Chapter Four
As twilight descended and the stars came out, we moved into a large tent that was spread out on a spacious lawn. Shortly after the ceremony ended, Mina had changed into a less formal gown for the reception, a cream dress that flowed over her body with gold embroidery across the front. She looked ravishing, and I told her so as we waited to be announced. We kissed and whispered endearments to each other until the boisterous voice of the DJ called us back to the present.
"And now presenting, together for the first time as man and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew and Mina Foreman!"
Cheers and whistles accompanied us as we strode into the tent. The place was alight with candles, chandeliers glowing softly above our heads. Our friends and family sat at circular tables draped with peach tablecloths and bathed in candlelight. The centerpieces were roses of the same color held in squares of glass with small party favors scattered around them. One the other side of a wide dance floor, a long table stretched in front of us, the rest of the wedding party smiling in welcome. To the left of us, our wedding cake sat on a lone table, the three tiers speckled with roses and encircled by pastel blue ribbon. When we reached the center of the dance floor, applause faded as I drew Mina into my arms for our first dance. It was a song called 'At the Beginning', and it fitted our lives perfectly. As the song played on, I pulled her closer.
"Can you have ever imagined that we'd be here, after everything we've gone through?"
She smiled. "Of course I did," she replied. "From the moment I kissed you, I knew. I knew we were destined for each other, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Good," I chuckled, turning my hand so the ring glinted in the light. "'Cause from here on out, you're stuck with me."
She grinned and leaned in. "I don't mind," she said, and we kissed as the song drew to a close. A few more dances followed, with Darien dancing with Mina as I danced with Serena. At length we sat down at the table as the toasts began. Serena went first, being the maid of honor, and she gave the mic an experimental tap.
"Ok, is this thing on? Oh, ok cool."
We all laughed knowing Serena, but she eventually gathered her wits about her and the crowd hushed to listen.
"You will have to forgive me," she said. "I've never been really good about these things. Mina's far more eloquent than I am, but I will do my best."
The guests smiled as Mina waved her hand dismissively. Smiling along with them, Serena continued.
"Some will call me the matron on honor, others call me a devoted wife, and still others call me a loyal friend, but above all else, I am Serena, and when I was 14, I had my first crush. He was the only guy who accepted me, the only one who saw me when others wouldn't give me the time of day." She paused, smirking at Darien, and I stifled a chuckle, remembering the two of them confiding in me about how much they hated each other, all the while knowing it was the complete opposite.
"He was gorgeous, charming, incredibly sensitive…everything I wanted in a man. Yes I fell, and I fell hard. But, I was not alone in my endeavors to win his heart. About this time, a tall striking blond with a red ribbon came into the picture, and the games began.
Alas, our efforts were in vain, for Andrew Foreman, the man of which dreams were made of, was taken."
I was blushing at this point, and Mina gripped my hand under the table. The crowd 'awww'ed sympathetically as Serena continued her tale.
"But about that time, the man who had so infuriated me came back into my life, and I saw him with new eyes. He was not just some insolent jerk, which he had been most of the time, but truly a man of depth and passionate conviction. I thought I knew what love was, and I have never been happier to be proven wrong."
She kissed Darien briefly, and when she straightened, she turned to Mina.
"All the while, Mina, my best friend, the one who gushed over cheesecake with me, wept with me over the phone, and held my hand as I took that leap of faith, was without a love of her own, and I ached for her to know the same joy and exhilaration I felt." She suddenly smiled. "But thankfully, my guy knew a guy, a newly single guy, and on a rainy day three years ago, their paths finally crossed."
Smiles and scattered applause followed, and I kissed my bride's hand, memories of that day flooding back.
"At last," Serena went on, her eyes misting. "She could experience what I had, the trials and triumphs, the pain with the excitement, and we bonded ever closer. But as we all know, if a love is not worthy to be fought for, then it is not love. I have seen Andrew fight for her, and she for him. Nothing makes me more proud than to see the two of you sitting together, so happy and so in love, and so ready to take on your next adventure." She raised her glass. "Mina, you have always been my sister, and I am more than happy to relinquish my affection for your husband. And Andrew," she added, cocking her head with a sympathetic smile. "It would've never worked between us, darling."
