Start of Something Right
“Oh, Twilight, darling!” Rarity squealed as she helped her friend Twilight Sparkle with the finishing touches on her dress, hair, and makeup. “You look absolutely marvelous!”
Looking at herself in the mirror in the stunningly beautiful, white dress that Rarity had made for her, Twilight had to agree. She was also wearing a single long, white glove on her right hand in lieu of the traditional garter on her leg. The glove also served the practical purpose of storing the paper she had written her wedding vows on since wedding dresses usually aren’t designed with pockets. Her hair had been styled into an elegant updo, and the only thing missing from her look was the veil, which was currently in Rarity’s hands.
“Oh, but darling, maybe you should take that, err, thing off first,” Rarity suggested gesturing to the dog tags dangling from Twilight’s neck.
“Oh,” Twilight began to explain, taking them in her hand, “these are Flash’s grandfather’s. Flash gave them to me when we went to separate colleges, and I’m not supposed to give them back until after we’re married unless I want to break up with him.”
“I get that you can’t give them back until later, but that doesn’t mean you HAVE TO wear them to the wedding, does it?” remarked Twilight and Rarity’s friend and Rarity’s fellow bridesmaid Rainbow Dash. “It’s not like Flash told you that you had to be wearing them when the two of you get hitched.”
“No, he didn’t, but,” Twilight groaned in frustration, “they’re Flash’s grandfather’s. Me wearing them is going to be the closest thing Flash is going to get to having his grandfather at our wedding, and his grandfather meant a lot to him.”
“Darling, I can respect the sentimental reasons behind why you want to wear them,” Rarity continued, “but they simply do not match the rest of your style. I’d go so far as to say that they distract from your bridal radiance.”
“Rare,” Applejack, another of Twilight’s friends and bridesmaids, interrupted, “I think the reason why she wants to wear it is more important than how it looks with the rest of her outfit. If she wants to get married in it, then I say we let her.”
“Actually,” Twilight countered as she stared at the tags intently, “I’m starting to think that maybe I shouldn’t wear it to the wedding.”
“But you just said that having it at the wedding was the closest thing Flash was going to get to having his grandfather physically present,” Twilight’s best friend and maid of honor Sunset Shimmer pointed out. The rest of bridal party consisted of their friends Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.
“Yes, and I still think it needs to be at the wedding,” Twilight agreed. “I just don’t think I’m the person it needs to be on.”
She pressed her lips together and thought hard about what she needed to do. When she finally decided on her next move, she nodded resolutely and went for the door.
“Rarity, hold that veil. I’ll be right back,” Twilight declared stepping into the hallway.
“Twilight, darling, where are you going?” Rarity asked as all their friends looked from Twilight to each other in confusion.
“I need to talk to Flash,” said Twilight.
“Whoa!” shouted Pinkie Pie rushing to block Twilight. “You can’t go see Flash. It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. BAD LUCK!”
“Pinkie, that superstition came about during a time period when it was common for total strangers to marry each other and the bride and groom discovering each other’s identities and appearances led to the risk of the wedding being called off. Flash and I are not total strangers, we both know what we look like, and we have no intentions of backing out of our wedding now that it’s so close. Let me talk to him,” Twilight argued.
“What do you even need to talk to him about?” asked Sunset.
“I think he should be the one to wear his grandfather’s dog tags.”
“Then, just have one of us take them to him for you,” Applejack pointed out. “No need to be risking the future of your marriage over a little thing.”
“Okay, did you not hear me explain to Pinkie why that superstition is completely irrelevant to this day and age?” Twilight would have facepalmed if she didn’t run the risk of ruining her makeup. “Besides, I’m going to need to explain to him why I’m giving him his dog tags back sooner than we agreed to, and that’s something he’s going to need to hear from me personally.”
Sunset Shimmer sighed and gestured for the rest of the girls to give Twilight her space. “Just let her talk to her guy. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity looked like they were about to further protest, but one death glare from Sunset quickly shut them up.
“Thank you,” exclaimed Twilight as she ran off to find the room that was acting as the men’s dressing room.
“Gee, AJ,” Rainbow Dash snickered once Twilight was out of sight, “didn’t take you for a superstitious type.”
