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The day before the wedding, Alan and I drove up to San Francisco in his car.
"The boys are coming in Don's car" Alan told me just before we left.
I felt rather nervous about the whole thing. I wasn't into huge parties, especially if I hardly knew anybody.
The ceremony took place at the Japanese Tea Garden, near the hotel where the reception was to be at. At one point, the officiator, said. "And now the bride and groom will say their vows, which they have written."
"Always and forever. Each moment with you" she looked in to the groom's eyes. It kinda sounded familiar ".It's just like a dream to me that somehow came true. I know that tomorrow; will still be the same because we've got a life of love...that won't ever change..."
As she continued, I whispered to Alan "She's using the lyrics to a song for her vows!" How tacky! If you like the song, have it played during the reception. Geeze!
"No wonder I felt like I heard it before!" Alan conceded in a soft voice. I noticed that others, like Don, were making puzzled faces.
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Soon after the ceremony, Charlie and I went to the place, where the reception was to be. On the way, in my SUV, Charlie asked.
"Is it me, or did the bride's vow sound familiar?" Charlie asked me, confusion in his voice.
"They were lyrics from a song called 'Always and Forever' ".
"Oh..." He raised an eyebrow.
Unfortunately, Amita couldn't come because of school.
"I hope the ceremony didn't give Dad any ideas!" Charlie whined.
"Don't worry buddy! It's not gonna come to that!" I assured him.
The reception was in the banquet room of some hotel. The floors were the color of cherry wood. Large bouquets were on every table.
We sat at the same table as Dad and Natalie. I soon got up to get myself a drink to hold me over until dinner was served.
As I ordered my drink from the open bar, Sarah, one of Aunt Rach's kids joined me. We hugged. She had her hair in a nice bun, and wore the tell tale brides maid dress.
"Hey!" I said, and then offered. "Do you want something?"
"I'm fine for now. I'll get hammered later." She teased. "Guess who's here?"
"Who?"
"Gussy!"
"You're kidding!" I exclaimed. He was one of Uncle Frank's kids and hardly went to any family events. The hobby of my weird cuz, an accountant, was the raising and breeding of newts.
"So, I see you dad brought a date?" she asked.
"Yeah. Aunt Rach told you didn't she?" I asked'
"She might have mentioned it, yeah" She said diplomatically. I could only imagine what the 'mentioning' entailed.
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"Want me to get you a drink babe?" I asked Alan after a while.
"I'm fine."
"I'll be back" I got up and went to the open bar. Some guy with yellow rimmed glasses was talking to someone about the joys of newt raising, then he started to lament.
"If only humans could mate like newts. It would be so much simpler!" the guy with the glasses lamented. He proceeded to talk about Newt mating rituals.
"It does seem a bit more straightforward in the animal kingdom, doesn't it?" I commented politely. "But there are still intricacies involved, at least with some species. I should know, I'm a vet!"
"You are?" he asked.
"Yeah, though I'm more of a fur and feathers specialist" I added as a disclaimer so that he wouldn't start bombarding me with questions like what brand of lights are better?
"You don't have a lot of amphibians in your practice?" he asked.
"I get the occasional frog or toad" I said. Then I quickly ordered my drink.
"More people should get newts." He said.
"What made you decide to get into newt breeding?" I asked.
"I saw them at a pet shop, and got myself a couple. The rest as they say is history" He said, then proceeded to tell me what Newt breeding entailed.
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"Gus is talking to Nat!" Charlie told me with evil glee. Dad was temporarily at another table talking with Uncle Frank.
"Even a vet's gotta be bored by that!" I smirked.
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He really got animated about his lecture. After a while, Don came up to us, and said,
"Dad's looking for you"
Excusing myself, I left.
"There you are!" he told me. "Charlie told me that you were being tortured by Gus's lecture. So I sent Don to rescue you.
"I've heard worse" I said while looking at the pink, yellow and blue carnations that made up the table bouquet.
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When Natalie was out of hearing distance, Gus asked with annoyance.
"Are you dating her or something? We were having a nice talk. Your Dad just wanted to know where she was!" He had a weird nasal voice.
