The Passionate Spinster Nov 23, 1965

She'd watched them go one by one. Friend after friend. White dress after another. Yet again, Shimako was attending another wedding reception that wasn't hers. She knew the procedure: watch the bride and groom get congratulated, smile to cover up the loneliness. But she didn't want to feel like this forever. In that moment, Shimako decided that the next wedding she'd attend had to be her own.