Double Wedding

I was about to marry my childhood sweetheart Paula Rother. I loved her and she loved me but it hadn't been straightforward. After school she went to Manchester University while I went to work at a local accountants as a lowly paid junior clerk. She said we where inseparable but during the two years she was away she met Graham. I was heart broken and knew I was beaten. He was incredibly bright, handsome, popular and with wealthy parents. Apparently everything he did was successful and predictably he left university with a 2.1 in law and a certain future. I on the other hand was unskilled, of slight build, quite and shy, an orphan with an unsure future. The only marked difference being that Graham was an arrogant ruthless bastard whilst I was not. Despite his charm and obvious assets it hurt me to think of Paula with him.

After University they came back to our hometown and lived together with her parents with the intention of marrying. Her mother was made up. Now her beautiful daughter had met a man worthy of her affections. I always knew she viewed me as unsuitable. Six months home and they had both secured good jobs in the city at the same prestigious law firm and announced they where to wed. They organised a lavish engagement party and he bought her a beautiful sparkling diamond ring. I was incredibly jealous yet I had a suspicion that Paula was not happy. On the surface they seemed an idyllic couple, loving and caring but underneath I could see cracks forming with the relationship. I knew her well and sensed all was not right.

I took my chance and homed in. She saw me secretly and told me about her mothers ambitious wedding plans, how she hated the idea of a church wedding and that her mother intended to see her wed in her old wedding dress but I didn't care as when we where together it was as if we had never split. She complained about Graham a lot. He apparently (surprise) was rude, arrogant, selfish, scruffy and impolite. None of which I was and she missed it yet I couldn't seem to persuade her to change her mind.