had bankrolled the whole thing. Ryan was Lacy’s fiancé and his family was old money

from South Georgia who had gotten success in textile mills. His mother was also involved in some high society

clubs that Lacy did not understand. This gave her future mother in law specific standards about what she

thought the wedding should be like. She had pretty much done everything from venue selection to the cake to

the guest list. Lacy had to admit that her future mother in law did have exquisite taste. She had chosen an old

estate on a couple hundred acres of vineyards for the wedding. There were violinists coming in from Italy and

lobster being imported from New England. The five hundred person guest list consisted of CEOs, athletes, and

the governor of Georgia. Every single detail had been laid out for Lacy’s day. It was every girl’s dream day.

Lacy was two hours away from marrying the dream man and having a dream wedding.

As she was sitting there silently getting her makeup done, Lacy couldn’t help but wince and reflect on

how she had gotten here. Ryan had grown up in Buckhead with a silver spoon in his mouth since before he

could walk. He was a golden child. Ryan was handsome, athletic, and the perfect amount of unserious. He truly

seemed to have not a single worry in the world. Lacey‘s upbringing was only a little different. She was the only

child of a single mother from the Hills of Appalachia. She had grown up in a single wide trailer with a mom

who really wasn’t around much. Lacy had worked since she was fifteen in order to cover the study materials she

needed to ace the SATs in order to be able to afford to go to college. Thankfully she was able to secure a full

ride scholarship to Emory. That is where she had met Ryan. He was majoring in finance and drinking beer.
Lacy was double majoring in political science and journalism. They had met at a mixer at Ryan’s fraternity.

Ryan had joined his frat because he was a triple legacy. Lacy joined her sorority because it offered the cheapest

housing on campus. Despite his frat persona and their staunchly different upbringings, the two really did seem

to be a really good pair. Lacy had grown fond of Ryan’s unseriousness. She felt comfortable with him. She

knew that he would never ever hurt her.

From the outside looking in everyone would say that Lacy had “made it.” She was trailer trash marrying

the golden boy. She would never have to work a day again if she didn’t want to. She should have been

absolutely over the moon, except she wasn’t. Lacy worried if this was the life she really wanted to have for

herself. She had never seen herself being surrounded by all this pomp and circumstance. She had also certainly

NEVER seen herself becoming a trophy wife. She went to college with a dream. She wanted to travel and be a

journalist. She wanted to work as an independent journalist and advocate for women’s rights. However she had

gotten wrapped up in the convenience of it all. When Lacy had told her mom that Ryan had proposed her mom

told her that she was proud of her for the first time in Lacy’s life.

“LACY! Are you here with us? Earth to Lacy.” Lacy’s best friend Emma snapped Lacy out of her

daydreaming. “Huh?” Lacy responded. “Guests are arriving. You need to get your dress on and get ready to line

up. This is getting exciting!!!” Lacy smiled and did as she was told. She got into her custom Vera Wang gown

and put in her Tiffany earrings. She looked at herself in the mirror and did not even know who she was looking

at. “Lipstick on a pig.” She mumbled to herself and giggled. “What was that Lace?” asked Lacy’s mom. “Oh…

nothing. Are we ready to go?” asked Lacy. “Yes, we’re lining up now.”

Lacy walked downstairs from the bridal suite as the rest of her wedding party was finishing lining up.

When she appeared they all began to whistle and quietly cheer so the guests outside could not hear the

commotion. While this was happening Lacy felt grateful for the old tradition of the groom and bride not seeing

each other before the ceremony, because the thought of seeing Ryan made her sick. She had felt that way for

weeks now but she just thought it was the stress of the wedding and that it would all fade away once she started

down the aisle.

bridesmaids hugged Lacy one last time and took their places. The music began and two at a time the wedding

party walked down the aisle. Lacy had opted to walk herself down the aisle. She had never known her father

and it felt awkward for her mother to do it. She felt like she had always been her own person to rely on so she

felt like walking into marriage shouldn’t be any different. This meant that for about sixty seconds Lacy had to

stand behind those closed doors completely alone. “Just breathe Lacy. It will all be over soon” she said to

herself. She heard the clock above her ticking with every second. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. She felt her pulse

quicken. “It will all be over soon.” she kept saying to herself. From inside Lacy heard the wedding guests chairs

scoot which meant that they were standing in preparation for her big reveal. She heard the violinists change

their tune to her song. “Five seconds Lacy. 4….3….2…1…”

The doors opened and revealed five hundred pairs of eyes gazing on Lacy. She started to take her first

couple of steps when suddenly she felt her body freeze. Ryan was only twenty feet from her at the altar and to

Lacy it felt like twenty miles. Lacy could not move. Everyone, including Ryan, looked at her confused. Lacy

felt frozen and like she was going to faint. She thought back to what had led her here. She thought of her plans

and everything she wanted for herself. She thought of the tiny studio apartment in NYC she dreamt of coming

home to when she wasn't on assignments. THAT was her dream. Now she is standing in Georgia in a gown she

did not choose at a wedding she did not want with five hundred people staring at her. All these thoughts were

rushing through her mind when all of a sudden Lacy found herself running. Before anyone knew what had

happened Lacy had run back inside and all the way through the house to the front and gotten into her car. She

put the keys in the ignition and started the engine. Her dress was half hanging out the car when she sped down

the pebble path out of the driveway. She looked back in her rear view and saw Ryan and her mother standing

there. She wanted to feel badly but she couldn’t because as she was leaving it felt like she was finally breathing.