“Well, excuse me for wanting make sure that my friend has a long and happy marriage,” AJ scoffed. “Besides, I thought it was a load of hooey too until my Aunt Apple Brown Betty was set to get married herself. Now, Aunt Betty didn’t want to go through the trouble of hiring a seamstress and didn’t listen when everyone told her that making her own wedding dress was bad luck. Well, three days before the wedding, the groom ran off with some trampy little showgirl.”
“No offense to Aunt Apple Brown Betty, AJ, but I don’t think the dress had anything to do with the groom running off,” Sunset replied with a bewildered look on her face.
Meanwhile, in the designated men’s dressing room, Flash was repeatedly tightening and loosening necktie in front of a mirror.
“Okay, okay, this is it,” Flash muttered to his reflection. “You’re finally getting married. You’re going to go up on that altar with the love of your life and swear your love to her for however long you both live. This is great. You got this. You can do it. You can do it.”
“Maybe you should stop playing around with your necktie before you either untie it or choke yourself with it,” Flash’s best friend and best man Micro Chips said to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Oh, I know,” Flash replied, finally turning away from the mirror. “I’m just feeling SO many emotions right now, and I’m having such a hard time keeping them all under control. I can’t tell if I want to laugh, cry, scream, or break something.”
His former bandmate and current groomsman Brawly Beats just rolled his eyes as he leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed. His other former bandmate Ringo, who was also a groomsman, also stood against the wall but had his arms by his side.
“But you hate crying, Big Bro,” Flash’s younger brother First Base pointed out as he uncomfortably fidgeted in his suit and tie, “even more so in front of other people.”
“Why do you think I’m trying so hard to not show how I feel?” Flash retorted as he began to pace the floor, wringing his hands and clenching his teeth all the while.
“Dude, chillax,” Sandalwood, another one of Flash’s friends and groomsmen, advised. “Tears are just a way for your body to flush out all your extra feels. If you try to hold them in, then you won’t be able to get in touch with feels that you actually want to have.”
“I have no idea what he just said,” First Base’s best friend Button Mash uttered in confusion.
“What he means is,” Micro Chips explained, “that Flash needs to let himself cry because if he doesn’t, he’s going to be so busy trying not to cry that he won’t be able to let himself enjoy his wedding day.”
“Oh, okay, I get it.”
“Besides,” Micro continued, addressing Flash, “this is your wedding. I doubt you’d be the only one crying. In fact, I can think of a number of people who’d be crying harder than you.”
Flash gave Micro a small, grateful smile and replied, “Yeah, I know, and that does make me feel a little more comfortable about crying in front of all those people.” Then, he joked, “I just hope I don’t cry so hard that my eyes come out red on all the wedding photos.”
Suddenly, a knock came from the door.
“Flash,” Twilight’s voice called from the other side, “it’s Twilight. I need to talk to you about something.”
Flash was about to open the door when Button slammed himself against the door as if he was trying to paste the door shut with his body.
“No way, man!” Button screamed. “Don’t you know that it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?!”
“Oh, come on!” Twilight shouted from the other side. “You too?! I just went through my entire spiel about why that superstition is ridiculous on Pinkie Pie. Don’t make me repeat it.”
“Besides, most, if not all, superstitions are the result of misattribution,” Micro Chips pointed out. “I mean, just because something bad coincidentally happened after something else it doesn’t mean that one thing caused the other.”
“Button, get off the door,” Flash ordered.
“No!” Button refused. “What does she even want to talk to you about?”
“Maybe she’s changed her mind and wants to break up with him,” Brawly deadpanned. Everyone turned and glared at him darkly. “I’m kidding! Okay?”
“Dang! Why would you even joke about that?! And on my brother’s wedding day of all days?!” Base cried.
“One, I heard you through the door,” Twilight called out. “Two, I’m not breaking up with him, and three, are you going to let me talk to him or not?”
“Button, let me talk to her. It’ll be fine,” Flash insisted. Button groaned as he grudgingly moved out of Flash’s way.
“Thank you,” Flash said before opening the door, stepping outside, and closing the door behind him.
After Flash had stepped out, Ringo turned to Brawly and said to him bluntly, “That was really uncalled for.”
