A sequel to my 2018 story "The Recluse of 4B and the Waitresses". Part 3 starts two days before the wedding.
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The usual Thursday night Pizza Party was to be used to make the final preparations for the wedding of Howard and Bernadette, scheduled for Saturday.
Sheldon knocked on the door of 4B
Knock, knock, knock "Penny and Leonard"
Knock, knock, knock "Penny and Leonard"
Knock, knock, knock "Penny and Leonard"
Penny opened the door "Hi sweetie. Oh, hello Sally, please come in."
Sally entered with Sheldon and said "Hello everybody"
Leonard "Hello Sally, what brings you here?"
Sheldon "I bring her here. Dr Garcia has kindly agreed to accompany me to the wedding, just as a friend. She knows I will be helping to organise things at the Athenaeum Club on Saturday before the wedding, she has offered to help me on the day so I suggested she came here to find out what the final arrangements are going to be."
Bernadette "Thank you Sally, that's very kind of you."
Howard "Welcome Sally, I hope you like Pizza..."
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Saturday morning, Sally knocked on the door of 4B.
"Ah good morning, Dr. Garcia, right on time."
"Good morning to you Dr. Cooper, my don't you look smart!"
"Thank you Sally, even I know that a Batman t-shirt would not be appropriate attire as a wedding guest. First thing we have to do this morning is take best man Leonard to the Wolowitz household so he can then travel to the wedding with Howard."
"Where is Penny?"
"She is already over at the Rostenkowski household helping Bernadette get ready. We have been told in no uncertain terms that men are not allowed there this morning."
Knock, knock, knock "Leonard"
Knock, knock, knock "Leonard"
Knock, knock, knock "Leonard"
"Good morning Sheldon and Sally, ready to go?"
"Good morning Leonard, you look smart as well."
"Thank you Sally, I decided not to wear a hoodie today for the wedding."
"OK, let's get the best man over to Howard, I presume that you have the ring Leonard?"
Fifteen minutes later chez Wolowitz
Sheldon "Good morning Howard."
Sally "Another smartly dressed man, this is all a very pleasant change."
Howard "Thanks for bringing Leonard. May I introduce my Aunt Betty and Uncle Elliot. These are my friends Leonard, Sheldon and Sally. Leonard is the best man and he is staying here with me, Sheldon and Sally are off to the wedding venue to make sure everything is ready."
Elliot "Pleased to meet you."
Betty "If only my sister were here to see her little boy get married..."
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Thirty minutes later Sheldon and Sally were getting the last minute things sorted at the Athenaeum Club.
Sheldon was on the phone as the guests started to arrive. "The bridegroom and best man are on their way, ETA five minutes."
Sheldon and Sally were telling brides family to sit at the front on the left and grooms family to sit at the front on the right.
"So where do we sit Dumbass?"
"Yeah, where do we sit Coopah?"
Sally "Greetings Drs Winkle and Kripke, sit wherever you like but not at the front"
Kripke and Winkle went to sit down
"Thank you Dr. Garcia"
"You are welcome Dr. Cooper"
"Howard and Leonard are almost here, I will go and greet them, could you carry on cat-herding the guests?"
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One hour later at the wedding reception
"Welcome everybody to Caltech on this special day of the wedding of my friends Howard and Bernadette, my name is Leonard Hofstadter and I have the honour to be best man today. Three years ago Howard finally plucked up the courage to ask a pretty waitress at The Cheesecake Factory out on a date. This waitress agreed provided Howard could find a date for her friend Penny. So that is how Howard met Bernadette and I met my girlfriend Penny, we are both eternally grateful to Howard and Bernadette for inviting us to the double date. Penny and I are both glad that we can play our part in this wedding. Could you all raise your glasses in a toast to the bride and groom, Bernadette and Howard!"
"Hello everybody, many many thanks for being here with us on this wonderful day. My name is Mister Howard Wolowitz, I emphasise the word Mister as I am one of the very few people here without a Ph.D :-). I would like to thank Dr. Leonard Hofstadter for being my Frodo Baggins and acting as the ring bearer. I would like to thank Penny for acting as maid of honour, she was assisted by my new sisters-in-law Sara and Rebecca Rostenkowski who were the bridesmaids. Thanks to my friends Dr. Sheldon Cooper and Dr. Sally Garcia for making sure you all knew where to sit when we got married. Finally I would like to thank my beautiful wife Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz for everything.
It is good to see so many family members here today, but sadly there is one very special person who isn't here today. My mother, Debbie Wolowitz, raised me alone after my father abandoned us when I was only 11 years old. Sadly she died six months ago, I miss her every day. Could you all raise your glasses in a toast to the memory of Mrs. Debbie Wolowitz."
Sheldon and Sally were sat together at the reception
"Sheldon, I noticed that you only drank water for the toasts. Would you like some champagne?"
"No thank you Sally."
"It would be a shame for this champagne to go to waste?"
"I don't drink alcohol Sally"
"Why ever not?"
"Why should I bow to societal pressure?"
"Touché Sheldon, why indeed."
"My father drank himself to death when I was 14 years old."
Sally took hold of Sheldon's hand
"I'm sorry to hear that Sheldon."
