CHAPTER 23: Mallory

It was the day before Thanksgiving. Ben, the twins, and I were flying to Hartford. We were planning to stay for Thanksgiving and Bebe and Byron's wedding, then go back the following Tuesday.

During the ride, I reflected on how much my siblings had grown over the past ten years. The triplets were now attending a technical college in Hartford, where they planned to be auto mechanics. Their plan was to have Adam and Jordan fix the cars, and have Byron pump the gas and run the cash register. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to open a garage together someday.

Vanessa attends NYU, where she's planning to be a high school English teacher, and write poetry in her spare time. When we were kids, not only did Vanessa and I share a room, but she would talk in rhyme constantly, and it drove us nuts. The only exception was when she was upset.

Nick also attends college in New York, where, strangely enough, he's planning to be a Presbyterian minister. He's planning to go to college for two more years, then he'll be attending a seminary in New York. In fact, the last time I talked to him on Facebook, I told him that if he wasn't assigned a church, he could either be a hospital chaplain, or do what Fred Rogers did, and have his own show. He said he'd take that into consideration.

Margo attends Stoneybrook University, where—get ready for this, folks—she's planning to be an EMT, and will graduate in the spring. I was more than a little surprised to hear this, mostly due to the fact that Margo had the world's weakest stomach, and constantly got sick when we were kids: carsick, airsick, you name it. She's currently training at the EMT-Basic level, which means that she can do more invasive procedures and other minor things. Upon graduation, she'll be assigned a unit and a partner, and may decide to work her way up as she gets older and more experienced.

Claire is now a junior at SHS, and she's also a PSEO (Post-Secondary Enrollment Options) student, which means that she takes high school classes in the morning and college classes in the afternoon. Speaking of which, since Claire doesn't have a car just yet, Mom picks her up at the high school around 11 a.m., and takes her to the college, then she catches a ride home with Margo in the afternoon. Once she gets her license and own car, though, she'll be able to take herself.

Okay, back to us. We arrived in Hartford, and Mom, Dad, and Vanessa met us at the airport. I thought for sure the triplets would be there, too, since they also live in Hartford, but they weren't. I was also looking forward to the wedding, and I knew everyone else was, too.

On Friday evening while everyone was at the church and rehearsal dinner, Kristy, Jason, Ben, and I sat around and talked, almost as soon as we'd put the twins to bed. "So, how are you feeling, Kristy?" I asked as I finished my coffee.

"I'm doing all right. I just can't wait for the baby to be born," she answered, taking a bite of a pretzel stick. Jason put his arm around her, and laid a hand on her stomach.

I'd been in that position a few months ago. You see, Kristy had organized a BSC reunion for the weekend of the Stoneybrook High school graduation. Obviously, I couldn't go, because I was expecting the twins at the time. I guess it was just as well, because on the SHS graduation day, I went into labor, had a C-section, passed out from blood loss, and didn't wake up for almost 24 hours. (Ben once told me that on his way home from the hospital that night, he was listening to the country music station on the radio, and happened to hear the song "Don't Take The Girl" by Tim McGraw, and he said it really hit home with him.) I'm just glad he didn't pass out during the actual procedure, or I would've told the nurse to take a Sharpie and write "WUSS" on his forehead.

Anyway, Kristy had set up her stepfather's WebCam for the occasion. At the time, she'd been in her second month. Now, she's in her eighth month—just like I'd been at the time—and had to get special permission from her doctor to travel. Luckily, if anything goes wrong, she only lives an hour and a half away. During the reunion, Kristy had burst into tears as soon as she'd announced to our other BSC friends that she was pregnant. That was a real surprise, because we've almost never seen her cry.

Later that evening, everyone came back from the church and rehearsal dinner, and Karen drove Kristy and Jason back to the Thomas-Brewer mansion. Shortly after that, we went to bed, because we knew we'd have to be up early the next morning.

Tomorrow is going to be magical.

