You may now kiss the bride!” In one swift motion, Cruz swooped up his wife, cradled her against his chest, and kissed her. Everyone started to applaud, celebrating their happy moment. I smiled, glad that my friend had finally found someone who made him happy.

As I stood there, I thought about everything he had gone through to be with her. He’d had to overcome so much -- he had stared into the eyes of death -- but now, everything had fallen into place. There was a glimmer in his eye that I had never seen before. I knew, in that moment, that Cruz had found the one.

Finally, he placed Amelia back on her feet. She was beet red and beaming with happiness. Together, they walked hand in hand down the aisle and out the door. There, they positioned themselves on the upper steps of the church, accepting the well-wishes from all those in attendance. Once pleasantries were taken care of, they stowed away into the limousine, followed by the wedding party.

As Cruz’s best man, I was, of course, part of this party and expected to take pictures with them. I wasn’t much of a picture person… but when I’d told them this, they hadn’t cared to listen to me. So here I was…

“How does it feel to be a married man?” I asked once I was settled into my seat. I had always hated limousines. Yes, they could seat a bunch of people, but they weren’t very comfortable. If you sat across from someone who also had long legs, you’d bump knees the whole ride.

“Wonderful.” Cruz smiled brightly as he wrapped his arm around Amelia’s shoulders and pulled her into his chest. Gently, he kissed the top of her head, causing her to giggle. “I should’ve done it sooner.”

I chuckled. “I’m not so sure. Marriage is one of those things where you wait for the perfect moment.”

“Franklin, ever the fountain of wisdom,” Cruz teased. “You should start printing your own fortune cookies.”

I shook my head. “Cruz, ever the man of jokes.”

“He tells good jokes!” Hunter chimed in, holding up his stuffed panda as if that would validate his claim. By his side, Gina just nodded in agreement. She had been the flower girl for the ceremony, and I just couldn’t quite get over how cute she looked in her little pink dress. I smiled at my daughter and she smiled back. She was growing up so fast… I felt like I was going to blink and see her in a white dress, walking down the aisle at her own wedding.

“See, Hunter knows.” Cruz fist-bumped with the little boy before ruffling up his hair.

Hunter giggled.

“So, are you excited about going to Hawaii?” I asked Hunter.

He vigorously nodded his head. “It’s going to be a lot of fun! Cruz said he would teach me how to surf!”

“Oh, really? That’s pretty cool.”

A few weeks ago, I had offered to babysit while they were on their honeymoon, but they’d refused, saying they would take the little guy along for the trip. They said it wouldn’t be fair if they left him behind. I didn’t care to ask how they would enjoy themselves with a five-year-old sleeping in the next room, but I figured it was their problem and not mine.

Soon, the conversation in the limousine took on a casual tone. I zoned out and leaned back, closing my eyes. In an instant it seemed, we arrived at the park. We filed out of the limousine and quickly started to pose for the photographer, who seemed to think we were marionettes capable of holding odd positions for an hour. By the time we were done, I never wanted to see another camera ever again.

Next came the banquet. It passed in a blur. I couldn’t remember much -- just that the food was good and the alcohol even better. Cruz had barely gotten off the dance floor once he was inebriated to the point of no return. Amelia seemed to think Cruz was hysterical and wouldn’t stop laughing all night long.

Near one o’clock in the morning, I swooped Gina out of her chair, where she had fallen asleep with her head in her arms. Poor thing must have been exhausted. She looked up at me with weary eyes and grumbled something before she plopped her head onto my shoulder and went back to sleep. I carried her with ease to the Uber waiting for me outside.

I was glad when we pulled up in front of my home. I could feel fatigue settling into my bones, making them feel leaden. All I wanted to do was sleep for days – maybe even months.

I tucked Gina into her bed and sunk into mine. I moaned in pleasure as the mattress seemed to engulf me in its sweet tenderness. I smiled and closed my eyes, too tired to take off any of my clothes.

I expected sleep to come quickly, but it never did. Now that I was alone in my bed, I could feel a heaviness in the air. My arm extended to the empty side of the bed. I frowned, remembering a time when my wife had lain there. Crippling loneliness clutched at my heart. It felt like it would burst at any moment. I had been on my own for too long. The lack of intimacy in my life was starting to take its toll.

Maybe, just maybe, it was time for me to move on…