Chapter One Hundred Seventy-One: The Wedding
Clara announced her engagement on a rainy Sunday in April.
She was twenty-six years old, a professional dancer with a ballet company in the city. Her fiancé was a young man named Michael, a musician she had met while performing in a show.
Lina received the news in a phone call.
"Grandma," Clara said, her voice high and breathless. "I'm engaged."
Lina sat down on the couch.
"Engaged," she repeated. "You're engaged."
"I'm engaged! Michael proposed. I said yes. We're getting married!"
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"Congratulations, sweetheart," she said. "I'm so happy for you."
---
The family celebrated.
The penthouse was filled with people—Victoria and Victor and Katherine, David and his half-siblings, Lily and Jake and Grace and Samuel, Leo and Maya and Stella and Daniel and baby Eleanor, Emily and Hope, friends and neighbors and the particular chaos of a family that had something to celebrate.
Clara showed everyone the ring. It was small and simple—a single diamond on a silver band, with tiny music notes engraved on the inside.
"It's beautiful," Lina said.
Clara hugged her. "Thank you, Grandma."
---
The wedding was planned for the following spring.
Clara wanted a garden wedding, like her cousins, but smaller. She wanted flowers and fairy lights and a string quartet. She wanted her grandfather to walk her down the aisle.
Ethan's eyes filled with tears when she asked him.
"I'd be honored," he said.
Clara hugged him. "Thank you, Grandpa."
---
The months passed.
Clara and Michael planned the wedding. They chose flowers and a cake and a menu. They argued about the guest list and the seating chart and the color of the tablecloths.
Lina helped with all of it.
She did not complain. She did not interfere. She just showed up, again and again, and did what needed to be done.
"Why are you doing this?" Clara asked one day.
Lina looked at her granddaughter.
"Because you needed someone," she said. "And I needed to be that someone."
Clara's eyes filled with tears.
"You're a good grandmother," she said.
Lina shook her head.
"I'm just your grandmother," she said. "Trying to do the right thing."
---
The wedding day arrived warm and clear.
Lina sat in the front row, Ethan beside her. Victoria and Victor and Katherine sat behind them. Lily and Jake sat with Grace and Samuel. Leo and Maya sat with Stella and Daniel and baby Eleanor. David and his half-siblings were there too.
Lina's heart was pounding.
Her granddaughter was getting married.
She thought about the first time Clara had danced across the living room, a toddler in a tutu, her laughter filling the air. She thought about the first time Clara had performed on stage, a young girl in a pink costume, her face lit up with joy. She thought about the first time Clara had been accepted into the ballet company, a young woman with a dream, ready to chase it.
And now this.
She was not ready.
But she had to be.
---
The music changed.
Clara appeared at the end of the aisle, her arm hooked through Ethan's.
Her dress was white and flowing, with flowers in her hair and a veil that trailed behind her. She was smiling. She was crying. She was beautiful.
Lina watched her walk down the aisle and cried.
Ethan handed Clara to Michael, who was waiting at the altar, his own eyes wet with tears.
"Take care of her," Ethan said.
Michael nodded. "With my whole life."
Ethan kissed Clara's cheek.
He walked back to his seat and took Lina's hand.
"She's beautiful," he whispered.
Lina leaned into him.
"She's ours," she said.
---
The ceremony was simple.
The officiant spoke. The couple exchanged vows. They exchanged rings. They kissed.
Clara and Michael were married.
Lina clapped until her hands hurt.
Ethan whistled.
The crowd cheered.
---
The reception was chaos.
Dancing and laughing and speeches that went on too long. Grace gave a toast that was funny and sweet and perfect.
"Clara," she said, "you've been my cousin for twenty-six years. You've been my friend. My inspiration. My partner in crime. I couldn't have asked for a better person to grow up with."
Clara cried.
Grace hugged her.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too," Clara replied.
---
Lina found Clara on the balcony, looking at the stars.
"Are you okay?" she asked, standing beside her.
Clara nodded. "I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"About everything. About growing up. About starting a new life."
Lina put her arm around her granddaughter.
"Are you scared?" she asked.
Clara was quiet for a moment. "Terrified."
Lina held her granddaughter.
"Me too," she said. "But you're going to be okay. You're going to be more than okay. You're going to be wonderful."
Clara leaned into her.
"I love you, Grandma," she said.
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"I love you too, sweetheart. More than anything."
---
The reception ended.
Clara and Michael drove away in a car covered in streamers and tin cans.
Lina stood in the parking lot, watching them go.
Ethan put his arm around her.
"She's married," he said.
"She's married," Lina agreed.
Ethan kissed her forehead.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
Lina thought about the question.
"Empty," she said. "Not in a bad way. Just... empty. Like I've been carrying something for so long that I forgot what it felt like to put it down."
Ethan pulled her into his arms.
"That's called love," he said.
"Is that what this is?"
"I think so."
Lina leaned into him.
"She's gone," she said.
Ethan kissed her forehead.
"She is," he said. "But she'll come back. They'll always come back."
Lina closed her eyes.
She thought about all the years ahead. The visits. The phone calls. The moments she would hold her grandchildren and the moments she would have to let them go.
She was not ready.
But she was learning.
And learning, she was beginning to understand, was the most important part of love.
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End of Chapter One Hundred Seventy-One