Return to the index
Take the reader survey
Hannah has been invited to her cousin's wedding in Texas, but having not seen her cousins in many years, she is apprehensive about the trip. In the end, though, there was nothing to fear. Through the wedding weekend, she finds herself reconnecting with the family she had been separated from for so long. Oh, she has the hiccups a couple times, too! --The Author
"Flight 2219 to Houston, all rows, all passengers," the airline gate agent announced to the small group in the waiting area. Hannah picked up her heavy duffel bag and nervously stepped toward the gate. Hannah had never been on an airplane before - she'd only been out of the state once, for that matter - but that was about to change. Hannah had been invited to a cousin's wedding in Texas, and she had decided to go for the weekend to attend.
Having last seen her cousins when she was just six years old, Hannah's relationship with them was hardly close. Since her mother's death, Hannah's father hadn't let her visit them, and rarely even allowed her to talk to them on the phone. Still, when the invitation had come, she knew she couldn't pass up the opportunity to reconnect with her mother's family. So she had shown up at the airport about a week earlier with a crisp stack of twenty-dollar bills withdrawn from her personal savings, asking for a ticket to Houston, "next Friday evening, if that's possible."
Hannah couldn't understand why the man at the counter had given her such a strange look. It was almost like the look she got when she would attempt to talk to someone while in the middle of a bad case of the hiccups: that confused "What did you just say?" look. But she had spoken very clearly, and what else would one do at a ticket counter besides buy a ticket?
"Excuse me?" the man had finally said.
"I want to buy tickets to Houston, for next weekend. Houston, Texas?" Hannah repeated.
"Oh! Wow, no one buys tickets at the airport any more!" He finally seemed to understand what Hannah wanted.
Not having traveled by airplane before, Hannah didn't know that apparently people buy airline tickets on the internet now. Still, once the agent got over the amusement of a girl showing up at the airport to buy tickets with cash, he had helped her find the right airline and acquire the tickets for her trip.
Now, waiting as the last few people ahead of her boarded the plane, Hannah wondered if she was doing the right thing. It had been eleven years since she'd seen her cousins; what if they didn't have anything in common any more? They had probably just sent the invitation as a courtesy, after all, never expecting her to come. She was comforted, however, by the fact that her oldest cousin Katie, the one who was getting married, had sounded excited when she had talked to her about coming for the weekend. She had even offered to let Hannah stay at her family's home.
Hannah was such a cheerful, confident girl that it was strange for her to ever be nervous or afraid. Yet here, in a situation that most people would find commonplace, her family's difficult past left her quite unsure of herself. Still, she also felt hopeful that she would have a great time and reconnect some bonds that her life had been sadly lacking for the past eleven years.
Soon she was aboard the small airplane. Having never flown before, the commuter jet seemed like a mighty airliner to her; she had no idea that many airplanes are three or four times larger than this one! Hannah's seat was by the window, and an older woman sat next to her, beside the aisle. Her seatmate was friendly, and Hannah quickly felt at ease chatting with her. After they had briefly greeted one another, the older woman asked Hannah where she was traveling to.
"I'm going to Houston for my cousin's wedding," Hannah explained. "Are you visiting family, too?"
The woman smiled. "Oh, that's very nice," she said. "I'm going to Oklahoma to visit my grandchildren!"
"Aww, that's really sweet!" Hannah said. "How many grandchildren do you have?"
Every grandmother is more than willing to talk about her grandchildren. The woman told Hannah all about her grandchildren; those she was visiting and those that lived elsewhere, as well! She finished just as the airplane was taking off, and Hannah soon turned her attention to the window. The huge concrete runway quickly disappeared from view, and an aerial panorama spread out below her as the airplane quickly gained altitude.
Hannah turned back to her neighbor for a moment. "Wow, it's such a beautiful view from the air!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, it's gorgeous," the lady agreed. "Have you been on a plane before?"
"Never," Hannah admitted. "It's pretty exciting!"
The woman chuckled. "It is until you make a habit of it."
Hannah blushed a little at her own exuberance. "I guess so," she acknowledged. "My dad and I never travelled much, though. I've only been out of the state one time, and that was just going down to Atlanta once. So it's pretty new to me."
"I see; I hope you have a great time, then!"
"I hope so too."
