ALL MY LUCKY STARS

Olivia

Today was Alex's dad's funeral, which is more just a family reunion to celebrate him. It was my first time officially meeting his family. Kind of sad that this was the reason, isn't it?

I thought to myself about how I needed to introduce Alex to my family soon. God, it was getting serious, wasn't it?

Alex and I had plans to meet at his apartment at ten, and to go over together to their house in Queens. We're going a little earlier to help Amy and Jack set up, and I'll be happy to get acquainted with at least two people before everyone else shows up.

Alex said he didn't know exactly who was coming from his family. It could be everyone, which when he counted came out to forty or so people, or it could be just a "few" meaning just under that amount.

My family was never big, really. It was my dad, mom, and me, my mom's parents, her one sister and her wife and two kids, and my dad's parents. That was all the family we had at reunions. There were some more, like my grandparents' siblings and their kids, but they lived too far away and frankly just weren't as tight-knit with us.

Regardless of size, we were always happy, always loving, and always caring of each other and I wouldn't change it for the world.

When I arrived at his apartment, we changed pleasantries (kisses) and condolences (more kisses) because well, I was really glad Alex was my boyfriend.

Our ride there was nice. We took an Uber, and it was a beautiful day. The air was crisp and screaming autumn, and the skies were clear and blue. There was a slight chill, but in the sun it was warm. I was wearing a wrap-bodycon black dress with lace sleeves, black tights, and some black loafers. My hair was pinned back in a sleek ponytail, my burgundy dye holding on for dear life. I needed a root touch up, but luckily it was only brown roots growing in. I hadn't been to a funeral since my grandmother passed, over seven years ago. I hoped I looked presentable.

Alex was wearing all black, except for one of his father's favorite ties that Amy had dropped off for him which had a group of dogs playing poker on it, and a baby blue blazer.

When we arrived, and I looked at the building in front of me, it only really hit then that I would be in his childhood home. Where he grew up, took his first walk, learned how to tie his shoes, where he'd watch movies with his siblings and parents. Where he'd learn how to shave, do his homework, and have family dinners. This felt big. It was big.

It was a multi-family home with blue paneling and stone accents at the lower level. This was surely a house passed down through generations. I grew up in one similar. There are multiple apartments, but filled with family only. It had been the same for my family, where for a lot of my early life I lived with my grandparents on the bottom level, my mom, dad and I in the middle, her sister and her family on top until we finally moved to our own home in Hastings.

I saw a woman emerge from the front door. Short, dark brown, shoulder-length hair. Fair skin, a dusting of freckles across. And the identical beauty mark right under the left eye, similar to Alex's. She walked down the stairs to greet us.

"Alex," she said first, hugging him. Then she turned to me. "You must be Olivia! I'm Amy. I'm so happy to finally meet you! Alex never shuts up about you," she said. Alex's face turned a bright red, and I felt my heart quicken at the sight, knowing it was true.

I pulled her in for a hug. "It's wonderful to meet you. Thank you for having me," I told her. "I have minestrone," I offered. After Alex had taken all of the leftovers that I had made, he insisted I had to make more to show his family.

"You guys will love it," Alex chimed in. "It's fucking delicious."

"I didn't know you were dating a chef, Alex," Amy teased.

"This is about all I can make without burning the house down," I said. They chuckled and Alex kissed the top of my head.

"Shall we?" He asked, taking my hand. I nodded, and he led me up the stairs.

When we walked inside, it smelled faint of tobacco, but not smoky, and a hint of cedarwood, but mostly overpowered by the plethora of flowers on almost every surface in the place. Orchids, daffodils, carnations, roses. The flooring was original hardwood, stained and bruised in a few places, carpeted stairs leading to the second floor. The paneling on the wall was what I assumed was the original wood shiplap from the 80s. It felt like walking into a portal to the past.

"Dad didn't like to update," Alex said, noticing my examination of the space.

"It has tons of character. They don't make them like this anymore." I continued to look around– a fireplace with the graduation photos of Alex (who was adorable in his youth), Amy who looked like a model and his brother Jack who was, without a doubt, the class clown. Photos of them all together hung on the wall, and some singular photos of their mother along with her obituary card. Amy was a spitting image of her. That's for sure. Alex and Jack definitely took after their dad.

I'm sad I never got to meet either of them.

The decorating itself was basic. Most of the clutter were magazines, books, and photos on the wall. A wooden oak dining table after the living room, ultimately leading to the kitchen which looked to be a little more updated than the rest of the place, with wood cabinets and granite countertops. A beautiful bay window sat at the back wall, overlooking the small patio area they had outside, and a mudroom to the left of that.

"Make yourself at home," Amy said. Alex took my coat and hung it up. "People should start pouring in soon. Everybody is always early to these kinds of things."

I heard footsteps descending from the stairs behind me, and I turned to find a tall, lean man standing in front of me. "You must be Olivia," he said. His voice is clear and baritone.

"That's me," I chuckled awkwardly. "You're Jack."

"Afraid so. Hope Alex didn't lie too much about me. I'm really a catch, despite what my brother might think," he playfully jabbed Alex's arm.

"Always wanting to be the center of attention," Alex rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Want a drink?" I shook my head no, but Alex said yes.

As the morning continued, more family members and close family friends started arriving. Names I couldn't keep track of and their relation to Alex that I also couldn't remember. By noon the house was packed with people, leading all the way to the outside where the patio was overflowing with people.

Around one p.m—a little late to show up for a memorial, if you ask me— a beautiful, blonde-haired woman walked through the door. She wore a long, suede beige coat, a black turtleneck and skinny jeans. She had a full face of makeup on, which in my opinion was a little dramatic (winged eyeliner? really?) She seemed to captivate the attention of everyone, including myself. I glanced at Alex, who was sitting in front of the fireplace. He seemed unbothered. I walked over to him.

"Who's that?" I tapped on his shoulder.

"Hm?" He glanced up at me with his big, kind eyes. They still made my stomach flip, my heart race and my mind go blank.

"Look." He turned to look behind him.

"Ah. Sophia."

"Sophia?" I asked.

"My ex."