Last summer, I met the most gorgeous boy that I’ve ever seen. I never knew HE existed. I had a brief memory, and that was it. It was like meeting someone all over again. Of course, I doubt he remembered me well, (most likely more than I did though) since it was almost 10 years ago.
The story really starts when my mom came over to the U.S. of A. to study and go to college and university. She went to the university in Binghamton, and stayed with a foster family when she wasn’t at school. The two people who took her in were Hal Weir and Arlene Weir. They had a couple of children around mom’s age as well. (These people are the grandparents of HIM.) My mom became very good friends of the family, almost so that she was family. Then she left, since her studies were finished, and looked around for jobs in NY.
Eventually, mom got married and had my brother and me. We visited the Weir’s in Binghamton for Thanksgiving over the years, and stayed over for a couple days. All I remember was a big house, making dough bead (“bee”) necklaces in the kitchen, a huge “lake” with a swinging rope and its brown murky waters, and the girls that I played with, Sarah, Erin, and Rena. I do remember three boys that my brother Dharma played with but hardly at all. They are just figures of smoke in my memories.
The last time we went over for thanksgiving was when I was about 5 or 6. Mom wasn’t up for the ride to Binghamton anymore from what I remember. We kept declining invitations and soon, they didn’t come any more. Over the years, I would always ask if we could go there for Thanksgiving but my dad always said “Not this year,” or “We have to be invited first,” So soon, I stopped asking.
Then last year, we got a wedding invitation from Hal and Arlene’s grandchild Alicia, in April. The wedding would be on July 29th This made me very excited, for though I had no memory at all of Alicia, I would see her and the Weir’s. I would get to see Sarah, Rena, and Erin. (Of course, I only remembered Sarah’s name and I mostly only remembered Sarah, even though I knew there were other girls.) My mom and I went berserk, going shopping immediately for the proper wedding clothes. I got a nice linen dress and my mom got a nice green/blue dress.
We left for Boston, where the wedding was taking place, on July 28, for the rehearsal dinner. It was a 5 ½ hour drive and we changed in the car right before we went into the restaurant. It was a nice Chinese restaurant called It Rains Fishes and Dishes, and the upper floor (which is usually rented out for parties) was full of people. I felt a little bit awkward since I was seeing everyone again for the first time in a long time, but I saw “Grandpa and Grandma” Weir again. They didn’t really change, only looked a little smaller, a little more wrinkled. Then I saw him. It was really the first hit until later. I saw him on line for food. Tall and handsome now that I remember, dark, wearing a green button up and I think kaki pants. So I think, “Ok cute boy, and I most likely don’t know him. Must be a friend of the family or cousin or something.-erase-ment-,” and I stood around saying hi to everyone. Then I got on the line for food (which, by the way, tasted scrumptious) and then the awkward stance of looking for somewhere to sit. HIS dad, Frank, sat us at the table where HE was and Sarah and Rena and Erin and some other people. Somehow, I was seated next to HIM. At first though, I thought he was slightly, umm, how do I say this, slightly autistic since he was excited and almost perky with a higher voice than usual for a 17 year old. But I was wrong and in an hour, we were all joking around together like old friends. They all just happened to eat all my dessert when I left to change into jeans. At this point, I haven’t really crushed on him yet. I found out his name was David. I thought he was really cool and looked incredibly nice in his green shirt. Truly, it really becomes him well.
We all left at I think 9 or 10 at night. My family and I all drove off to our room in the Marriott hotel we were staying at. Sarah and Rena and Erin were also staying there, on the floor below us, I think, though I didn’t seem them until the next day.
The next day we went over to the bride’s parent’s house {where the ceremony was taking place} to help out before the wedding started (at four). My mom and I made flower arrangements for the tables and my dad and my brother did some work outside that involved chainsaws. Some people were setting up lanterns in the trees, some were setting up arches, or the chairs, or the lawn decorations. They had already set up this humungous white tent for the after party, and the tables were to the side. My mom sent me at random moments to take “behind the scene photos”. I took pictures of the lawn, the decorations, the flowers, David and his dad fixing the stairway(I had to sneak pictures of David since he didn’t really like taking pictures), my brother and my dad and their neighbor fixing the fallen tree and the fence, and so on. My infatuation began to grow slightly. Only slightly.
