Chapter 4: The Rest of the Hour
The ceremony finished in a register that no longer matched the invitations.
Vows were spoken. Rings were exchanged. Guests clapped with the uncertain enthusiasm of people who had watched a recess and received no explanation. I remained in the front row until the recessional ended, then followed the stream into a reception hall dressed in white flowers and the kind of lighting that forgives almost anything except a mother’s face.
Lucas found me near the cake table before the toasts. He did not ask if I was all right. He said the documents were in a locked folder in Diane’s car and that we could leave as soon as the formal portion ended. Diane approached with two glasses of water and the posture of someone prepared to be refused. I took the water. I did not take her hand.
May you like
My sister pulled me aside and demanded a summary. I gave her the only version that belonged in a hallway: there was more history than the age difference, it was being documented, and I was not discussing it between canapés. She frowned, then nodded, the way family does when they recognize a boundary that is still load-bearing.
I stayed through the first dance because Lucas looked for me over Diane’s shoulder and I had already promised the rest of the hour. When the hour was gone, I left without dessert. Diane handed me a key ring in the parking lot. Lucas offered to drive. I said I would follow in my own car. Some distances are useful even when the destination is the same.
