The List of Things That Will Not Change

While writing a letter to Sonia in the time period leading up to the wedding, Bea’s classmate (the same one from the breakfast incident) interrupts her to inquire about the nature of this sister. When she made a remark that Sonia isn’t a real sister, Bea tricked her into putting her hand up toward her face and then smacked it, making the girl cry. Bea describes her anger like something that creeps up from behind her and surprises her and those around her.

After getting her last rabies shot, Bea started to wonder if she had an animal living inside of her after what she did to her classmate (along with the many other incidents of her past). Bea’s face showed her distress, and everyone asked her what was wrong, but she didn’t want to talk about it. On her list, she added that both Angus and Jesse are brave since they both stood up to the class during the colonial breakfast and never let it bother them. Bea wrote a letter to her classmate apologizing for hitting her and was instantly forgiven. She decided she would also write a get-well card to Angelica.

A few days before the wedding, Mission showed up at Jesse and Bea’s dad’s apartment. The arrival was awkward, but Jesse welcomed him openly while Sheila became irate after all the unspoken tension between them. While they appeared to make up during the night, Mission stayed with Sheila for the next week and Bea never heard from him again until the wedding day. Bea apologized to her dad and Sheila for inviting Mission without permission, but they assured her she did nothing wrong.

A couple days before the wedding, Bea arrived at her mom’s house to find a different kind of food box. Her mom had ordered a pre-planned meal and cooked it with pride, and Bea was surprised at how tasty it was. Bea’s mother felt confident and self-assured, and finally decided to open the windows.

Everything seemed perfect in Bea’s world at this time; the wedding was close and all her loved ones were near, but she couldn’t feel happy knowing she still felt guilty about something she had kept secret. That was when Bea decided, through tears, to tell Miriam.

Bea confessed to Miriam that she kicked Angelica off the loft on purpose.

Every summer, Bea’s family would go to the lake cabin with Uncle Frank, Aunt Ess, and their three kids. Bea had to share a sleeping loft with Angelica, James, and Jojo, her three cousins, and never felt close to them, but especially not to Angelica.

Two years after her parents’ divorce, summer at the cabin still felt strange to Bea without her mom there. She recalls one afternoon where James made fun of her dad for being gay, and Bea refrained from telling on him, not wanting to upset her dad.

The following day, Bea invited Angelica to go rowing but she refused. Instead, Angelica went to hang out with some girls from another nearby cabin, intentionally excluding Bea. Bea took revenge by making fun of Angelica’s stutter at lunch and could sense afterward that even her dad was angry with her. Bea apologized the next day, but Angelica didn’t seem to forgive her.

The same day, Bea remembers Angelica going off with the other girls again, and again avoiding her on purpose. She later found out they went to a waterslide and go-karting without her.

Through her tears, Bea told Miriam about how when Angelica climbed up the ladder to the loft that night, Bea kicked her, and she fell off. Bea felt like a horrible person, but Miriam assured her she was not. All of the guilt Bea felt, her apologies, and the forgiveness everyone offered her proved otherwise, but Bea could not manage to forgive herself for it. She compared her anger to an oyster that creates a pearl with the dirt it collects. After confessing everything to Miriam, Bea felt much better. That night, instead of worrying, she felt connected to everyone around her, as though through some invisible line.

On the day of the wedding, rain poured in the morning, which worried Sheila, but Jesse was sure it would clear up by afternoon. Everyone spent the morning decorating and setting up, and Sheila had arranged all sorts of sunshine-related décor. When the sun came out in the afternoon, the cake arrived moments later, with its three layers and two grooms on top. Lizette’s grandmother, who made the cake, brought fresh edible flowers to finish it off. Bea and Sonia put on their dresses and looked like true sisters, and Bea could tell that Sonia was happy.

At the wedding, Bea and Sonia were tasked with greeting people as they arrived, and when Bea saw Angelica, she immediately got nervous. After seeing the way that her mom handled the day and acted so warmly toward Sonia, Bea felt inspired and went up to Angelica. She asked how she liked the city and was unsurprised to hear that Angelica hated it. Bea used patience and managed to apologize for kicking Angelica off the loft. Angelica saw it as no big deal and cited far worse incidents with her siblings. Angelica also admitted to vacuuming up a toad and leaving it in the vacuum instead of saving it one day, and still feeling guilty about it. Bea tried to encourage her to forgive herself.

The wedding proceeded perfectly at first, and Bea felt like a real family standing at the altar with Sonia, Jesse, and her dad. During the vows, Mission stood up and tried to tell Jesse not to go through with it, and Sheila yelled at him to leave. It was then that Mission walked over to the wedding cake and pushed it off the table in a rage. He stood there shocked for a moment before Uncle Frank demanded he leave. At the same time, the guests began singing You Are My Sunshine as loudly as they could as Mission walked away. When the wedding ceremony was finished, everyone cheered.

Bea remembers the day of the colonial breakfast again. Jesse told her a story about when he was a scout leader and used to take the same trips every summer, but they were different each time because the people were different. That was when Jesse told Bea the importance of choosing the right people to travel through life with. Bea feels like weddings are the same; the people are what matters most about them.

The wedding party went as planned, and everyone seemed happy, though not as happy as they may have been if not for what Mission did. Bea even made a speech and encouraged everyone to dance and celebrate love. Dancing with her family was a great feeling for Bea, and she kept hoping for one more song. When the night was over, Bea found her parents talking together and stood with them. They all looked up and saw the moon.

Before going back to California after the wedding, Sonia spent the night with Bea. They listened to Charlotte’s Web on tape, and Bea finally felt like they were sisters. She compared the process to making butter and the patience required in doing so. After the story ended, Bea felt sad, and Sonia climbed in bed next to her. They planned out their summer together and then fell asleep.

Bea ends her story by going back to the sound of corn. She explains that the story of her dad and uncle in the corn is a story of two people who loved and understood one another, without needing to change each other. Bea wishes for everyone to have a love like that.