“I know,” Brawly replied, growling under his breath and rolling his eyes. “I know I have a weird way of showing it, but I want Sentry to have a happy and permanent marriage like how marriages are supposed to be, but that’s not how they always end up, is it? I know that better than anyone in this room.”
“You’re forgetting that I’m in here too,” First Base retorted, “and that my brother and I know how painful and disappointing going through a you-know-what can be. We just don’t let that turn us into jerks who need to act tough and cool to feel good about ourselves.”
“Hey, I’m trying, okay?” Brawly exclaimed defensively before sighing through his teeth and shaking his head. “I don’t know how Sentry does it, but he makes not being a jerk look easier than it actually is.”
On the other side of the door, Flash waited for Twilight to speak as the two of them stood face to face. Flash tried not to stare at her, but wow, she looked absolutely amazing in her wedding dress, so amazing that he wasn’t even sure that he was breathing anymore.
Flash must have done a terrible job not staring at her because Twilight looked him in the eye, smiled flirtatiously at him, and asked, “So, you, uh, like what you see?”
Flash needed a few seconds to register what she had said to him.
When he did, he shook himself out of his daze and replied, “Oh, yeah, you look, uh, wow.”
“Rarity really outdid herself, didn’t she?” Twilight remarked. “I just need to get the veil on, and I’ll be ready for the aisle, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?”
Twilight once again started fiddling with the dog tags around her neck and asked, “Remember these?”
“Grandpa’s tags,” Flash exclaimed, gingerly taking one in his hand. “You’re wearing them.”
“It didn’t feel right getting married without them,” Twilight explained. “I know how special they are to you.”
“Twilight, you shouldn’t have,” Flash stated before taking Twilight’s hands into his and kissing her fingertips. When Twilight didn’t smile back at him, Flash frowned and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Twilight sighed and wrung her hands.
“Flash, I don’t think I should be the one wearing these,” she said, fingering the tags. “I know we agreed that we would wait until after the wedding to give back our break-up stuff, but I think YOU need to be the one wearing your grandfather’s tags.”
“Wait,” Flash replied, a confused frown growing on his face. “Let me see if I get this straight. You’re not breaking up with me, but you want to give my grandpa’s dog tags back to me now instead of after the wedding, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Well, okay, I guess you can give it back to me now,” Flash agreed, smiling. “I just hope you don’t mind waiting to get Owlowiscious back because I kinda took him to our new apartment and left him there.”
“You didn’t prop him up on a high bookshelf specifically to creep me out, did you?” Twilight joked.
“Did you want me to?” Flash countered, eliciting a shared laugh from the two of them.
Twilight took the chain off her neck and put it around Flash’s.
“Now, they’re back where they belong,” Twilight declared. “It’ll be just like he’s really here.”
“Thanks, Twi,” Flash replied, his voice breaking with emotion.
“I know I’ve never even met him, but I think your grandfather would be proud of you.”
“Oh, I know.” To Twilight’s surprise, Flash put his arms around her and tenderly pressed his forehead against hers. “If I wasn’t saving it for the wedding, I’d totally kiss you right now.”
Twilight smiled as she closed her eyes focusing on the feeling of having Flash hold her so close. Man, was she looking forward to that kiss! Then, she opened her eyes and reluctantly pulled away from him.
“I, uh, need to finish getting ready,” she said before rushing back to the designated women’s dressing room.
Once Twilight was out of sight, Flash loosened his tie, unbuttoned his top button, and tucked his dog tags under his shirt before rebuttoning it and tightening his tie. He opened the door to the designated men’s dressing room and called to his half of the wedding party.
“Guys, it’s almost time to get the show on the road. You ready?” he called.
“Totally,” First Base affirmed as all the groomsmen filed out of the room. “Let’s go out there and get you married, Bro.”
“Wait,” Micro cried, “there’s something that I need to do first.”
Before anyone could ask Micro what he need to do, Micro pulled Flash into a hug. Although astonished at first, Flash smiled gratefully and returned the hug. However, when Flash moved to pull away from his oldest and best friend, Micro would not let go. Flash quickly realized why when he heard Micro sniffling a little.
“Dude, are you crying?” Flash asked.
