Monday, November 13, 2006

Out of the blue...and into a pink dress.

I was on the phone this afternoon when I found myself saying quite unexpectedly, "Sure, I'd be happy to."

What was it that I so blithely agreed to? Well, as of 4:00 this afternoon, it seems I'm going to be in a wedding next month, playing the role of bridesmaid and translator for a young woman I've never met (she's marrying the son of some family friends), who's never been the U.S. before (he met her in Peru, where he was stationed with the military--she's never been on a plane or seen snow), and who doesn't speak English (which seems to have scared away all of the Spanish left in me).

Moments later there I was, ordering my powder-pink bridesmaid gown online and looking up how to say "instantaneous bridesmaid" in Spanish (dama de honor instantánea, in case you were wondering).

Nothing like the responsibility of translating between a bride and her future mother-in-law on her wedding day to confer urgency upon the need to practice my Spanish. If you need me, I'll be making wedding day vocab flash cards.

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