The next day, we were up by 8:00. Vanessa and I fixed first Claire and Margo's hair, then each other's. It reminded me a little of the time that Dad had lost his job, and Vanessa tried to make money by calling herself "Miss Vanessa" and styling kids' hair on the playground. Bebe had asked Karen, who had just started at a beauty college in Stamford, to be the maid of honor. And believe me, she's a million times better than Gloriana. (Karen once told me that she thinks Gloriana got her beautician's license out of a Cracker Jack box.) My sisters were going to be bridesmaids, and Kerry, Logan's sister, was going to register the guests. (This time, instead of yellow, Bebe chose red, because it's her favorite color.) Byron had asked all three of his brothers to be ushers and groomsmen, and they had red bowties that matched the bridesmaids' dresses. I thought that was very nice, considering the fact that when we were kids, the triplets didn't want to have anything to do with Nick, for some reason. Byron had also asked Jeff Schafer, Dawn's brother, to be the best man. Thankfully, none of my brothers were playing a guitar and singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" because they weren't chosen. Bebe and Byron had decided not to have a ring bearer or flower girl, which I decided was all right.

We'd sent invitations to all the BSC members, but the only ones who were able to come were Kristy, Stacey, Dawn, and I, mostly because we had family members in the wedding party. Claudia couldn't come, because of the art show; Mary Anne and Logan were not only entertaining Logan's cousin and his wife, but also, Mary Anne didn't want to take chances being at the end of her second trimester; Abby was visiting relatives on Long Island; Shannon and Bart were still settling into married life; and Jessi was busy with The Nutcracker. When I talked to her on Facebook last month, she said that just as she'd hoped, she and Manette got the parts of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier.

We arrived at the church at 9:30, and were met by Kristy, Jason, and Karen. Kristy looked great, despite her condition. I'd even let her borrow one of my maternity dresses for the occasion. I thought it was nice to see her in something besides a turtleneck and jeans.

We took our seats about half an hour later. Ben, the twins, and I sat in the back row on the groom's side, so we'd have easy access to the nursery, just in case. I held our daughter, and Ben held our son.

"I just hope Byron doesn't decide to go sky-diving today," I whispered to Ben.

"You think he would?" he laughed.

"Well, the triplets have been known to do some pretty stupid stuff," I answered.

Before too long, the ceremony got underway. Bebe looked beautiful as she came down the aisle with Steve. She was wearing a white wedding dress with long sleeves and no train, as well as a sapphire necklace that looked like the "Heart of the Ocean" from Titanic. I'd heard she'd gotten it on her SHS graduation trip to the Titanic Museum in Branson, but hadn't worn it until now. And I'm also told that Diann had worn that dress when she'd married Steve.

In a way, I'm kind of glad that Mary Anne isn't here, I thought. I know for sure that she'd be bawling. And speaking of which, Bebe was trying her hardest not to, even though I think I saw a tear rolling down Steve's face. Diann and Mom, on the other hand, were inconsolable before Bebe was even halfway down the aisle.

When Rev. Downey pronounced them husband and wife, Bebe and Byron kissed, and we applauded. Then he introduced them as, "Mr. and Mrs. Byron Pike."

I thought the ceremony was just wonderful.

At the reception, which was held at the Community Center, Jason again told us the story of his mom and Steve's wedding. I'm just glad that Bebe and Byron's wedding didn't turn out that way.

After Bebe and Byron opened their presents, the dancing started. First, Bebe and Byron danced to "Concrete Angel" by Martina McBride, which was their first dance as husband and wife. After that, Bebe, Steve, Mom, and Byron danced to "The Laendler" from The Sound of Music. I'm told that the four of them had taken ballroom-dancing lessons at the Community Center over the summer, and the dance was very good.

Later, they did the bouquet and garter toss. Karen caught the bouquet this time, even though it landed at her feet at Shannon and Bart's wedding. I'm just glad we were spared from watching her and Tiffany Kilbourne tussle over it. Oh, and Jeff caught the garter.

All in all, this was the best day ever.