We left at one to get dressed, since my mom needed to do her hair, and I sort of kind of needed to do so as well. I didn’t really want to leave, as Sarah, Rena, and Erin just came from the hotel pool to help out with mulching and setting up, as well as other small tasks.
When we came back at four, the guests were already arriving, and the appetizers were all out. There was garlic bread. I love garlic bread. My mom armed me with the camera and set me out on taking pictures of everything, and she followed suit. The hired photographer was also taking pictures. The bridesmaids (Sarah, Rena, and Erin), the bride and groom, the bride’s family, the groom’s family, the flower girl, and so on. Everyone hated him. He was incredibly bossy and we made faces at him when he wasn’t looking.
The ceremony was moving. Alicia and Adrien, the bride and groom, looked so happy and in love. I also got to sit next to David. Well, my mom did but she had to leave as she started to have a coughing fit. One empty chain in between us. I observed once when I looked over at him, that he looked down half the time. So I decided to pay attention and listen to the vows. I also sneaked another picture of him since he kept avoiding it during the time my mom sent me on a picture spree. But that was it.
So, I continued to watch the ceremony. Everyone laughed when Alicia and Adrien couldn’t light the candle with the grill starter. Afterwards, all of us kids ran around and I was sent, yet again, on picture sprees. I just pretended to take pictures, all the while regretting buying that digital camera. Yet again, with the garlic bread and some kind of olive spread.
I found it incredibly amusing when one of the lanterns fell down. Now before I continue, I should explain what the lantern looks like. It’s one of those hanging Chinese paper lanterns. It was hung from the tree by a string. The string was set over a branch and tied to an anchor, and the lantern was set on the other end. Ok back to the incredibly amusing lantern falling. It was all David’s fault. Somehow, he screwed it up while he was trying to make the lantern higher, or something. The entire thing fell down, string, and lantern. After fruitless tries of climbing back up the tree, or throwing the empty string, he tried re-throwing the string with the lantern by tying the open end with a rock, and flinging it over the tree branch. It missed. It hit the porch, and knocked off a couple flowerpots. He decided to stop trying after that. Myself, and a couple others found it all very funny. I’m pretty sure David did to, but now that I think about it, I’m not entirely sure. Anyway, he redeemed himself later by fixing another lantern by climbing on a chair and then putting the string over. Different tree, different outcome.
Then to the dinner. I was seated, to my horror, at a table with these incredibly “ADHD” kids who decided it was fun to spin bread rolls on broken fans, and explode coke cans. My only comfort was this girl named Kelly who was near my age and was seated next to me. But to my sorrow, I wasn’t seated with Sarah or Erin or Rena or my brother Dharma, or David, who were all seated at another table. I tended to visit them a lot. David eventually moved to the table where his dad sat as well as this boy named Max and Max’s little sister, whose name I don’t remember. Of course I learned this later, being distracted as coke was being sprayed all over me.
All I remember about the food was that it was delicious. The cake was cut and it was so good. I think there was jam in it. It reminded me of this delicious tart that we used to get a lot from the White Plains Bakery. And that after we ate we ran around a little more. And then we started dancing on that little dancing floor. I love dancing. David wouldn’t dance. I nagged him insistently. I later found out, with a slight bit of embarrassment, that at his school he danced a lot and people told him he was really good. Later on, he found out they were being sarcastic. I was silent after I found out. In the end, to my happy surprise, he danced. He danced with Cassandra (Alec’s girlfriend. I’m pretty sure Alec is Alicia’s brother), Rena, Sarah, and me. He is an incredible dancer. Incredible! Everyone danced the night away. Soon, many people began to leave. We all lounged around till it was definite we had to go home.
The next morning was brunch. There were donuts and blueberry muffins (I love blueberry muffins) and knish, and grapes, and strawberries. There was toast and jam, and other things that I can’t remember. There was cranberry bread too. Later on, my mom and dad made mee goreng (fried noodles) with spicy shrimp and tofu. everyone loved it. We all had so much fun. I miss them all a lot. I also realized how fickle and judgmental I was. I’m flushed just thinking about it. I love the word fickle. It reminds me of pickles and an incredibly funny story, but I won’t go into that.
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