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“Your plan didn’t work, Teo,” a woman complains. My ears perk at the sound
of the ex’s name. “She didn’t get mad and yell at us, so I can boot her out of the
wedding. I just looked like an asshole.”

“Keep trying, cousin. She will.”
“No, Teo. Accept the fact that she is a bridesmaid. I told you to wait until after
the wedding to break up with her anyway. Now, she is rubbing her sadness all over
my event.”
I want to yell at them, but I hear Sanya singing P!nk’s part on “Just Give Me a

Reason.” I get an idea. I square my shoulders and head to the ballroom. My sister
listened to that song on repeat during the beginning of her divorce, and I’d
unknowingly learned the words. I gather all of my knowledge from my high school
theater and choir days and pray I can cheer her up.
I enter the room just in time to start singing Nate Ruess’s verse.
She spins to see me. Relief and surprise cover her features. I don’t sing at home.
I’m good enough to be a kick-ass Karaoke partner, but not good enough to have a
record deal. Sanya is the stronger singer of the two. She recovers fast enough to do
P!nks insertions in the verse. She sits in a chair and props her head on her hand for
a moment as I sing.

She gets up and resumes placing the keepsakes as I continue to sing. I drop my
bag in a nearby chair, pick up a bag of keepsakes, and start helping as we sing. We
work towards each other until we make it to the last table. She looks up at me before
going into the bridge of the song.
We move closer with each part we sing. I reach for her and cup her face right
before we start singing the chorus. Then, I pull her to me, and we sing in unison as

we slow dance.
We stay that way until the song ends. It feels so good to hold her. I’ve missed
her. She looks up at me – all happiness and gratitude. I want to kiss her; my eyes
linger on her lips, and I consider pulling her closer, but the applause kills our
bubble.
We look up to find the rest of the wedding party looking down at us. The girl
with the sad eyes jumps up and down with applause; the other women clap mistily
and some of the men nod in respect. One couple looks at us like we are the spawn
from Satan.