Not a gala or a formal party.

Just Rosa, Elise, Lydia, two close friends, and the neighbors who had quietly helped when things were difficult.

I worried that a celebration might feel forced.

Mariana said she wasn’t trying to erase the year; she wanted to mark the fact that she’d made it through.

We set the table together.

She brought out the wedding album and placed it on a side table for anyone who wanted to look.

She put fresh flowers in the old crystal vase and chose the upholstered chair that had been moved out of her place.