The Housemaid's Wedding

Millie’s and Enzo’s lives are fraught with violence and trauma, stemming from their past experiences with emotionally and physically abusive men—both in their personal lives and in the women they help. Millie’s casual dismissal of a man threatening to “cut [her] throat”—whom she “calmly” tells to “go to hell” (3)—conveys from the very beginning of the story just how commonplace danger is in her life. As a result, it is unsurprising when she repeatedly decides to handle the man on her own, ignoring his calls, dismissing him when she answers, and keeping all the events to herself.

Millie is a strong and courageous character, yet she is also reckless, choosing to handle the situation on her own even when it becomes increasingly more dangerous. The external conflict throughout the story—Millie and then Enzo versus the man who is threatening Millie—emphasizes the importance of support. McFadden escalates the tension throughout the story, creating suspense around the man’s location and actions, which are hidden from the reader. First, Millie is genuinely afraid that he may be in the closet in her apartment, even grabbing a butcher’s knife for defense. Then, at the café, she becomes convinced that the man is trying to open the bathroom door as “the doorknob starts to turn” (37). While it is unclear whether Millie could have or would have actually needed to defend herself from the man, the stalking and threatening phone calls only come to an end when Enzo incapacitates the man in the bathroom at the story’s end. This plot twist emphasizes the importance of support, as the conflict only ends when someone else learns about Millie being stalked. 

While it is true that Enzo handles Millie’s stalker on his own, he also deals with his own trauma in the form of the death of his sister. For years, he has been haunted by Antonia’s death and his decision to kill her murderer. As a result, he has spent years in hiding while also continuing to fight for other survivors of domestic abuse. As Millie learns throughout the story to focus on her family and the things that matter in her life, she decides that she should use their daughter’s name to honor Antonia’s memory. When Millie suggests that they name the baby after her, Enzo is initially hesitant, thinking, “I would love to honor my sister, but I also worry that giving her the same name will be too much. I can barely say her name without feeling a deep sadness” (62). However, with Millie’s support and love, he learns that he can turn his trauma into something positive. Instead of serving as a reminder of Antonia’s trauma, their new daughter will serve as a symbol of hope and happiness, replacing that trauma with new life. This act of naming functions as an emotional bridge between grief and renewal, signifying the couple’s shared commitment to transformation.

The story’s titular wedding acts as both a union between Millie and Enzo and a launching point for them to build a new life together that replaces their troubled histories. While the day is fraught with tension and danger, the final lines—“And then I go home with my wife and unborn child, leaving the man who threatened us in a puddle of his own blood on the men’s room floor” (64)—provide hope that Millie and Enzo will continue to love and support each other, even in the dangerous lives they live.