“Oh, man, I’m so sorry,” Micro apologized, pulling away from him. The tears seeping out of his eyes confirmed Flash’s suspicions. “I’m just so happy for you, man. You deserve this.”
“Yeah, he was looking over his speech for the reception while you were talking to Twilight, and I think some of the stuff he wanted to say got to him,” explained Ringo.
“Do any of you guys have a tissue?” Micro requested, still blubbering.
“Here.” Sandalwood pulled a cloth handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to Micro. “Blow.”
Micro accepted the handkerchief and loudly blew his nose on it much to everyone else’s, especially Sandalwood’s, disgust.
“Okay. I think I’m good now,” Micro stated, returning the used handkerchief back to Sandalwood.
“Good thing I brought a spare,” Sandal muttered as he reluctantly took back the cloth and stuffed it back into his pocket.
“Okay, I think I can hold it in until the ceremony starts,” Micro announced as he took a few breaths to calm himself. He turned to Flash and continued, “I didn’t mean to get so emotional, man. I just started thinking about kindergarten and everything that happened between then and now, and I just couldn’t hold it in.”
Flash just smiled at his best friend and declared, “You don’t have to be sorry about anything,” before pulling Micro into another fraternal hug. Micro gladly returned it, and Flash motioned for the rest of the groomsmen to join in. His brother and Button Mash were the first to join.
“Alright!” cheered Sandal. “I love group hugs!’
“I’ll pass,” Brawly deadpanned stepping away from the rest of the group.
“Speak for yourself,” Ringo retorted as he joined the group hug last.
When Flash and his friends broke apart their tight ball of camaraderie, the groomsmen left to take their places in front of the main doors of the church sanctuary with Twilight and her bridesmaids while Flash and Micro headed off towards the sanctuary’s side entrance to wait for the ceremony to begin from inside.
“Hey,” Brawly’s voice called, causing them to stop and turn around before they could go too far.
“What’s up?” Flash asked.
“Look, Sentry,” Brawly sighed as he struggled to spit out the words that desperately needed saying, “I know we weren’t always friends in the time that we’ve known each other. Even when we technically became friends, I was a kind of a jerk to you and your other friends and brought out your jerkish side for a while before you decided that that’s not who you wanted to be.”
Flash and Micro shared knowing yet bewildered looks with each other while Brawly paused to choose his words.
“Look, I know that you have other friends who deserve to be part of your wedding more than I do and that you’ve always been a better friend to me than I ever have been to you, and,” Brawly growled, biting his lip before simply spitting out, “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry that I picked on you and your friends through elementary and middle school and that I made that crack about you and Twilight breaking up earlier. I hate to admit it, but having to put up with your annoying niceness throughout high school kinda makes me want to be less of jerk, and I want to start by just shaking your hand.”
As soon as he finished talking, Brawly extended his hand towards Flash. Flash shared another confused look with Micro before looking Brawly in the eye. In the time Flash had gotten to know Brawly, to really know him, he had realized that Brawly’s spiteful attitude towards pretty much everything was just a front to hide the pain and bitterness from his home life, and this was the first time that Flash had seen Brawly drop that front. Guess Flash’s attempts to be a good influence on the guy weren’t wasted after all.
Flash smiled and shook Brawly’s hand. Afterwards, to Flash’s surprise, Brawly offered that same hand to Micro Chips. Micro Chips just stared at Brawly’s hand uncertainly before looking up at Brawly’s face.
“Just so you know, this doesn’t make us friends,” Brawly noted, meeting Micro’s gaze, “but I guess it would be nice to not be enemies.”
“I guess you’re not as much of a jerk as you could have been,” Micro agreed, finally accepting Brawly’s handshake.
“You guys better hurry and go. You don’t want Twilight to think you got cold feet now, do you?” Brawly quipped before turning and running to join the other groomsmen.
“What just happened?” Micro Chips asked, looking at Flash in confusion as the two of them began walking towards the side entrance.
“I’m not sure, but I’m glad it happened.”
