CHAPTER 26

The Finish Line

Something unexpected happened following my wedding that I heard about only afterward. My girls—who wouldn’t have met had it not been for me, and who wouldn’t have bonded as strongly if they had not had a shared experience by the pool that night—went out after the reception and had the greatest time, the four of them and their dates, plus Chris’s best man and Mayra.

I was told later they had been worried initially about the one friend who had suffered, but after spending time with her that day, they could see that she was really happy to be a part of it all. That night, after Chris and I left, they talked about their new perspective on life, and how much they cherished it. They said the wedding ceremony itself was closure for all of us, so they danced and partied their butts off afterward and had the best time ever. It was their night, too, I think. In fact, some of them weren’t even going to stick around that night, but this crazy party erupted among them. I actually felt a little sad that I missed it, but I was glad that they found peace in their own way, too, together. Apparently, they all just let loose and had a blast for the first time together since the bachelorette party.

I think this marked a nice ending for my troubled friend. I wanted her to have a good time, and it sounds like she did. It was a really big deal for her that day. It was important to her that I got married and had that milestone. It was probably the real start to her healing—to see me happy and to know that love had not been taken away from me, that the one thing I wanted had only been postponed, not stolen completely. It was as important to her for me to say “I do” as it was for me. It was good for her to have these girls around her. They all protected each other, and that came out collectively on the dance floor as they burned off one year of steam.