In a few minutes, the flight attendant came by to offer a drink and a small sandwich. Hannah took a turkey sandwich and a cup of apple juice. A Coke sounded good, but she really didn't want to disturb the other passengers with the hiccups that a carbonated drink would certainly give her.
After they both finished their meals, Hannah's neighbor closed her eyes and was quickly asleep. Hannah turned back to the window, and watched the scenery pass below her in the waning light of evening. She thought of the last time she had seen her Texas cousins. They had come to visit her family when she was six years old, back when her mother was still alive. Many of her memories of those early years of her life were dim and incomplete, but Hannah's memory of that long-ago visit was quite clear. She remembered how they had all gone up into the mountains for a picnic. She remembered playing in the grass with Katie and Jeffrey. Katie was six or seven years older than her, while Jeffrey was right about her age. She remembered her Uncle Rob and Aunt Laurel. She remembered how happy they had seemed; how different their family had been from her own. Even as a six-year-old, she had recognized the difference. Best of all, though, she remembered how happy her mother had been that weekend; as if a breath of fresh air had blown through her difficult life. Her cousins had departed with promises to return the next year. Little did they know that before the year was up, Hannah's mother would be gone - killed by a car while walking across her own street.
The nostalgic thoughts brought tears to Hannah's eyes. Her view out the window became clouded and blurred by the tears, try as she did to fight them back. She wiped her eyes with her napkin, but the tears kept coming. She quietly tried to stifle a sob. Afraid that she would awaken her neighbor, she gingerly climbed over the sleeping woman's legs and made her way to the lavatory.
In the bathroom, Hannah valiantly fought back the tears. Everyone, even cheery, positive people like Hannah, occasionally has those difficult moments where it is all but impossible to hold back their emotions, even in public. Fortunately, Hannah had the privacy of the lavatory. After a few minutes of struggling to calm herself, she finally felt good enough to return to her seat. Again climbing carefully over her neighbor, she managed to make it back into her seat without disturbing the sleeping woman at all.
Around a half-hour later, having read everything even remotely interesting from the airline magazine, Hannah leaned her seat a little further back, and closed her eyes to rest. It hadn't even been a minute when she inexplicably felt herself hiccup, although the hiccup was unusually silent. She quickly opened her eyes. "Crap, what could have given me the hiccups?" she thought. "I hope that was just a random single one; I don't want to wake up that poor lady with my stupid hiccups." Being so accustomed to her seemingly endless hiccups, Hannah wasn't generally annoyed by them; but in situations like this where they might be bothersome or inconvenient for someone else, she hated getting hiccups, since she was so helpless to stop them.
Like it or not, a few more not-so-silent hiccups made it clear that it hadn't been a teaser. She tried to keep her mouth closed over them, but at least half of the hiccups still escaped with that classic "hic!" sound that Hannah was all too familiar with.
Despite Hannah's best efforts to stay quiet, the lady in the aisle seat began to stir, and finally turned to the hiccupping girl to ask, "Are you ok, sweetheart?"
Her hiccups didn't often embarrass her, but this time Hannah blushed deeply. "I have *hic* the hiccups. I'm sooo-*hic* sorry for waking y-*hic* you up! I'll try to st-*hmk* stay quiet."
The older lady laughed. "It's ok, you can't help it. Do you need water or anything?"
Hannah shook her head and explained, "No, *hic* nothing stops my hiccups. I g-*hic* get them all the time, *hic* like every day, almost."
"Goodness," the lady exclaimed. "I hope they don't last long!"
Hannah made a wry face. "They do. *hic* Like more than an hour, even a-*huck* all day sometimes!"
The lady gave Hannah a look of surprise. "That must drive you crazy!" she sympathized.
"It's fine *hic* usually," Hannah said with a shrug. "I'm just really *huck* sorry I woke y-*hic*-ou!"
"Don't worry about it!"
A few more minutes of Hannah's clearly audible hiccups brought the flight attendant to her row. "Do you need some water for those hiccups?" she offered.
Hannah smiled sheepishly. "No, I'm *hic* ok." Then she added, "Nothing cures my *huck* hiccups."
Once they arrived at the sprawling Houston airport, Hannah said goodbye to her seatmate, who wished her a good weekend, and the best of luck with her hiccups! Wandering toward the exit, she took her phone from her purse and dialed Katie's number.
"Hey, you made it?" Katie answered cheerily.
"Yep, I'm *hic* here! Where should I m-*hic* meet you?" Hannah asked.
