Wedding Drama (10 page)

Auntie Dee finds their table just then as well.

Deja and Auntie Dee and Nikki and her mom arrive at table twelve at exactly the same time. There are four empty places, all together. When Auntie Dee and Deja's mom sit down, they leave the two seats between them empty. “Sit down,” Auntie Dee says, before introducing herself and Deja to the other people at the table.

Nikki's mom tells her to be seated too, and then turns away to introduce herself to the elderly woman seated on the other side of her.

“Isn't this nice?” Auntie Dee says.

“It's absolutely lovely,” Nikki's mom says.

Nikki and Deja don't say anything. A waiter comes by and places salad in front of them. Deja looks down at hers, then at all the silverware at her place setting. Nikki stares at her place setting as well.

“I've got too many forks,” Deja says to herself.

“Me, too,” Nikki mumbles. Her mother is busy talking to the elderly gentleman sitting two seats away. Nikki holds up the smallest one and studies it.

“I thought you were going to wear lavender,” Deja says out of the blue.

“I decided not to,” Nikki says. “Because lavender's
your
color.”

“That's why you got your dress in peach?”

“Yeah.” Nikki starts in on her salad with the little fork. “But why are
you
wearing peach?” she asks after a moment.

“'Cause I didn't want to be twins.” Deja sneaks a look at Nikki to see how she takes this.

“And look,” Nikki says, giggling. “We're twins anyway.”

Deja can't help giggling, too. She takes a bite of salad, using the same size fork as Nikki.

***

Later, when the dessert cart comes around, they both choose strawberry shortcake.

After that, a cart comes around with gold boxes of wedding cake to take home.

“I'm keeping mine forever,” Nikki says.

“Me, too,” Deja says.

Then, in the middle of the reception, while everyone is eating the yummy desserts, music starts up. And there's their teacher, dancing with her new husband—something like a waltz. She still has on her flowing white wedding dress. Their teacher, dancing with her
husband...
Nikki and Deja look at each other and smile. They're speechless. This is just too amazing. Ms. Shelby is amazing, her dress is amazing, and the decorations are amazing, too. Watching their teacher dance with her new husband is amazing, and taking wedding cake home is
really
amazing. But the most amazing thing about all of it, both girls realize with surprise, is sharing this wonderful experience with each other.

 

K
AREN
E
NGLISH
has been an elementary school teacher in urban neighborhoods for many years, and she wrote these books with her students in mind. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

 

L
AURA
F
REEMAN
has illustrated many books for children. Her drawings for this book were inspired by her own childhood. Laura lives with her husband and two children in Dunwoody, Georgia.