Because my fiancé had planned a trip with his ex, I booked my own vacation for that same time. The next moment changed my life, especially my choice in walking down the aisle with the wrong man.
I am Tessa and about three weeks ago, I was certain I knew exactly what would happen next in my life. I was 35 and my dream ring was about to go on my finger as I got married. I spent eight months organizing the wedding and it didn’t bother me.
When I was a little girl playing with my mom’s old bridesmaid outfits, I dreamed of this day. Jared and I met for the first time about two years ago at a party to celebrate a mutual friend’s new home. I was trying to open an especially difficult wine bottle in the kitchen when a handsome guy with nice brown eyes joined me beside me.
"Let me help you!" He showed his brightest smile as he asked the question.
"As long as you promise not to think any less of me for not doing adult tasks easily,” I told her with a smile.
He pulled out the bottle and opened it easily and then he poured us each some wine.
"To the difficulties of daily living as an adult," he said, raising his glass. "It is something unique to humans."
We discussed our different careers, families and common interests for most of the night. There was a powerful and immediate energy between us.
At the end of that night, we had each other’s numbers and had arranged to eat together the coming weekend.
Being with Jared felt like things just happened that way.
At the time, he was a marketing director at a tech company, always had something funny to say and made me feel like I was his first priority. Both of us cared about the same things, found each other funny and could chat for hours about almost anything.
Booking the venue, trying on wedding dresses and deciding who to invite happened all in a short period. Many of my friends said that wedding stress could bring out the worst in couples, but Jared and I did not feel its effects.
We easily decided things together, helped each other out when things got crazy and got even closer while planning.
The wedding was perfectly wonderful. I had secured the place, ordered my flowers and the dress was inside my closet ready for the wedding.
Something changed about a week before the wedding. At first, I thought what Jared did in the run-up to our wedding was just standard stress from the big day.
When talking to him, he looked slightly absent-minded, checked his phone several times and was defensive about going on his bachelor trip. I told myself over and over, “Stress from getting married is making people do unusual things.” I heard that same thing from a lot of different sources.
Hype claimed that his bachelor trip was meant to be a quiet trip with just two friends. No drama. Going for a hike and having some beers in a mountain setting.
I also threw in a packed full of his favorite trail mix and energy bars.
Three days ahead of his flight, I was at the mall grabbing some skincare samples and purchasing a gift for his mother. That was when my life spun out of control. Dylan, who was one of Jared’s groomsmen, was at the spot where I was waiting.
"Hello, Tessa!" Dylan shouted something out, then came racing over with bags of stuff. It must take a cool person to react like this when things end.
“The what?”
He chuckled as if I told a funny joke. "The group feels it’s time to take some closure. My girlfriend has always said no to me doing a trip with my ex until we are married. I want to thank you for being open-minded about it.” There wasn’t a real earthquake, but it felt like there was. Every little noise in the mall seemed to disappear as his words entered my mind.
His ex-girlfriend was going on a trip with him. Not getting to hike with his friends. While he was married to his ex.
I kept on nodding and smiling as if I had a clue about what he meant. Since I needed to know more, getting nervous wasn’t going to do it.
“To be sure,” I pretended, as if I understood everything. Emotional clarity has always been something important to Jared just before any big events in his life.
Dylan gave a positive nod. "It shows that you’re both growing up a lot. The vast majority of people would feel completely shocked.”
I took a quick moment, then added, “That evening flight really isn’t convenient, is it?”
“Evening? I must have thought it was 8:40 am on Tuesday. That’s the story I got when Jared handed over the meeting minutes to me."
"Oh, that makes sense,” I said right away. "I need to get used to having different sleeping hours. Probably, he’ll need an umbrella, because it’s currently raining in Bali right now."
Dylan seemed really puzzled now.
“Bali? I thought Cancún was where they might go. He stated it last Friday at our poker get-together."
My lips didn’t twitch, but I was feeling uncomfortable all over. “Really? Huh. Probably I mixed his travel arrangements with something else. You are welcome for reminding me. I should check that with him."
“No problem! I’ll see you at the rehearsal dinner," Dylan said as he went toward the food court wave.
Cancún. With Miranda, a previous girlfriend he had dated for around three years.
I made my way to the car, almost in a trance and it was difficult for me to use my keys.
Inside, I took a few minutes to think and go over what the fallout meant.
I didn’t cry out in pain or holler in fear. I decided to make a plan that would make a big difference.
A little while later, I stood in my walk-in closet, looking at my wedding dress which was so beautiful in its ivory color. Even so, I could feel the wonder and enthusiasm I’d had that previous morning weren’t in my heart anymore. Now it seemed to represent all the things falling apart in my life.
