Being a wedding planner is always hectic, but managing her son's wedding sent Olivia into an absolute frenzy. With two cups of coffee fueling her, she navigated the morning hours with high-strung alertness. From coordinating photographers to giving last-minute instructions to the DJ and conducting final inspections with the catering, she left no detail unchecked.
Being the mother and the wedding planner was double duty.
It's what she lived for; her son and her career.
With a warm smile, Olivia welcomed her future in-laws as they arrived. The respectable middle-aged Indian couple exuded elegance, the wife adorned in a beautiful traditional saree and jewelry. Despite some language barriers, they made small talk and reminisced as parents would on a wedding day.
When other guests arrived, the father of the bride politely excused himself to greet other family members, while the wife stayed behind for a moment.
"Life moves so fast," Sarita said with a darling accent. "My beautiful daughter and your handsome son. I'm so excited."
Olivia felt her heart warm. "I know how you feel. They've always been a cute couple. Can you believe how lucky we are?"
"Sometimes the universe has a funny way of working out."
"Exactly," Olivia replied. "Speaking of which, I saw Joytika a few moments ago. She looks like she could be a Bollywood movie star."
Sarita laughed. "I like her current job as a biologist better. Nice and safe. Also, I'm glad we have a moment alone. Can I ask a favor?"
"Sure, anything."
Sarita stepped closer. "My husband is incredibly old fashioned and wanted to speak with your son, but I said I'll do the talking. You'll have to forgive my husband. He's extremely traditional and clings to the old ways of India."
"Oh? What did he want to speak with my son about?"
"My husband is strict about the wedding night," Sarita said. "He's adamant that your son Nick be a man and take charge. You must be aware of what I'm hinting at."
Olivia nodded. "Believe me, I heard the same things growing up."
"My deepest apologies for this topic. If I didn't say something, my husband was going to. Fathers in India, much like America, are very protective of their daughters. My husband wants to make sure that our daughter becomes a woman in the proper way. Nothing short of that."
Olivia understood the gravity of what this conversation was about. Nothing was figurative. This conversation was literally about sex and the virginities of their adult offspring. It was the last thing she expected to talk about that morning and it almost threw her off her game. But as a mother and a wedding planner, Olivia straightened up and kept composed.
"I'll pass the message along," Olivia said. "I'll speak to my son about it soon."
"Please do. My husband is... shall we say... very anxious about tonight. He doesn't want to hear that the wedding night was a disaster."
By coincidence, the husband returned and called the wife to greet more of their arriving relatives. Sarita graciously excused herself.
There was a new mission. Olivia's mom-side was more domineering than her career-driven side. She had to make sure that tonight was a success, or risk the wrath of a disappointed father-in-law. More importantly, she didn't want her son to look like a wimp to their extended family.
She knew how much her son loved Joytika. And she knew how much Joytika loved her son.
Tonight had to be magical. Her duty as a mother depended on it.
***
After checking in with catering and the photographers, Olivia was able to carve a moment out of her busy schedule to hunt down her son. The wedding was set to begin in a few hours, which was prime time. Sure, this conversation could have waited, but she was neurotic about certain things, and her son's status was one of them.
After texting a bit, she found that her son was upstairs in his private suite, getting ready and hanging out with friends. So she took the elevator up to her son's location, thinking to herself about how she'd approach this. She still didn't have a plan.
Making matters more complex (in a good way) was that she was 90% certain that her son was still a virgin, per their Christian beliefs. It was something that made her proud as a mother and now it was time for the endgame.
She had a keycard to her son's room and she let herself in. Several of her son's friends were there, who all greeted her nicely, and she greeted them back. This wasn't a place to talk about sex. Especially since many of these young men were Nick's friends from church.
"Hey mom," Nick said, looking fresh in a new suit. "We're already prepared if that's what you're worried about."
"I'm glad to see it, but there's something else I want to discuss with you. We'll need a quick chat in private."
"Sure," he said. "We can use the bedroom."
"Actually, let's use the honeymoon suite. It'll be super quick. I promise."
She held Nick by the wrist and pulled him out of the suite before he could react. Marching her son down the hall, she took him to the honeymoon suite. She swiped the keycard and they entered the room which was supposed to be for Nick and his beautiful bride.
There were roses on the bed and candles waiting to be lit. The atmosphere was designed to be a romantic night for the bride and groom to lose their virginities together.
There was also a silk robe laying on the couch, along with hotel slippers on the floor.
Joytika must have been in here for a visit,
Olivia thought, as the bride was the only other person who had the keycard to this room.
Her eyes shifted to the clock. Striking a balance between being a good mother and a punctual wedding planner was tougher than it seemed. She forged ahead with her maternal duty.
"I'll get straight to the point," Olivia said. "I spoke with Joytika's parents earlier."
"Yes, is everything okay?" he asked.
"You're not in trouble. Actually, this might be an enlightening topic for you. Who knows, you might even thank me."
"I think I know what this is about," Nick said.
Olivia lifted an eyebrow. "You do?"
"Does it have to do with Joytika's father? As in, you know, that thing..."