The crowd laughed and applauded as Serena toasted them. As the guests drank and reclaimed their seats, she turned to Darien.
"Now before I embarrass myself further, I gratefully hand the microphone to the man of my life and best man for the evening, Mr. Darien Shields."
Darien stood up then, having been announced, and took the microphone silently. He paused a moment, removing and unfolding a piece of paper from inside his jacket. He cleared his throat subtly and waved the folded paper at the crowd.
"Notes," he said, smiling, "can't do anything without them. Pretty sure I wouldn't remember my own name if it wasn't on a post-it in my bathroom."
The crowd chuckled, and Darien cleared his throat again. His stance took a serious tone, and he referred to the paper quickly and then looked up again at the crowd.
"I am the best man." He smiled and put his hand on his chest, and the crowd applauded a little. He thanked them, and continued.
"I am the best man. Someone deemed me fit enough to be given this title. And not once, but twice. The first time, a beautiful blond girl told me I was the best man to be her husband." He motioned to Serena, who waved a little and smiled at him. "And now," he paused and motioned to me, "a beautiful blond boy told me I was the best man to be his best man." He smiled again and the crowd laughed.
I grinned and Mina chimed in, "He is a beautiful blond boy!" I blushed at her, and she kissed my cheek affectionately. Darien waited for a lull and went on.
"It's taken me a while to figure out why the first, the blond girl, asked me to be her best man for the rest of my life. And today, I'm just as surprised that Andrew has asked me to be his best man here, on what I'm sure is the happiest day of his life. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, it is Andrew who should be standing here, right now, giving a toast…because Andrew is the best man. The best man I know."
I smiled warmly and looked at Darien, who returned my gaze.
"Andrew has been there for me since I was 18 years old. He was there when I met, for the first time, the girl that would one day become my wife. He was there to help me realize that I was in love with her, even when I didn't know it. He was there for every birthday, and every college cram session. He took me out for a drink at the end of my first day as an intern. He came to my house on one of the worst days of my life and despite everything I did to get him to go away and leave me alone…he stayed, like a stubborn jerk, and made me talk to him. He is my best friend. My first friend. My brother. He is, without a doubt, the best man."
The crowd applauded as I blushed again, and Darien joined them. The crowd died down again.
"Andrew, however," he pointed to my still blushing self, "is not without his faults of course. And it was my job as his friend to point them out. When he was 18, the girl he was currently dating moved to Africa, and Andrew almost followed her, throwing his dreams to the wind. I talked him out of it. When he was 19, he was CONVINCED he wanted to get his nipples pierced..."
Darien stopped mid-sentence as I gave a sudden yelp, putting my head to the table and laughed hysterically (Heed my advice, my dearest daughter. It is a natural thing to follow in a father's footsteps, but this is one thing you WILL NOT do, or even THNIK about doing, or you will certainly send your old man to an early grave. There, I said it). The crowd joined in as Darien continued, a chuckle in his voice as well. "I talked him out of that too."
"Thank God!" I chimed in, laughing so much I couldn't breathe.
Darien bent over and laughed a moment, but recovered quickly. "Now," he motioned for the crowd to calm down and listen, and they did. "When Andrew was 20, he met a pretty girl that I really liked." Darien looked at Mina a moment, who smiled at him. "And a lot of feelings and developments reared their heads very quickly. Andrew was discouraged by some of them, and came to me for advice. I told him that with everything that had happened, what he was about to undertake with this girl would be very difficult. For a split second, he thought about ending the whole thing." Darien paused and moved, standing behind us as we looked at him over our shoulders. Darien continued. "But as you can see, I talked him out of it." The crowd cheered, and Mina and I kissed softly.