"We're in the baggage claim area," Katie said. "Do you have any bags coming?"
"No, I *hic* have all my stuff *hic* with me."
"Ok, we'll meet you by claim number one, how's that? It's the closest to the doors."
"That sounds *huck* great, I'll be right o-*hic-ulk* out!" Hannah agreed excitedly, interrupted by an unusually loud hiccup.
Katie laughed. "Are you ok, Hannah?"
"Hiccups," Hannah explained simply.
"That should make you easier to find," Katie teased.
Indeed, moments later, Katie spotted her hiccupping cousin and ran over to greet her. She gave Hannah a big hug as they met. "Oh my gosh, Hannah, it's so good to see you again!" she gushed.
"I know, *hic* you too! It's been sooo-*hic* long. Thank you so much for *huck* letting me come!"
Hannah's aunt was there too, and she also greeted Hannah with a warm embrace. "You look so grown up!" she said in classic distant-family fashion. "But you're still as cute as I remember you being!"
Hannah giggled. "Thanks, Aunt Laurel!"
Out at the car, Uncle Rob was waiting for them. A large, jolly fellow, Uncle Rob was the kind of man that instantly made you feel comfortable and at home around him. After only minutes with the family, Hannah was already very glad she had come. Despite the years of separation, she felt an instant bond with her long-lost relatives. As Uncle Rob drove them home, they all conversed excitedly, starting to catch up on all they had missed in one another's lives. Hannah's hiccups still boisterously interrupted her speech, but except for a little teasing from Uncle Rob when she first got in the car, no one paid any attention to them.
A short drive quickly brought them to the spacious home in the outskirts of the city, where Jeffrey and Katie's fiancé Brendan awaited them. Katie gleefully introduced Hannah to her husband-to-be, and the happy family chatted together long into the evening.
Finally, as it began to get late, they all said goodnight, and Katie showed Hannah to the room where she would be staying. Hannah's hiccups had stopped for a few minutes during the evening conversation, but had quickly returned, and were still going strong as Katie ensured that she had everything she would need for the night. Not familiar with Hannah's chronic hiccups, Katie wondered if she was feeling ok, after three hours of hiccups with only a few minutes' break! "Are you feeling all right, sweetheart? Isn't there something we can do for your hiccups?"
Hannah shrugged. "I'm doing great! And for *hic* the hiccups, not really," she admitted. "Actually, I *hic* hardly noticed I still h-*huck* had them."
Katie laughed. "How could you ignore those crazy loud things? And after like three hours?"
"I get hiccups all *hic* the time," Hannah began her familiar explanation.
"Yeah, but all night?"
"Mhm. *huck* I seriously get them al-*hic*-most every day. And *hic* if you think three hours is a l-*huck* lot, I've had them for *hic* days without stopping."
"Oh gosh," Katie exclaimed. "Is that like, a disease?"
"Nah," Hannah chuckled. "Unless being me *hic* counts as a disease!"
"Wow, I can't even remember the last time I had hiccups. That has to be so embarrassing for you."
"Once in a while *hic* it is," Hannah said. "But usually *huck* I don't pay them any atten-*hic*-tion. It's only embarrass-*huck*-ing if it's like when it's *huck* supposed to be quiet, or *huck* if I'm really bothering someone. *hic* It was embarrassing on *hic* the plane cause the l-*huck* lady next to me was try-*huck*-ing to sleep!"
"Aww, well you can't help it, I guess," Katie sympathized.
"Definitely not. *hic* I had hiccups for a *hulk* week once, and not even *huck* the doctor could cure them."
"Wow, well I hope you don't have them that long this time; you need some sleep!"
"Yeah, *hic* thanks! I don't think *hic* they'll last too long." Hannah guessed. "But *hic* if you don't m-*hic* mind, I'm gonna take a show-*hic*-er here before bed; *hic* sometimes that calms them *hic* down."
"Totally, go right ahead." Katie agreed. "You won't bother us at all."
"Ok, thank you! *hic* And if the hiccups d-*huck* don't stop, I'll try to *hic* keep them quiet so I *huck* don't keep you awake!" she promised.
"Oh don't worry about that at all, hun," Katie assured. "You won't bother us at all. I just hope you can get some rest."
"I will, *hic* don't worry!"