The procession was starting. Flash stood in front of the altar with Micro on his right and the pastor on his left. An upright piano had been taken out of the church storage, and instead of the traditional bridal march, the procession was set to Flash’s grandmother Free Bird playing and singing “Love is Not a Fight,” the song his grandfather had written for her years ago. Micro Chips’s youngest adopted sister Nightingale went down the aisle first, scattering a mix of rose petals and confetti along the way. Twilight’s dog Spike followed her carrying the rings on a pillow tied around his neck.
Flash’s hands began to shake when the bridesmaids and groomsmen started coming down the aisle in pairs, and his mouth had gone completely dry by the time the last pair took their places at the altar. Grandma closed the second chorus of the song and stopped playing just as Sunset took her place at the end of the aisle. Flash could see Twilight and her father standing right behind Sunset, and if Flash thought Twilight looked beautiful before, she was drop-dead gorgeous now. Her veil cascaded from her hairdo down her back giving her an ethereal, fairy-like appearance, and her eyes sparkled like stars.
Grandma began to play and sing the bridge as Sunset, Twilight, and Night Light took their first few steps down the aisle. Twilight looked up and locked eyes with Flash as overjoyed smiles spread across their faces. Sunset took her place across from Micro, and Grandma closed the song.
“Dearly beloved,” the pastor began, “we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. If any person objects to this union with just cause, may he or she speak now or forever hold their peace.”
Everyone in the wedding party along with their closest friends among the guests flinched, half-expecting some idiot, troll, or joker to come barging in through the front doors, screaming, “I OBJECT!” To everyone’s complete, utter relief, this did not happen.
“Now,” the pastor continued, “who gives this woman to be married?”
“Her mother and I do,” Night Light replied. Flash stepped down from the altar and held his hand out towards Twilight. Twilight took his hand, let go of her father’s arm, and walked back up the altar with him.
Flash couldn’t feel the tears running down his face. In fact, his excitement had made his sense of touch numb to everything except Twilight’s hand in his and the pressure just behind his eyes, but Flash knew he must have been crying. He could not possibly have been that happy and not be crying. Flash’s joy must have been contagious because tears were running down Twilight’s face as well.
“The Good Book says that ‘a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh,’” said the pastor. “I hope the two of you understand the importance of the relationship you are about to enter in because after today, your lives are not your own anymore. The two of you will be each other’s.”
The pastor paused and looked both the bride and groom in the eye exuding both warmth and solemnity. Flash and Twilight nodded conveying their understanding and signaling him to continue the ceremony.
“May I please have the bride and groom’s closest family join us at the altar to bless the marriage?”
On Twilight’s side, her parents, her brother Shining Armor, her sister-in-law Cadance, and their one-year-old daughter Flurry Heart stepped forward from among the guests. On Flash’s side, his grandmother, his Aunt Flare, and his adopted cousin Honey Bee came forward while First Base stepped forward from among the groomsmen.
“Let us pray.”
While the pastor prayed out loud, everybody else present gave their own silent prayers for Flash and Twilight’s marriage. Even Flash and Twilight themselves prayed for each other.
“Dear God,” Flash prayed, “please help me treat this woman well for however long I live. Help me to love and treasure her all the days of my life, and let our marriage be as happy, warm, and long as my grandparents’ was.”
“Dear God,” prayed Twilight, “help me, as his wife, show this man the same selfless love and kindness that he has consistently shown me and everyone he cares about. Help me be a wife that he can share both his joy and his pain with and a wife that he looks forward to coming home to every night.”
After the pastor said, “Amen,” the families of the bride and groom returned to where they had been sitting or, in Base’s case, standing, and everyone lifted their heads and turned their attention back towards the altar.
“I believe now comes the time for the two of you to exchange vows. I assume that the two of you have prepared them.”
Once again, Flash and Twilight nodded.
“Which of you would like to go first?”
“I would,” Flash volunteered pulling a folded sheet of paper from his suit pocket. Considering how dry his mouth was, he was surprised he could still talk. He glanced at Twilight as if asking for permission. Twilight smiled and nodded, encouraging him to proceed.
“I, Flash Sentry,” Flash read out loud, looking up into Twilight’s eyes every so often, “take you Twilight Sparkle as my lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold, to love faithfully and to cherish constantly for all the days of my life for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health ‘til death do us part.”
