Free It Had To Be You by Janice Thompson

even the things you weren’t looking for. I’d purchased the boots on eBay.
    The first song ended a few seconds later. Emilio and Francesca finally gave up on their dance and retreated to the opposite side of the dance floor, where they stood arm in arm.
    “What do you think of those two?” I leaned in to whisper. Mama’s eyes narrowed. “Well, it’s different. Sometimes …” She shrugged.
    “What?”
    “Emilio is your father’s brother, and look at how young and pretty his wife is. I just … I don’t know. I feel really old when she’s around.”
    “Mama!” I’d never seen my mother as anything less than confident, particularly when it came to her appearance. She was the queen of makeup, after all, and had maintained a youthful figure. So this really threw me.
    She shrugged. “Sorry, but it’s true. And did you see her in that negligee?”
    “Who didn’t?” I tried to bury the sigh that rose up but found myself unable to.
    Mama’s gaze shifted down. “I just wonder sometimes if your pop is sorry that he doesn’t have a pretty, young wife like that. Someone to show off to his friends.”
    “I heard that, Imelda.” My father’s voice rang out from behind us. “And in case you’re really wondering, I have the prettiest wife on Galveston Island. I wouldn’t give anyone else a second glance.” He swept her into his arms and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Besides, you look as young as you did the day I married you.”
    “It’s the hemorrhoid cream,” she said without missing a beat. “Ever since I started using it, I’ve lost most of the wrinkles around my eyes.”
    “Strange,” Sal said, drawing near. “Been using it for years, and it hasn’t done a thing for my wrinkles.”
    Mama and I erupted in laughter. Should we explain that she applied it directly to the wrinkles? Nah. Sal would never hear about her tricks of the trade, no matter how effective. Pop snorted too, and that got us all tickled. Before long, the band took to playing again, and we all hit the floor. I had the feeling this was just the first of many dances left to come.

 

    7 Eight to the Bar
     
    Life is filled with what I like to call “bada-bing, bada-boom” moments. These unexpected surprises always thrill and delight, because they are so, well, unexpected. We experienced a bada-bing, bada-boom moment as Gordy led the band in a jazzed-up version of “I Got Rhythm.” No sooner had his bandmates bellowed out the first few notes on their horns than D.J. and his mother, Earline, arrived at the wedding facility, along with three of my favorite women in the world—Sister Twila, Sister Jolene, and Sister Bonnie Sue. All three “sisters” attended D.J.’s home church in Splendora, and all three had become semi-permanent fixtures in the Rossi home over the past few months.
    Now, these three bodacious beauties weren’t really sisters, and they definitely weren’t nuns. But in their neck of the woods—the piney woods of Splendora, Texas—every believer went by brother or sister . I’d learned to love both the terms of endearment and the people themselves. In fact, these women not only epitomized the love of the Lord, they kept me on my toes with their humorous antics. They’d even gone so far as to bail me out of jail during my last wedding fiasco—a total misunderstanding, mind you—so I owed them. And then some.
    As soon as Earline and the three sisters entered the reception hall, Mama, Rosa, and I went crazy greeting them.
    “What a wonderful surprise!” I gave the women warm hugs.
    The ladies responded in kind and then turned to face Gordy and the other musicians. I could see the excitement on the faces of the ladies as they took in the swing band. These three were genuine music lovers. So was Earline, who would serve as pianist for the upcoming wedding. I had a feeling that’s why they’d come—to practice for the big day. Rosa and Laz must’ve set this up.
    We managed to talk above the band,