The two cousins shared a quick good-night hug, and Hannah disappeared into the bathroom. The shower felt warm and good, but Hannah's hiccups still rang through the bathroom, unaffected by the soothing water. In the full exposure of a shower, one might think that Hannah would notice how strongly the hiccups seemed to roll through her stomach, or how her entire upper body was thrown back a little by each one. But accustomed as she was to constant hiccupping, she thought nothing of it.
After getting out, dressing, and preparing for bed, Hannah still felt no sign that the shower had quieted her hiccups at all. They didn't hurt, and they really wouldn't have bothered her, except that she did want to sleep, and more than that, she wasn't looking forward to trying to stifle the hiccups so that they wouldn't disturb the rest of the family as they slept. Not only was keeping her hiccups quiet very difficult, but they tended to hurt a bit if she had to hold them behind a tightly-closed mouth.
Fortunately for Hannah, she didn't have to silence them very long. Only a few minutes after crawling into bed, the hiccups stopped, and she sank into a deep, peaceful sleep.
* * * * *
The next morning, Hannah awoke to find the sun streaming in through the partially-closed curtains. The sounds she could hear from outside her room suggested that the rest of the family was already up and about. Reaching over to the end table, she checked the time on her phone, hoping it wasn't too terribly late. It was only about 9:45, so she didn't feel too bad! She had just stood up and started to quickly make the bed when there was a quiet knock on her room's door.
Taking a quick glance toward the mirror over the dresser, she ran her fingers quickly through her hair and answered, "Come in!"
"Good morning!" Aunt Laurel said as she opened the door. "Breakfast is ready, if you are!"
Hannah took another look in the mirror at her still-messy hair, and the pale blue pajama pants and plain white t-shirt that she had just slept in. "Well, maybe I should..."
Aunt Laurel interrupted her. "Don't worry about it, we're not having company," she laughed. "After all, look at me; I don't even have makeup on!"
Hannah laughed and after quickly pulling her hair back into some semblance of a ponytail, followed her aunt to the kitchen. Uncle Rob was deftly flipping the last of a batch of pancakes, while Jeffrey poured orange juice into each glass on the table, and Brendan already sat at his place. Katie stood in the far corner of the room, talking on the telephone.
"Morning, glory! What took you so long?" Uncle Rob teased as Hannah entered the kitchen. "Grab a seat, 'cause it's ready!"
Gathered around the table, the family waited for a minute or two to see if Katie would be off the phone soon. She waved them on, though, and retreated to the living room to finish her conversation. Breakfast was halfway through before she returned, with a troubled look on her face, which her mother recognized right away.
"Is something wrong, dear?" Aunt Laurel asked.
"That was Cassie and her mom; she was in a car wreck last night," Katie explained. Cassie was Katie's college roommate, and one of the four bridesmaids in the upcoming wedding.
"Oh no!" Aunt Laurel exclaimed. "Cassandra was?"
"Yeah, her and her brother."
"That's terrible, is she ok?"
"Well kinda," Katie began. "She broke her leg and is in the hospital to have surgery on it. But there weren't any other major injuries."
"Aww, poor girl," Aunt Laurel sympathized. "I'm glad it wasn't any worse."
"I know, me too! I talked a little bit to her; she said her leg was giving her a lot of pain. She's obviously not going to be able to make it tomorrow, though."
"Definitely not; she needs to rest and recover."
As they all finished breakfast, Katie told them the rest of what she had heard from Cassie and her mother, and they also discussed what to do about the now-missing bridesmaid.
"You could just have one less groomsman, too," Uncle Rob pointed out.
That was the simplest option, but Katie wasn't too excited about it. "The platform would look too empty," she countered. "And who would we leave out?"
A few names were proposed as substitute bridesmaids, but each one wouldn't work out, for one reason or another.
"You could ask Hannah here to do it," Jeffrey finally suggested.
Aunt Laurel seemed to like that idea, as well. "She's about the same size as Cassandra, maybe she could even wear her dress," she added.
Katie thought that was a great solution. "Would you do it, Hannah?" she asked. "It's fine if you'd rather not, but I'd love to have you in the ceremony!"
"Are you sure?" Hannah asked, a little anxiously. "I mean, you hardly know me, I'd hate to be up there instead of someone closer to you."
"No way," Katie assured her. "You're family, that as close as it gets!"
Hannah grinned with excitement. "I'd love to, if you're sure!"
Katie had no doubts. "I'm positive!"
