with an aisle down the middle. The seats are already filled with people and classical music is playing from a speaker, adding a nice ambience to the whole place. I’m standing in the dining area inside the house looking out through the window when I feel a tap on my shoulder.
“Hey,” Jenny says when I turn around. She holds her arms out and takes me in a gentle hug. “How are you feeling?”
I shrug when she releases me from the embrace. “As good as you might expect. Happy to be here.”
Jenny tilts her head. “Are you?”
I nod. “I definitely am.” I’m not blowing smoke up her skirt, either. After my brush with Eunice and her baton, I realized how lucky I am to have these people in my life. So I got stuck with a couple of chicks who like to talk and goof around a lot? It sure beats having a woman beat you to death with a nightstick. To be fair, I didn’t mind the shopping that much either, and May is one half of the cube-crew team.
Jenny grins. “Good. May was worried that she was forcing you into this.”
I laugh. “Well, she kind of was, but I got over it.” I hold out my arm so she can see my sweater. “Sorry I had to wear this, but my bruises are really ugly.”
Jenny reaches over to the back of a nearby chair and pulls a black wrap off it. “Not to worry. I brought something too. I knew you’d have to cover up.”
She wraps it around her arms and winks, checking behind her before turning back to me. “Do you want to go upstairs and see May now?”
“I would like to, but stairs are really hard for me. Every one of them jiggles my ribs.”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot. Let me go get her.” She rushes off, her high heels clicking on the kitchen floor and then down the hallway.
I stand at the window for another five minutes, growing more nervous by the second. Maybe May doesn’t want to come down to see me. Maybe she’s still angry. I wouldn’t blame her. I pretty much managed to ruin the most special day of her life single-handedly. The old Toni may not have cared, but the Toni I am now does very much.
May’s voice comes from behind me, interrupting my pity party. I turn around to greet her. It’s silly, but my eyes well up with tears seeing her in her pretty white dress.
I can’t believe I gave her and Ozzie such a hard time before. They really are perfect for each other. Her silliness is such a great contrast to his serious attitude. She helps him relax, bringing humor and levity into his life. Just like Lucky is doing for me.
“I’m really sorry that I screwed everything up,” I say. “I’m an asshole for doing that.”
May doesn’t say anything. She stops a few feet away and folds her hands in front of her.
“You look really beautiful.” I gesture at the dress. “It’s perfect. Really perfect. Like one of those magazines you’re always reading.”
May looks down at herself and then gives me a serene smile. “Thank you.”
I breathe out a sigh of annoyance. I’m not mad at her; I’m mad at myself. “Seriously. I’m so sorry. This day should be all about smiles and happiness, but instead, you’ve had to worry about your bridesmaid getting busted up and ruining the whole thing. If you want me to go, I’ll go. You won’t hurt my feelings at all.”
May looks at the ground for a long time and I’m almost moving to leave, but then she looks up at me, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I don’t want you to go. But I do want you to understand that I care about you, and I really don’t want you doing anything else that’s going to put you or your babies at risk. It’s very stressful for me, and it’s very stressful for Ozzie. And I don’t like it when Ozzie gets stressed out.”
“I understand. I don’t like it when he gets stressed out either. And I don’t like it when you’re not smiling at me. It makes me actually pretty sick to my stomach if you want to know the truth.”
A very tiny smile starts to appear. “I thought you said I was too hyper. You said I smile too much.”
“When I say things like that, you just need to ignore me. I have this grouchy default attitude that