Jhenesis Martinez-Batiz
Wedding Realizations
“You may kiss the bride.” spoke the preacher as my dad pulled in my step-mom for a kiss. My
grandparents were beside me in tears of joy. They were proud to see their baby boy finally happy again
after being divorced for eleven years. For as long as I could remember, it had been just my dad and me.
We were a team, always and forever. Yet, in that moment, as I watched my dad and step-mom skip
blissfully down the aisle, I knew I should have felt ecstatic to see them happy, like a good daughter. I
didn’t feel joy, I felt lost like a bull in a china shop, and I didn’t feel like I belonged. All of my family was
up cheering and clapping, hooting and hollering as if their favorite team just won the championships. I
just stood by my seat clapping slowly with a fake smile plastered on my face. It wouldn’t matter if I had
been crying or frowning because I knew all eyes were all on the newlyweds. Maybe I was selfish for
wanting my dad to myself, but I was genuinely afraid of losing him. It’s not easy transitioning from being
daddy’s only girl, to having to spend the rest of my life watching her take over. It’s not like I didn’t have