Once Flash had finished, Twilight took her vows out from the inside of her glove and read them to him, “I, Twilight Sparkle, take you Flash Sentry as my lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold, to show no one else the same love and devotion I pledge to you and only you today and to honor and respect you out of that same devotion for however long I live for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health until death do us part.”
With their vows exchanged, Flash and Twilight both waited impatiently for the ceremony to proceed so that they could take each other into their arms and kiss.
“May I have the rings please,” the pastor requested. Micro Chips bent down and took the rings off Spike’s pillow and handed them to Flash. Flash gave Twilight the groom’s ring while he held on to the bride’s ring. As soon as Flash took the rings, his hands, which had stopped shaking during the prayer for blessing and the vows, started shaking all over again because of course they would.
“Flash, put your ring on Twilight’s finger and say, ‘With this ring I thee wed,’” the pastor instructed.
Flash slid the ring up Twilight’s left ring finger, his hands shaking so much that he was worried he was going to drop the ring, but he didn’t.
“With this ring I thee wed,” Flash said.
“Twilight, now, you put your ring on Flash’s finger and say, ‘With this ring I thee wed.’”
“With this ring I thee wed,” Twilight repeated after she had slipped the ring onto Flash. Unlike Flash, her hands weren’t shaking, but her heart was about to jump out of her chest, and her stomach was being tickled from the inside. Once she had slipped the ring onto Flash’s finger, Twilight grasped both his hands into hers. Flash’s hands still shook a little, but Twilight didn’t care. Her hands were right where they belonged.
“Flash, do you take Twilight as your lawfully wedded wife?” the pastor addressed Flash.
Flash’s answer was obvious. “I do.”
“Twilight, do you take Flash as your lawfully wedded husband?”
Twilight’s excitement was so intense that she could have shouted those words loud enough to be heard on the moon, but that same excitement had made her tongue so dry and her throat so constricted that words were refusing to leave her mouth. She took in a breath and slowly let it out, forcing her body to relax enough for her to talk.
“I do,” she declared.
“Then, I pronounce you man and wife. You may ki—” The pastor didn’t even get to finish before Twilight and Flash lunged forward and pressed their lips to each other’s. Twilight threw her arms around Flash’s neck and pulled herself deeper into the kiss while Flash wrapped his arms around her waist. Cheers erupted from the wedding party and the guests, but the two of them seemed oblivious to this.
When the happy couple finally broke their kiss, the guests were still cheering. Grandma Birdie began playing “Ode to Joy” on the piano as the newlyweds and the wedding party made their way back up the aisle out the main doors smiling and waving at everyone all the while. After Flash and Twilight exited the sanctuary, the two of them ran to the parking lot hand in hand and got in Flash’s car to drive to the reception together.
The two of them were about to put on their seatbelts when Flash stopped and put his hand over Twilight’s stopping her from putting on her seatbelt as well.
“What is it?” she asked, looking into his eyes.
Flash gave her a playful smile and said, “You know, we have a few minutes before the reception starts. I think the two of us deserve to have at least one kiss to ourselves today, and well, no one else is in here.”
Twilight quickly picked up on what Flash was suggesting and laughed. She let go of her seatbelt and leaned forward sharing another kiss with her husband. They pulled away only to come together again for another kiss.
They parted, and Flash was about to grab his seatbelt when Twilight suggested, “Let’s try to fit in one more. Then, we can head to the reception.”
Flash was more than happy to oblige.
After parting from their third kiss, Flash and Twilight finally put on their seatbelts and started the car. Flash pulled his car out of the parking lot and drove towards the reception venue. The first minute of the drive was quiet but comfortably so before Flash decided to break the silence.
“So,” he began rather awkwardly, “how does it feel to be my wife?”
“It’s,” Twilight stuttered in reply, “hard to believe it’s real, but here we are. It’s wonderful but also a little scary.”
“Scary how?”
“Well, you heard what the pastor said, our lives aren’t our own anymore, and that’s going to change how we live them,” Twilight explained, “and change can be pretty scary.”
Flash nodded in agreement before adding, “Well, whatever happens next, we’ll work our way through it together.”
“For better or for worse?” Twilight quipped, smiling serenely.
“For however long we both live,” Flash affirmed resolutely, “and I plan on living at least as long as my grandmother.”