I immediately got my phone and held an urgent call. That was planned by me.
When Jared was due to go on a trip with Miranda on Tuesday, I put on a white sundress and met him at the airport.
Getting to the airport was an unreal experience. I drove to the store, parked and walked in with more confidence than I thought I could have.
I noticed them first before they noticed me. While standing in security, Jared and Miranda were laughing together. She looked exactly as she did in all the photos that I had seen on his social media in the past.
They looked at ease with one another, as if years had not gone by.
I went up to them and gave them my best smile.
“Jared!”
A person tall and dressed in blue at the airport in this image.
He looked away and I saw his face move through almost five feelings in just a couple of seconds. The feelings went from confusion, to recognition, to panic and then to what looked like true terror.
“Tessa? What do you think you are doing here?” he stammered. "This… this isn’t what you are seeing right now!"
I was not looking at him by then. I noticed the man who was standing next to me. Tall, had dark hair just like I remembered and had the same warm brown eyes that had attracted me in school.
"Hi, sweetie," I said to Liam and kissed him on his cheek. "When are we ready to go for our trip?"
She gasped in surprise and her mouth dropped open. Jared’s face showed that he was very close to having a heart attack.
"How do you describe what this is?" Jared demanded. "Is everyone just having some fun with me?"
I fixed him with a sugary sweet smile to the best I could. "You both are taking a last trip together before you get married? I love the thought of this! With everything happening so fast, Liam and I settled that it’s a great time to remember old times and accept our past together too."
Liam did his part wonderfully. Seriously, he nodded and offered his hand to Jared.
"Making such a big commitment requires a solid ending to previous relationships," he said. "I thank Tessa for being so sensible and able to recommend this."
He looked at Liam’s hand as if it were a snake. "Are you sure this is not just fake? Explain to me this is part of a really elaborate prank is going on."
I smiled at him with a grin. "Oh, I’m afraid this is very much real. The trip has become a 'two-step' process. The land is for us both."
I took Liam’s hand and guided him right past security and headed for a different gate. Yes, we expected to be spending time at 30,000 feet.
This actually went beyond just a concert.
This is what happened the other day.
Right after my talk with Dylan at the mall, I called Liam from home. Occasionally we’d connect through sending birthday messages and holiday greetings.
Only a few years ago he was an architect and I knew nothing about him having a romantic partner.
It was Liam and, as soon as I said hello, I asked for a big favor. "It’s going to sound absolutely crazy, but it’s what we need."
"I shared the details of Jared with him, shared what had happened with Miranda and described how differently my life turned out just before my wedding."
"In other words, you want me to play the role of your closure trip guy to tease your lying fiancé?" he asked.
"Do you still like margaritas?" I replied.
He laughed. "Order the tickets. I will meet you there at the airport."
Now we were walking side by side through the airport, like any other couple ready to spend a break together. I felt calm and almost like nothing was happening even though a little while ago this felt like an act of revenge.
I got several notifications on my phone just as we had gone through security. Many texts from Jared to my phone.
"What was that all about?"
"This is straight-up crazy, Tessa."
“I’d explain everything in more detail when I was back from my trip.”
"You have just done something horrible."
Call me as soon as you get this message.
We read all the messages at the gate while we waited to board. Every action of theirs led to stronger feelings in me that I had done the right thing. They would get the whole story when he came back? After he told me lies and cheated with his ex-girlfriend even though we were a couple?
I stopped his calls by blocking the number before the plane left the ground.
The flight to Cabo was an opportunity for Liam and me to talk after a very long time.
It was a chance for both of us to chat about work, family matters, love life complications, my job and the details of my wedding being postponed.
"I can’t understand why he lied to you, Liam," said as we headed down toward Mexico. "Especially this near to the wedding."
I was amazed to find that I was once about to marry someone who was fine with taking a trip with his ex for closure. I don’t get what that expression means.
While the week progressed, a surprise development soon appeared. Ruthless desire for revenge helped to make it real.
Liam and I just picked up where we left off easily. Sitting on the beach, we exchanged countless experiences, laughed till we were exhausted and understood why we had gotten together in the first place.
I had gone to graduate school in another state which made it too hard for us to stay together in college. Being young, we were scared and we thought we had an infinite amount of time to solve our problems.
By the time we were both 35, we understood that we were each truly ourselves. In some crazy way, we make each other whole.
After one week in Cabo, another got added to the trip.
Following that, Liam flew home to his city, gave up his work and moved here. Six months after that, he proposed using a stunning ring.
In the following spring, we just had our families and some of our closest friends at a simple wedding.
And Jared? About three months after Cabo, he wrote me an email with just these words, “Your closure worked.”
Yes. It surely did influence it.
