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“Do you have a Xanax?” Olivia asked.
I shook my head. “No, but we can do some deep breathing?” I suggested. Olivia turned pale.
“Are you ready, ladies?” Sharma O’Callahan asked. She was the leading reporter for the business section of the Dover Gazette and the panel’s moderator.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said. Sharma led us out onstage and gestured toward two seats at the end of a long table with old-time microphones in front of them. We took our seats. Fortunately, the lights were too bright for me to see the audience starting to trail in.
“Maybe we can picture everyone in their underwear?” Olivia suggested in a whisper.
“I’d rather not picture my parents in their underwear!” I shot back.
“Oh, God! Our parents!” Olivia squeaked.
Sharma adjusted her microphone and gave a brief introduction. I blacked out during most of the panel. I said a lot of things about “motherhood” and “balance” and “having it all.” Olivia reached under the table and squeezed my hand reassuringly.
“Now, did I hear that the two of you are actually sisters-in-law?” Sharma asked.
“Yes! There’s no way I could do any of this without Olivia. She’s been my greatest supporter during all of this, as well as my husband, Sebastian. When I was pregnant, she would stay up until midnight talking me down,” I said.
“And Becca actually inspired me to start my business long before I knew her!” Olivia added.
“How cosmic!” Sharma quipped.
Sharma passed the microphone out into the audience for a Q&A session. Sebastian asked me what it was like being the hottest and most proficient business owner in Dover, and I laughed so hard I almost cried.
“That’s my husband,” I explained to the audience. “My official answer is right back at you.”
“And I would like to add, as his sister, ‘Why are you like this?’” Olivia piped up into her mic.
Olivia and I met our families out in the lobby. Ophelia and Ralph both reached for me. They were dressed up for the occasion. Ophelia wore a dress the same pink as my suit, and Ralph wore a tiny bowtie and a button-down shirt. I hugged them close. When I looked up, I noticed both Sebastian and my parents were clutching several bouquets.
“Okay, this is why I suggested we make a group chat,” Jasmine said as she approached us. She grabbed Ralph from me, her bestie since day one, and handed me a bouquet of sunflowers. I burst out laughing.
“Happy birthday, girl!” Jasmine said. Jay came up behind her and grabbed Ophelia. The two of them took their duties as godparents very seriously.
“I told you; I don’t know how to work a group chat!” My father trumpeted before slinging his arm around my shoulders, “Wonderful job, Rebecca,” he grumbled.
“And I told you I would teach you!” Sebastian said. He gave Jasmine and Jay a hug before returning to my side.
I glanced at what was now an entire rainbow of bouquets, each held by someone I loved, and I felt so, so lucky.
THE END