After helping with the kitchen cleanup, Hannah got ready for the day, fixing her hair, putting on a little makeup - though she hardly needed it, really - and trading the pajamas for a comfortable pair of jeans and a cute gray and white top.
Most of the day was spent in wedding preparations. There were decorations to buy, flowers to arrange, and of course, the wedding rehearsal in the evening. They squeezed in a quick trip to the hospital to visit the injured Cassie, and picked up the bridesmaid's dress from Cassie's mom. Hannah really was Cassie's size; the dress fit almost perfectly. Katie had opted for a very feminine pink and white color scheme, and Hannah thought the pink dress that she would be wearing was pretty cute. Considering what bridesmaids have to wear at some weddings, she certainly could have done a lot worse.
That evening, after the wedding rehearsal, Uncle Rob brought Jeffrey and Hannah back to the house, while Aunt Laurel and Katie stayed a bit later at the church covering various last-minute details. Uncle Rob then had to take something from the house back to the church, so Jeffrey and Hannah were left alone. Jeffrey suggested they play a game on his video game console, and although Hannah was terrible at video games, they both had a lot of fun playing together. The excitement and energy of the game quickly gave Hannah the hiccups, but neither she nor Jeffrey paid them much attention. They didn't even notice when the others came home.
As they played, they talked a bit, and they talked more after they were finished playing, when they didn't have to concentrate so much on the game! "I'm so *hic* glad I came down here this *hic* weekend," Hannah confided. "I almost didn't come."
"I hope it wasn't too expensive for you," Jeffrey said, knowing that Hannah didn't have much money at all.
"Oh no, it wasn't *hic* that," Hannah clarified. "I just, *hmk* I didn't know what it would *hic* be like, after so long."
Jeffrey was sympathetic, but he was no psychiatrist. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, obviously a bit confused.
"I just, *hic* I guess I had forgotten just what having family was really *hic* like," she explained, her hiccups subsiding along with the excitement from the game.
"You don't have much family there in Tennessee, did you?"
"I do; most of my dad's *hmk* family still lives there. But they - they just aren't the same. *hic* They fight; they're always drunk; some of th-*hic* them are in jail. They don't feel like family. I live with my friend Juliana and her dad now, and they're awesome; I love them so much. But it's still not family, you know?"
Jeffrey felt sorry for his cousin. "It must be pretty hard for you," he said.
"Yeah, but at least I didn't really remember all I was missing. Just being with you all last night and today - it's been so wonderful. I've had friends who had happy families like you do, but that was different because that was their family. Y'all are mine. I wish I could have always had family like you around."
"That would have been pretty cool," Jeffrey agreed. "You're an awesome girl; it would have been a lot of fun to have been together more."
"It would have. And I'm really glad I'm able to be here now. I just wish it had always been this way," Hannah lamented.
Jeffrey didn't really know all that had gone on in Hannah's life after her mother had died. "Did you have a pretty rough childhood?" he asked.
Hannah didn't want to sound like she was whining or complaining about her life, for she knew despite her troubles, she'd been blessed in many ways. "Well I mean, I have awesome friends, and I never could have made it without them. But my father - yeah, he wasn't very nice to me. I never had a real family relationship at all."
"I'm sorry. Everyone should be able to depend on their family. But you've got us now!" Jeffrey reminded her, as he put his arm around her and gave her a little squeeze.
"I know, thank you," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Hannah wasn't an overly dramatic girl, but the flood of feelings and memories was too much. On one hand, she felt sad that she had missed out on having a healthy family experience; yet on the other hand, she was so happy to have finally found it. For a couple minutes, she just cried silently into Jeffrey's shoulder, as he quietly held her, not knowing exactly what else to do. Hannah's tears soon subsided and she looked up at Jeffrey. "I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I've been so emotional this weekend; I'm not really sure why. I shouldn't be crying on you like a baby!"
"It's ok," her cousin assured her. "I'm sure it's hard for you. I'm glad you're here, though."
"Me too."
* * * * *
The morning of the wedding day dawned bright and sunny. Rising as early as the sun, the somewhat groggy family gathered for a quick breakfast before starting the many last-minute preparations that still remained. The wedding wasn't until two in the afternoon, but when it comes to weddings, no start is too early.
