1. The Fateful Wedding Day
The fall of 1897, in the beautiful city of Paris.
A young fifteen-year old by the name of Suzanne is inside a small, enclosed church where her wedding celebrations are to take place. A veil covers her silky, nicely trimmed hair. She wears a gown that her mother wore at her wedding. An eerie silence engulfs the church, and the choir is on a break.
A widower in his forties, an affluent industrialist by the name of Armand, is seen in the customary morning suit. He looks wizened and aged, as his mustache has turned grayish and his head has baldened. He is the groom, thirty years elder to the bride. He stands at a distance, smelling quite drunk.
An elderly priest stands behind the two.
Three days ago, the girl was informed of her wedding.
“Me and Pere want you to be happy. I and Pere wanted to send you to the university. Pere took a loan from Mr. Armand. We’re in terrible debt, and he demands you to be married off. So, little girl, wed Armand.”
This man was different from the groom that the young bride had imagined for herself. She’d imagined a fit and nimble man in his early twenties with the hair of a prince and eyes as blue as sapphire. She ended up getting a subpar rich man thrice her age. She was disappointed and sulky throughout the wedding.
“Est-ce que vous, Suzanne, prenez Armand pour votre époux légitime. Promettez-vous d’être fidèle à vous-même dans les bons et les mauvais moments, dans la maladie et dans la santé ? L’aimerez-vous et l’honorerez-vous tous les jours de sa vie ?” the priest said.
(Do you, Suzanne, take Armand for your legitimate husband? Do you promise to be true to yourself in good times and bad, in sickness and in health? Will you love and honor him every day of his life?)
“Je fais,”
(I do,)
“Est-ce que vous, Armand, prenez Suzanne pour épouse légitime ? Promettez-vous d’être fidèle à vous-même dans les bons comme dans les mauvais moments, en cas de maladie et de santé ? L’aimerez-vous et l’honorerez-vous chaque jour de sa vie ?”
(Do you, Armand, take Suzanne for your legitimate wife? Do you promise to be true to yourself in good and bad times, in sickness and in health? Will you love and honor her every day of her life?)
“Je fais,”
(I do,)
The couple engaged in a brief kiss before waving to the gathered audience.
