Smoked Success

52.

"Mom, let me introduce you to my new intern, Christina Styles." I introduce her as soon as I see my mother. The party's amazing, yes, but I'm busy with finding out that I have a sister who didn't die.

"What do you mean Christina Styles, your sister died twenty three years ago. Are you alright Jessica?" Mom scoffs. "Is this the lady scamming you?" Scamming me? She hasn't asked for money, what?

"And I thought my actual mother would be happy to see me." Christina or Heather, looks at her. "Look, I'm not here for your money, I just thought meeting those siblings I've never gotten the chance to live with or know would be amazing. I'll email you my birth certificate and I won't interrupt your lives, thank you."

"Christina, don't leave." I hold her hand before she runs off. I feel bad for her, I mean all she wanted was to see if her siblings actually exist or not. She's lived as a lonely child and discovered she's got siblings and another family. I hope she hasn't been lying to me. "Mom, did Christina die or not?" I'm seriously waiting for a serious response from her, and not lies.

"I guess I can no longer lie." Mom takes a sip of her cup of wine. Oh how I wish I can drink one of those right now. "Look, twenty three years ago, the Whitman family, which is probably the family she lived with, gave birth to a daughter the same day as Christina. I didn't know that family, at all, but it was aunt Lisa's idea, she kept on convincing me that I won't be able to raise three children alone. So I gave Christina to them and we decided to pretend the child is dead is my child not theirs."

"So, she's Tyler's twin sister? And I've been talking to a complete stranger these past years whenever I'd go to the cemeteries." I sigh. "If only dad and Tyler were here."

"Look, Christina, it's not that I didn't want you, it's just that I had zero money at the time. I was left alone to parent two kids by myself, Lisa's right, I can't raise three at a time. If you ask Jessica over here, she stayed with a baby sitter more than her actual mother during her childhood." Mom admits.

"It's just I'm so grateful to have found you." Christina cries and gets us to join her in a group hug.

"Well, Christina, meet my fiancé, Andrew Haddad." I catch Andrew's arm as I see him passing.

"Andrew Haddad, pleasure to meet you." Andrew shakes hands with her. He's such a natural. "And you are?"

"Christina Styles, Jessica's sister." Christina shakes hands with him, "I also am an intern at Haddad and Co."

"Yeah, used to manage it, gave my position to Jessica." Andrew chuckles. "Jessica, wasn't your sister dead like twenty three years ago?"

"It's a long story but she's alive now." Mom tells him. "Christina, make yourself at home."

Today's my wedding day. I'm officially getting married to Andrew. This is also the first time Tyler meets his twin sister, Christina. I am so happy for her, she graduated last month from New York University, she's doing some internships at hospitals until she gets an actual job when the Haddad hospital opens up.

Dad met Christina when he came to the United States to check up on Tyler and I. He was happy to know she's alive. Of course, Christina has the farthest accent when it comes to our family, considering her accent's from the South. We met the Whitman couple twice, and they're so sweet, same accent as hers.

Christina and I are honestly sort of close. We talk to each other whenever we're free. Andrew doesn't mind her presence, so we sometimes have double dates with her boyfriend, Penn. He's graduated a bachelor of Arts in English literature and he works as a teacher and a part time writer.

Andrew's exhibition turned out to be sort of incomplete, so he had to use some of his old sketches to complete it. For a first exhibition, it was a success, he sold some of his paintings. His next exhibition's date hasn't been planned, he needs some time. At some point, he even traveled to get some inspiration.

Angelina no longer calls me mom, she calls me Jessie. She dealt with the whole you're adopted thing quite well. She was sort of sad at first, knowing her real mother is dead, but it went well.

She's been doing well at school, she's got good appreciations from her teachers and she enjoys her new activities, basketball and guitar. As long as she's happy, I am too.

Let's have a throwback, from when I was twenty three, on my way to New York, still looking for a job. I had Christian as a boyfriend, and he turned out to be unfaithful. I went to UCLA for two years and then went back to London. I had way too many ups and downs, but that's what makes life interesting, what makes the whole struggle worth it.

I finished writing my vows yesterday, I'm so glad I finished on time. With the amount of workload, I never thought I'd finish, not this year. I can't let anything sadden me today.

"Do you, Jessica Ellen Styles, take Andrew Haddad to be your husband?" The priest asks me, here it comes.

"I, Jessica Ellen Styles, take Andrew Haddad, to be my husband. I promise to say I love you every day of the remaining of my life. I promise to love you whether you feel like a million bucks or as zero. I promise to love you for your persona, for your sweet jokes, for how you make me happy. I promise to be great to you." I smile.

"Do you, Andrew Haddad, take Jessica Ellen Styles to be your wife?" The priest now asks him.

"I do. Dear Jessica, I promise to love you for your devotion, for your grammar correcting, for your kind heart, for your integrity, for your difficult vocabulary words, but most importantly, for you." Andrew says his vows. I've never seen him so happy, oh my god.

"You may kiss the bride." The priest says and we both kiss. I never imagined this day of my life. This is the perfect day, I'd never want to do this with anyone but Andrew. We've went through thick and thin together, and we've never let that get into us. I know our personalities are sort of different, he's witty, while I'm just smart. I love him so much.

Tyler and Christina meeting was the funniest event of today. Their accent gap and their nonidentical looks make them look as if they're from completely different families. Nevertheless, Tyler graduated cinematography while Christina is a doctor.

"Can we have a family picture?" The photographer asks me.

"Of course." Andrew and I say.

In the picture, there's Andrew, Mom, Dad, Christina, Tyler, Angelina, Anthony, Karla and I. Just one big happy family, all I've wished for forever. My dreams are true. Just learn that no matter how hard life gets sometimes, there's always hope.