Their breakfast quickly finished, they discussed what they each would be doing through the morning. Mom and Dad would be working on food for the reception. Jeffrey was going to the church to make sure the sound system was all ready. Katie and the bridesmaids, Hannah included, would each have a turn to get their hair done.
As Katie and Hannah drove to their appointment at the hair salon with the other girls, Hannah's hiccups started up once again. "You don't have the hiccups again, do you sweetie?" Katie asked sympathetically after the first few hiccups.
"I think I *hic* do," Hannah giggled.
When they arrived, Katie introduced the other bridesmaids to Hannah, presenting her with, "And this is my cousin Hannah; she came along to entertain us with her hiccups."
Everyone laughed, and Hannah agreed, "Yep, that's *hic* what I'm here for!"
Joking aside, Katie explained that since Cassie had been in the car accident, she had chosen Hannah to take her place in the wedding party. The other girls warmly welcomed Hannah, and they all enjoyed their morning getting primped for the ceremony. The girls teased Hannah incessantly about her hiccups, but it didn't bother her at all, and she played right along, letting her hiccups come out even louder than usual. Even the hairdresser got in on the laughs. While she was arranging Hannah's beautiful shoulder-length blonde hair, she teased, "If anyone at the wedding says your hair looks bad, it's because your hiccups made me mess it up!"
The joke was starting to wear just a little thin by the time the girls arrived at the church, though. Melanie, the maid of honor, seemed downright annoyed by the hiccups by then, as if Hannah was having them on purpose. When they still hadn't stopped with only thirty minutes to go before the ceremony, even Hannah herself began to grow worried. She didn't want to bother Katie about it, but she did find Aunt Laurel and asked her opinion on what to do. "I don't know *hic* if these hiccups w-*huck* will stop before the wedding," she explained. "What do *hic* you think I should d-*hic* do?"
Aunt Laurel hadn't considered that possibility. "Um..." she thought for a minute. "Are you sure you can't cure them?" she asked.
"I've *hic* never in my life *huck* been able to. *hic* I don't want to r-*hic* ruin Katie's wedding!" Hannah moaned.
Aunt Laurel, though a little worried herself, tried to assure Hannah that things would go ok. "You won't ruin anything," she promised. "Don't get all upset about it, or they definitely won't stop."
Hannah nodded. "Yeah, *hic* I know."
Her aunt continued. "Just don't pay them any attention, and if they aren't gone by ten 'til, come tell me and we'll see what we can do." With that, she gave Hannah a quick hug. "You'll be fine, Hannah."
"Thanks," Hannah said with a little smile. "I hope so!" It was rarely difficult for Hannah to ignore the hiccups, but she knew people would keep saying things about them if she stayed with the rest of the wedding party. "I'm *hic* going to go out-*huck*-side for a few minutes; *huck* if anyone asks, I'll b-*hic* be right back."
"That's a great idea," Aunt Laurel agreed. "They have some beautiful gardens out back if you'd like to walk out there."
Slipping away from the crowded church foyer, Hannah found her way around the outside of the building to the garden that her aunt had spoken of. The church's grounds were indeed beautifully landscaped. Breathlessly wandering through the fragrant roses and cheery daises, Hannah completely forgot about the hiccups that were threatening to provide her and her cousin major embarrassment. She could easily have lost herself for an hour or two in the delightful garden, but frequently checked her watch to be sure she didn't lose track of time.
Meanwhile, guests continued to file into the church. The groomsmen shared the job of ushering guests to their seats, while the bridesmaids waited outside the doors of the sanctuary, chatting with guests and nervously checking their hair and makeup. The wedding photographer stood near the front of the church, snapping pictures of the beautiful decorations, with the view of the gardens through the church's large windows providing an exquisite backdrop. Though sunlight streamed through the windows, carefully arranged candles added their own soft glow to the platform.
From his post at the back of the church, Jeffrey noticed Hannah slowly walking through the garden outside. It seemed strange for her to be outside alone while everyone was going through their final preparations, and he wondered if anything might be wrong. Leaving the other groomsmen to continue directing guests to their seats, he quickly found his way to where she stood, taking in the scent of a particularly lovely yellow rose, oblivious to his presence behind her and to the hiccups that still racked her body. Even if she was his cousin, Jeffrey was still amazed at how beautiful Hannah looked, with the perfectly-formed rose just inches from her glowing face. "It's gorgeous out here, isn't it?" he commented.
