Written Sunday, May 30:
She threw up out a window at 60 mph. The side of the car was painted pink. Even her puke is cute, that bitch, another bridesmaid said. We laughed, bacon and lettuce thrown to complement the rest of it.
And this is how the bachelorette party ended: full of laughter and quotables. A night of friendship and risk, of adventure and hilarity. Ashley (in the beginning), Courtney, Brittany, Jessica, me, and our bride, Lizzie. We danced, we sang, we drank, and we dared the world to stop us from having a good time. There were firemen and moving poles, hola gatos and an itsy bitsy spider, tall boys and marines. Photos. Pecks on the cheek. Pink and black. Cards. Numbers. Facebook stalking. Dirty feet and dirtier minds. Lizzie spoke: I looked so cute; now I look like Ke$ha.
Written Monday, May 31:
I sit in the Orlando International Airport watching The Princess and the Frog for the second time. It is 5:20 in the morning, but I arrived here almost an hour ago. I slept three hours last night and until I slept, I recounted the events of the past week. I thought of the bachelorette party, sure, but I also went over Lizzie’s wedding, bowling, humidity, algebra with my little brother, movies (Shrek: Forever After, Sex and the City 2, and Prince of Persia), sleeping (and not sleeping), and the constant trips for food from arepas de choclo (excuse me if I misspelled) to chocolate chip pancakes.
La Placita, a Colombian bakery in South Florida
Pandebono, Colombian cheese bread
Arepa de Choclo, con Queso
The Village Grille in Ft. Lauderdale. Home to the Boston Bar.
FirstWatch
When I’m human, as I hope to be…
The wedding was Thursday. I was a bridesmaid, so I wore a shamrock green dress and had my hair wrapped in curls and twists. I carried a bouquet but did not catch one. I looked on as Lizzie’s now-husband stared into her eyes. He loved her, you could see it. My eyes watered; we were just so happy for her. We knew our Lizzie was with someone who would keep her calm, charmed, and inexplicably content.
I sang their first dance song; the music for At Last played in the background as I worked through my nerves and pronounced the lyrics. I watched the new husband and wife dance, Lizzie’s dress casting shadows on the floor. Congratulations, Elizabeth.
Look how she lights up the sky, ma belle Evangeline…
When you find out who you are, you find out what you need…
So it is with sadness and anticipation I await my flight. My plane has just arrived and the movie has almost ended. I am going back to Boston, but I will miss parts of Florida: my friends and family, the memories they create. But I know I need to go back to Massachusetts, to my job and my internship. To my future. Goodbye, Florida; I’ll miss you.
Say cheese.