"So, I suppose that's why I qualify to be the best man here today. But I'll give credit where credit is due. If it wasn't for the courage and heart and conviction that Andrew showed me when I was finding my bride, I wouldn't have had the faith in love to tell him to continue in his endeavors with Mina. If I hadn't had the support Andrew showed me to get through college and residency, I don't know if I would have known ways to show him the same support when he was doing it himself. If Andrew hadn't been himself, I wouldn't be me. I wouldn't be the best man."
Darien turned directly to Mina and I now, and raised his glass. The guests followed suit. Darien addressed us as the toast concluded.
"Andrew, you are the best man I have ever known and I am honored to be here to be your best man today. There are no words to express my desire that you live happily and prosperously with Mina for the rest of your very long and successful life. I hope I can continue to be your best man for the course of our lives together." He looked at Mina. "Mina, take care of him. He's the only Andy I've got. I know you love him with everything you have, and there is no one better suited for him than you." Mina took a breath in and tears filled her eyes a moment. Darien turned to the crowd, his glass still raised.
"To the bride and groom."
The crowd repeated, and they all drank. Darien and I embraced a moment, and everyone took their seats as the DJ cranked up the music.
The party carried well into the night. Music throbbed from the stereo and the dance floor was full for almost every single dance. During a lull between songs, Greg caught my eye, the same anxiety from that afternoon shining in his eyes. My interest piqued, I walked over to him and he drew me aside.
"Hey man, what's up?" I asked him. "You've been looking strange all day. Are you sick?"
He shook his head, but he still looked uneasy. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just…I've got this feeling, like something…significant is about to happen. I can't explain it."
I thought about it a moment, wondering if Greg was on to something. The year had been quiet, without even a hiccup to show that a new enemy was on the rise. I looked intently at Greg.
"Is it bad?" I asked calmly.
Another shake of the head. "No, not bad just…different. Something's in the air tonight, and I feel like everything is about to change."
I relaxed, my gaze drifting to Mina, who was chattering with her bridesmaids.
"Well I guess that's true," I said with a sigh. "We're all married now, and starting a new chapter in our lives. But it's nothing to be forlorn about. There is peace at last and that will take some getting used to. Don't worry too much."
Greg let out the breath he had been holding, looking relieved. "Maybe that's what it is. Sorry Andy. I didn't mean to be a downer on your wedding day. Forgive me."
"Forget it," I assured him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I didn't pick you as my groomsman for nothing. You're a good friend, and you know you can always confide in me. Now, I don't know about you, but I think its time we cut the cake."
Now, your mother was hardly diplomatic in giving me my bite of our marble cake, so it was only fair that I give her the same treatment. To make up for the cruel deed, I kissed the frosting off her nose, and if her lips got caught somewhere in the mix, well, it just couldn't be avoided. The garter was tossed (with much laughter and blushes from my bride), the bouquet was thrown (caught by my adopted sister, who at that time was engaged to a handsome young college student) and our enthusiastic guests wished us well and sent Mina and I into the night. The full moon shown like a spotlight over the dark water, passing in and out of the dark clouds. The gravel path stretched before us, a silver bend in the darkness. Soon the sounds of the reception faded; we could only hear the rustle of the waves as they broke over the shore. Just ahead there was a stone stairwell that led to a series of luxurious cottages reserved for only the most special of guests. Tonight, that was us. The moonlight shown in her eyes, making them sparkle.
"I'm the luckiest man on earth," I whispered fervently. "To think that I get to share the rest of my life with you. I never thought I could be this happy."
She paused and took my face in her hands. "Neither did I," she replied, and leaned in for another kiss under the full moon's glow. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but I mistook it for the pounding in my ears as our kiss deepened. But sure enough, as another clap rolled over the beach, we broke away, startled by its intensity. The storm must have blown in during the reception, for without warning, rain poured from the heavens, drenching us both in seconds. I scarcely remember the events that came next, for everything became a blur, a sweet, perfect blur, and the last thing I remember is your mother's dress rippling to the floor. Then my world exploded.