jilly meant the oppsite . every line of her ody with outthrust belly proclaimed her delight in being so obviously fecund . she leaned against sam ." you wait . sore feet is only the start ." she said contentedly .
paige baust back into the room ." here's your bouquet , minty .it's terrible , but it will have to do ." she thrust into my hand a bunch of red roses , the kind that were sold on street corners by oppressed immigrant workers . they were tightly furled and half alive .
the registrar cleared his throat ." are you ready ...?"
"the cellophane ." paige hissed . i ripped it off , squashed it into a ball , and left it on the table .
"oh minty ," nathan said ." i forgot you should have floewrs ."
in the restaurant afterward we were joined by aunt ann , nathan's last remaining of chairs to accommodate her wheelchair .
i observed the guest at the table . their expressions were fixed , as if they were struggling collectively to find a way through the experience . jilly drank ostentatiously from a glass of water . sam draped his arm around his wife . poppy chattered and fluttered , her thai silk scrf flashing scarlet and gold . every so ofen , she touched richard's shoulder or his arm . once , she pressed her lips to his cheek . none of them looked in my direction . there was comment about my first name being susan , a fact revealed bu the registrar . for most of my life i had hated the name and refused to use it since i was fifteen , but i went to its defense ." what's so funny about susan ?"
jily and poppy put their heads on one side ." it's just that you're so minty ." jilly explained .
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