Wedding Bells

[Lucas: Nine years old]

The hall was packed with people, next to none I knew. I saw Auntie Maggie and her family, and a few of mummy’s friends I’d met as they got me ready. But I was left alone with some little kids I didn’t know, being watched by adults I didn’t know. It made me really nervous.

“Excuse me?”

This little ginger boy cowered behind a teenager. Mummy had introduced me to the bigger boy, he one of my new daddy’s nephews. Peter, or maybe Patrick. Mummy said I needed to be nice to him. The ginger boy looked my age, but he wasn’t looking at me. His pretty green eyes were trained to his shoes.

“This is Rickard. Everyone calls him Ricky.” The boy smiled, “He doesn’t really talk much, and he’s shy, but he’s going to be your brother by the end of the day.”

Shy green eyes peaked up to me, and I tried to smile but that seemed to scare him too. I thought the older boy was doing Ricky a favour, but he ran first chance he got to the bridesmaids. And Ricky looked very unhappy.

[Ricky: seven years old]

He left me. Daddy told him to stay. So many people. Lots of people. Very loud. And this new boy. My new brother. But I don’t know my brother, I can’t trust him. He’s just like the noisy people.

Loud music, people stop talking but the music is loud. It has the power to make people quiet. My new mummy walks towards us, she made everyone quiet. I don’t want her to leave, she needs to stay so things stay quiet. The old man starts talking. Lots of people look at me, and I’m trying not to let it bother me. This is a happy day for daddy. It’s been a long time since he’s been happy.

Something touches my hand. It’s warm, trying to be comforting. I look to the hand holding mine and then up to my brother. He just smiled. His chocolate eyes were pretty. I tried to smile back, but I’m not sure if my mouth made the right shape. I didn’t smile much anymore. I just needed to get through this. Then daddy said I could miss the party and go home. So I held the other boy’s hand and tried to breathe. Like Dr Daniel taught me.

[Lucas]

Mummy said she was going home before the big party started. She was tired, and my new brother needed to go home. I demanded she stay. It was the party bit she was looking forward to, and I didn’t mind missing out to go home and look after Ricky. Helping him through the ceremony helped me get closer to him.

He was waiting in the back of the car when I climbed in and mummy told him I was taking him home.

“Now you two can get to know each other better. You’ll be best friends and brothers by the time daddy and I get home.”

Ricky didn’t say anything the whole way home. I was worried he’d abandon me after the car stopped moving because he was the first out. I rushed to catch up to him, almost tripping on the gravel as I got out. But he was by my door, keeping me steady.

He lead me through the house without a word, he didn’t say anything up the stairs or down the halls. He kept walking until we reached a play room. There were more toys than I could imagine, more than I’d even seen at school. Many weren’t even open. And he didn’t seem interested.

Ricky sat at a desk, with a sketchbook and pencils, leaving me to play with whatever I wanted. Before I could think to ask, I tore into the package of an action figure and started playing with all the little parts he came with. When I heard fast scratching of pencil on paper I looked up. I worried that he was upset over me playing with a brand new toy, but he was shading.

He handed me the paper. It was really really good, not a stick people drawing like I could just about manage, but also a proper family picture. I was so happy to see me and mummy smiling in his picture that I hugged him very tightly. Whenever mummy was happy with daddy, she gave him a big kiss. And Ricky deserved a big kiss.

“I want to be a good big brother to you,” I grinned.

I pulled him in for a noisy kiss, and the maids passing the room giggled at us. I asked him to play army men with me, but he shook his head and kept drawing. The maids came in to play, while he stayed on his own. But he seemed happy that way. And if he was happy, I was happy. I was happy to have a safe family.

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