Hannah turned from the rosebush and straightened up with a start. "Oh! Sorry," she exclaimed. "I didn't know anyone else was out here!"
Jeffrey laughed. "It's ok! Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Hannah answered. "I just came out here to relax and try to..." A look of surprise suddenly crossed her face.
"Cure your hiccups?" Jeffrey finished for her.
"Oh my gosh Jeffrey, thank you so much!" she gushed. "How did you do that? Getting scared never stops my hiccups!"
Jeffrey shrugged. "I don't know; I didn't even mean to scare you! But come on, you better get back in with the other girls. Melanie has been asking where you went."
The wedding ceremony went off, dare I say, without a hiccup. Watching Katie and Brendan light a unity candle, and slip the wedding bands onto one another's fingers, Hannah felt so happy for the newly-married couple. She could tell that Katie and her new husband were genuinely happy, and that they truly had a wonderful relationship. As every girl does at such moments, she imagined having such a beautiful wedding of her own someday, too.
At the reception, just a few sips of punch brought Hannah's hiccups back with a vengeance. "Sounds like they're back," Jeffrey commented when he sat down next to her at the table.
"No kidding," Hannah agreed. "I *hic* feel like I've h-*huck* had the hiccups all *huck* weekend!"
As is customary at many wedding receptions, each member of the wedding party had a turn to publicly share a few thoughts of congratulation to the new couple, making a toast in their honor. When Hannah's turn came and she was handed the microphone, she hiccupped before she could even get a word out. Amplified as it was by the sound system, it clearly got everyone's attention. Giggles and chuckles rippled through the room as she cleared her throat and began. "First off, *hic* I promise I haven't been d-*huck* drinking the champagne!"
The guests laughed. "Poor Hannah!" Katie whispered to Brendan.
"So you'll *hic* have to excuse my *hilk* hiccups," Hannah continued. "It's an *hic* annoying habit of mine."
Several people chuckled again at that.
Hannah continued with a heartfelt message. "I just had to *huck* take this chance to wish the *hic* very best to my cousin Ka-*hic*-tie, and Brendan. Getting to *hic* know you again this week-*huck*-end has been one of the *hic* best things that has ever ha-*huck* happened to me. I never knew *hic* what it was like to have a *hic* real family like you all; and n-*huck* now that I know, I couldn't have *hic* asked for a more incredi-*hic*-ble one. You two are a *hic* beautiful couple, and I know you're g-*ulk* going to have an amazing life *hic* together. Thank you so *hic* much for letting me be a *hic* part of this special day!"
Katie smiled back at her cousin, even as she could feel her eyes moistening with tears. "Thanks, Hannah," she said with unmasked emotion. "It's been wonderful getting to be with you again, too. I'm glad you're a part of our family, forever."
The other guests applauded, and Katie wasn't the only one who was deeply touched by the moment. Seeking to lighten the mood, though, Katie threw in, "But seriously, enough with the hiccups!"
Laughter echoed through the guests. Hannah had already handed the microphone to the next person, but she still answered with a giggle: "I'm trying, *hic* I'm trying!"
* * * * *
That evening, it was time for goodbyes. Katie and Brendan had already left for their honeymoon, but Uncle Rob, Aunt Laurel, and Jeffrey all went together with Hannah to the airport. "Thank you again sooo much for letting me come," Hannah said earnestly, free from hiccups for the moment. "This has been the best weekend ever!"
"We're so glad you could come," Aunt Laurel assured her. "We'll definitely have to get up there to see you again before too long!"
"That would be amazing."
They all shared hugs amidst the din of the drop-off area. Uncle Rob playfully tousled Hannah's hair as one would with a little child, and lightheartedly admonished her to "Come and see us again in ten years or so!"
"I'll try!" Hannah chuckled.
She hugged Jeffrey for few moments longer. "It's been a lot of fun seeing you," he told her.
"You too!" she agreed.
"Keep in touch!"
"I will," Hannah promised. "And you've got my number."
Finally, with another round goodbyes and a last wave, Hannah entered the terminal.
Not long later, Hannah sat at the gate, still practically glowing with happiness. She would miss Katie, Jeffrey, and her uncle and aunt, but just knowing that they were there for her far outweighed the sadness of parting. This really had been the best weekend she could possibly have asked for. Not only had she had a lot of fun and been part of a beautiful wedding, but best of all, after years apart, she had finally found her family. It was a wonderful feeling.