CHAPTER 35
Sig asked that Edgar and Louise both to sit in two chairs now being placed in the middle of the dining area. Edgar was getting a little uneasy and looked to his mom for support at the family table. She shook her head, leaned in to Elsa and said, "What in the world is Sig up to?" Elsa, who to her credit had been behaving for the most part, chuckled and said, "This is going to be good." The newly married and very leery couple took their seats and waited as Sig began. "Marriage is a big step. It means commitment, hard work, and lots of love and laughter." He paused looking at Louise, "I promise there will be a lot of laughter. I welcome you to our family, Louise. I could not be happier for my brother today. Edgar is a good man and has finally seen fit to grow up. How he managed to convince this beautiful creature to marry him, well, they say love is blind. In this case it is also struck Louise deaf, dumb, and she has lost her sense of smell apparently." A roar of laughter wet through the crowd. "But I digress," Sig continues, "today is the beginning of the rest of your lives and while that means you will be moving to a new country and you will have a new home, there are other ties that still must be cut."
Sig turns his focus from the couple to the audience, of which he has there full attention. "I now ask that all of you ladies out there from Edgar's past relinquish you keys to his residence as he is a married man, legal and binding. Come on now you know who you are." Edgar is looking at Louise shaking his head vehemently, no. Every single woman and some not, proceed to approach Edgar and deposit a key into his hand. The whole reception is laughing at his embarrassment. It is punctuated at the end by a sweet faced 90+ year old woman barely doddering up to him. She places the key in his hand and lays one whopper of a kiss on him. The crowd goes wild! Edgar is beat red and can't help but grin form ear to ear. Sig continues, "In all fairness, I need you gentlemen to surrender your keys to Louise's apartment, as she will no longer be occupying it. Gentlemen, please come forward." Everyman in the group walks forward to deposit a key into Louise's hand. Her final bit of embarrassment occurs when Sven Hansen's four year old son crawls up in Louise's lap places his tiny hands on either side of her face and gives her a sweet little kiss. He then proceeds to reach into his little jacket pocket and produces a key. Louise is laughing so hard she is crying and the crowd gives and exaggerated, "Awe."
Sig, feeling very content with himself, gets serious for a second and tells the couple, "Today two great families have merged and sitting here is the future of both of those families. The future looks good. Thank you." Edgar stood up and hugged his brother, and said in his ear, "You don't think that was a little over the top?" Sig laughed and said, "Of course it was. I like to be remembered." Louise accepted a hug form Sig and he asked her, "No hard feelings? All in fun?" She smiled and replied, "I thought it was wonderful."