that’s fine.”
The band ended its lively song, and the lights flickered. With a swipe of a towel across his damp face, the lead singer returned to the mic. “Ladies and gentleman, please take your seats.”
The guests looked around and then trickled off the dance floor. Karen hugged her grandmother, and then she walked across the room. Her eyes grew wider with each step, and her mouth rounded, as though she were taking and releasing deep breaths.
Mark jumped onto the stage and joined her. She held the mic in a death grip, her knuckles as white as the pristine tablecloths in the room. She glanced at him, but her eyes lacked any focus at all. He tried to give her an encouraging smile, but she looked past him and bit her lip. The chatter eventually died down, and with no speech to fill the void, a smattering of whispered conversations followed.
Still clutching the mic, Karen dropped her head and stared at her shoes.
Something was terribly wrong. A case of stage fright maybe?
Gracie began to rise from her chair, a look of distress on her face. As discreetly as he could, Mark motioned for her to return to her seat. Then he moved closer to Karen and leaned in. “Can I have the mic?”
She raised her head and blinked several times. Without a word, she let the mic drop into his outstretched hand.
“Sorry, folks. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s this: Don’t tell a woman you’ll do one thing and then do the complete opposite. It’s a recipe for disaster. You see, I told Karen I’d go first, and then I screwed up by forgetting the order of these festivities. I’m up first, because Gracie and Ethan knew I’d be a pretty easy act to follow.”
A few guests laughed, and Karen turned in his direction. “What are you doing?”
He covered the mic with his hand. “Giving you a minute to catch your breath. You need it, right?”
She parted her lips as she nodded her head. God, he wanted to soothe her right then. Wished he could fold her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay. But that would have been far too intimate, and he certainly couldn’t do that on a stage at Gracie and Ethan’s wedding reception, with her parents and grandmother staring at them expectantly.
Better to lighten the mood and give her time to get herself together.
So that’s what he did. And the bride and groom, who’d decided to sit at a table with their parents, smiled throughout his toast, which was gratifying in a way that spoke to how much they’d come to mean to him, not only as individuals but as a couple, too.
And after several minutes, Karen returned to life, smiling along with everyone else. She’d beaten down whatever had spooked her. When he handed her the mic, she took it without hesitation, meeting his eyes with a clear and steady gaze. He stepped to the side, and she positioned herself in the center of the stage.
“Most of you know Gracie’s my sister. But she’s much more than that to me. She’s my closest friend. My most vocal cheerleader. She’s wiped my tears countless times. She did that when I was young, and she did that when I was in college, when the stress and anxiety of taking more courses than I should have became too much. And she’s the reason I didn’t give up on my dream to go to medical school.”
Karen’s eyes glistened, and her wistful expression caused a pang in his chest. “We did it, Gracie.” Gracie barely held her emotions in check and rose from her seat. She reached the stage and hugged Karen. With their arms around each other’s waists, the sisters faced the crowd. Karen lifted the mic to her mouth. “Ethan, make her happy. She deserves it. And since she chose you, I know you deserve it, too. Congratulations to you both.” To Gracie, she whispered, “ Te amo. ”
Karen’s speech confirmed what he’d already suspected: Her path to medical school hadn’t been easy. But she’d done it nonetheless. For someone so young, she had a clear sense of what she
The band ended its lively song, and the lights flickered. With a swipe of a towel across his damp face, the lead singer returned to the mic. “Ladies and gentleman, please take your seats.”
The guests looked around and then trickled off the dance floor. Karen hugged her grandmother, and then she walked across the room. Her eyes grew wider with each step, and her mouth rounded, as though she were taking and releasing deep breaths.
Mark jumped onto the stage and joined her. She held the mic in a death grip, her knuckles as white as the pristine tablecloths in the room. She glanced at him, but her eyes lacked any focus at all. He tried to give her an encouraging smile, but she looked past him and bit her lip. The chatter eventually died down, and with no speech to fill the void, a smattering of whispered conversations followed.
Still clutching the mic, Karen dropped her head and stared at her shoes.
Something was terribly wrong. A case of stage fright maybe?
Gracie began to rise from her chair, a look of distress on her face. As discreetly as he could, Mark motioned for her to return to her seat. Then he moved closer to Karen and leaned in. “Can I have the mic?”
She raised her head and blinked several times. Without a word, she let the mic drop into his outstretched hand.
“Sorry, folks. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s this: Don’t tell a woman you’ll do one thing and then do the complete opposite. It’s a recipe for disaster. You see, I told Karen I’d go first, and then I screwed up by forgetting the order of these festivities. I’m up first, because Gracie and Ethan knew I’d be a pretty easy act to follow.”
A few guests laughed, and Karen turned in his direction. “What are you doing?”
He covered the mic with his hand. “Giving you a minute to catch your breath. You need it, right?”
She parted her lips as she nodded her head. God, he wanted to soothe her right then. Wished he could fold her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay. But that would have been far too intimate, and he certainly couldn’t do that on a stage at Gracie and Ethan’s wedding reception, with her parents and grandmother staring at them expectantly.
Better to lighten the mood and give her time to get herself together.
So that’s what he did. And the bride and groom, who’d decided to sit at a table with their parents, smiled throughout his toast, which was gratifying in a way that spoke to how much they’d come to mean to him, not only as individuals but as a couple, too.
And after several minutes, Karen returned to life, smiling along with everyone else. She’d beaten down whatever had spooked her. When he handed her the mic, she took it without hesitation, meeting his eyes with a clear and steady gaze. He stepped to the side, and she positioned herself in the center of the stage.
“Most of you know Gracie’s my sister. But she’s much more than that to me. She’s my closest friend. My most vocal cheerleader. She’s wiped my tears countless times. She did that when I was young, and she did that when I was in college, when the stress and anxiety of taking more courses than I should have became too much. And she’s the reason I didn’t give up on my dream to go to medical school.”
Karen’s eyes glistened, and her wistful expression caused a pang in his chest. “We did it, Gracie.” Gracie barely held her emotions in check and rose from her seat. She reached the stage and hugged Karen. With their arms around each other’s waists, the sisters faced the crowd. Karen lifted the mic to her mouth. “Ethan, make her happy. She deserves it. And since she chose you, I know you deserve it, too. Congratulations to you both.” To Gracie, she whispered, “ Te amo. ”
Karen’s speech confirmed what he’d already suspected: Her path to medical school hadn’t been easy. But she’d done it nonetheless. For someone so young, she had a clear sense of what she
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