This a little story, I wrote awhile ago, and felt like sharing it.   

  I always felt something was missing that day. I could never figure out what in the moment. I’m not sure what clued me in, maybe it was because my mother cried the day before the wedding. Everyone cries at a wedding, but the day before. I merely thought it was my mothers eccentrics, you know, getting ahead or the crowd or something. She’s always doing that any way in business, why not in crying. No red eyes during the photo-op of the family afterwards. Okay, so maybe I wasn’t the brightest ten year old.

      I’m getting ahead of myself. I was ten year old. It was my cousin wedding, to Bella. As any smart ten year old would do, I followed her around the week before the wedding. Who could blame me she was beautiful, and my future cousin-in-law. AND she let me carry her train in the wedding, since I couldn’t be the flower girl.  I followed her around, and wondering what was missing, well not at that exact moment of course. I was too busy watching her get ready for the wedding; of course it didn’t occur to me to check on my cousin. Maybe that’s why I didn’t figure out sooner. I was too busy, feeling like the odd duckling because my future gorgeous cousin was getting made up, and she was the only one I knew. Her aunts were taking photos, and her father was outside the door weeping silently. I didn’t notice that either, I was too busy pouting because I found out someone else was taking the place of the flower girl.

      Not that my horrid mood lasted, how could it. I was a girl next to the modern equivalent of a princess dress. I was so jealous I didn’t notice Bella’s father whispering something in Spanish, and a single tear forming in her eye. I didn’t notice a lot back then. I was too busy “helping” the bridesmaid, touch up on her make up, you know important task of running to the basket of makeup and grabbing the right thing and running it back to the bridesmaids. Just when I was starting to feel invisible again, Bella scooped me up and gave me a quick hug, whispering, “The wedding begun.” I ran to take a peeked into the church, looking at my cousin. I wish I had taken the time to say to him, that I approved of Bella. I mean, what if he was having second thoughts because I forgot to them him so. Gosh I was such a bad cousin. I studied him, as any curious cousin would. Then I got the sensation something was missing, I checked to make sure none of the bridesmaids ran off. As a cousin, I was responsible for the affair, otherwise something bad might happen, like Bella tripping over her train. I looked at my cousin again, making sure he hadn’t left yet. He was standing next to a group of guys I didn’t know. I hoped they aren’t the mean type that’d pull Bella’s hair.

      Than I realized the bride’s maids had just passed me. Oh! Bella! I hurried back into the room, “is it time?” I asked eagerly. Bella merely nodded, with a radiant smile. My only thought was wow; I hoped I was that beautiful on my wedding day. I picked up the train, following slowly behind Bella. I deposited her, making sure the train was secure and out of the way, like any responsible cousin would do. I found a seat next to my mom, and before I knew it. They were kissing, just like Cinderella. I wish I had my very own picture, I mean how many girls could brag they had as cool of a cousin as Bella. She even let me arrange her train for the photos AND took one with me.

      Everyone rushed into cars, leaving Bella and my cousin behind. I was reluctant to leave. What if she messed up her dress? It would be my entire fault. My mom told me it didn’t matter. We went to this lady’s house, she was my cousin mom, but wasn’t my aunt any more. It was oh so pretty, with white chairs and tables scattering the vibrant yard.  A small band was playing, everyone chatted and eated. I went straight to the cake. Mom said I had to wait for a piece. There were two, one was a simple cake with plain white icing, a little white rose for decoration. The other cake was three layers, tons of icing. It not only had flowers, but ribbons, and bows, layer up layer of gooeyness.

      My cousin and his bride appeared. They hugged and kissed people, family, and of course me. I rushed over to my cousin. “What type of cakes are they?” I asked. I hoped it was chocolate. “One vanilla and the other is carrot.” Carrot? My nose wrinkled, but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to be mean, especially after I almost ruined the wedding by forgetting to tell my cousin I approved of Bella.  “Oh.” I said. He laughed, “Don’t worry the icing covered on in the vanilla.” I sighed in relief. Bella and he left to dance. I got that feeling again. You know. Like something is missing. I tried to tell mom my feeling. I searched all over the party for her, then I spotted her next to the cakes. I walked over, opened my mouth to speak but stopped because she was crying again. “Mommy what’s wrong?” I asked curiously. “The wedding went along beautifully.”

      “I know,” she said, setting down a album which I hadn’t notice she was holding. “It’s nothing…”   She walked away. I couldn’t help my self but peek over to the album. I noticed it was a picture of my cousin, I think.... I peered a bit closer. Yep, it was him. He and someone else, a boy with red hair who looked similar to my cousin, was standing next to a cake.  I looked down at the cake, it was even more deliciously iced cake, but wait. EW! There was a fly in the cake, not the wedding cakes, but the cake in the picture. How disgusting. I looked over the next two pages, the red-haired boy was in all of them with my cousin. I flipped back to the cake picture, the one my mother had cried over. I looked at the caption, wondering who my cousin friend was. The caption read, “Justin and Joaquin: Don’t you wish you had that carrot cake now?”

      Justin. Justin, why did that name sound familiar? The wheels turned in my head, and then I recalled… A long time ago, at least it seemed that way, when I was 5…