Mary was played by the little girl who lived at the end of the street, and her doting Joseph used to throw spaghetti at me whenever I fixed him dinner.The annual Christmas pageant was always a part of our holiday traditions. It started the first year I was cast as a sheep, and then moved up in the ranks to be a shepherd, and eventually the angel. In high school, I phased out of being a part of the ensemble, but by then, we were so used to going, it became a family Christmas custom. Tonight Grey was getting a full indoctrination into our family practices.Grey, my parents, and I sat in the middle of the church. The cast parents filled the first five rows. Grey and I had never been to church together, other than attending Marin’s wedding, and I didn’t think that counted. His hand felt warm in my hand, and he gave me an extra squeeze when the chorus started singing Silent Night.If I had tried to picture Grey here, with my family, meeting people I had known my whole life, it would have seemed foreign and out of place.