"My Dad is dating her"
"Ha-ha! A simple yes would have been fine" he rolled his eyes and walked away. I guess Gussy had started to like Nat.
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Dad and Natalie returned to our table by dinner. When the appetizers where being served, I asked Charlie, Natalie, and Dad if they wanted me to get them something from the open bar. They all said no.
As I arrived there I overheard Sarah, and Melinda, one of Uncle Frank's kids talk about Natalie. They didn't see me.
"Did you see Uncle Alan's date?" Melina asked.
"Date nothing! My mom says that they're living together!" Sarah said in that annoying gossipy voice of hers.
"I don't believe it!" Melinda exclaimed, though she conceded "They did look like they have been dating for a while."
"Yeah. My mom's not happy about it" Sarah shook her head.
Melinda joked "Isn't Uncle Alan a bit too old to have a midlife crisis?"
"Because of this, my mom made my Dad promise that, if she goes first, he's not gonna date anyone more than twelve years younger." Sarah chuckled, as I started to get annoyed. What business was it of theirs?
"Oh really?" I asked in my casual voice.
"Don! Come on!" Melinda groaned. "You probably feel the way we do! We're on your side, man!"
"The age thing is none of your business!" I snapped. "And at least my dad didn't feel the need to buy a Harley, like some other men I know!" I referred to my Uncle Frank. With that I walked away, before things got ugly. No one talked that way about my dad!
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"Something wrong Don?" I asked him when he sat down roughly on the table. His face was neutral, but it didn't fool me. Something was bothering my son.
"They didn't' have the beer I wanted" Don told me. I knew he was lying. "When are they serving the salad?"
"Are you sure?" I asked, ignoring his attempt to change the subject.
"It's fine!" He insisted. Before we could argue some more, the salad came and I decided to drop the subject, for now.
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Meeting Alan's relatives had been a bit of a process. They all seemed nice, and one of Rach's grandkids expressed interest in becoming a vet.
After dinner, people danced and talked. I took off to the ladies room. Then, I went outside to get some fresh air and to take a break from being social. It was a habit of mine during big parties. The hotel was pretty with its missionesque decor. Its fountain had an abstract mosaic at its bottom, which was almost covered in pennies. Then, I admired the cityscape of the city. After a bit, I heard a familiar voice say.
"There you are!"
It was Don.
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I figured she'd be outside. To say that Natalie wasn't as social as Dad would be the understatement of the year.
"Dad's looking for you." I told her.
"Was he afraid that I was flushed down the toilet?" she joked.
"It's been half an hour since anyone's seen you!" I reminded her, but nicely. I remember what I went through when I met Kim's family. It was kinda overwhelming at first.
"Half an hour?" she gave me a puzzled look.
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"Yeah" he told me. "Why don't we rejoin the party?"
"Go ahead. I'll be back in a few." I told him, not quite ready to join the crowd.
He raised his eyebrows. They were barely visible as the hotel's outdoor lights were kind of dim.
"It's getting cold" he hinted, and pointed to the hotel.
"I'm fine" I inwardly sighed. His way of being subtle sucked.
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Natalie can't just hide from the party forever! The sooner she returned to the party the better. Kinda like takingoff a band aid quickly.
Just then, Charlie joined us.
"Someone said you went outside" he told me, then saw Nat. "Dad's looking for you"
"Tell him that I'll be back in a few" she said, and started to study the cityscape.
After some more nagging from the two of us, she finally agreed to go back.
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"There you are!" Alan said when he saw me come in. "Where were you?"
"She was just getting some fresh air" Don told him. It was surprising to see him kinda defending me, especially since his father wasn't mad.
"It is a nice evening" Alan agreed, as I kissed him.
Eventually, it was time for a game, where you can dance with the bride or groom, but only if you pin some money on the one you dance with. It's a good way to get a down payment on a house I guess. If they plan on living in the bay area, they're gonna need all the help they could get!
"It must have been the bride's idea" Charlie commented. "He never did this at the other weddings"
"Could you lend me a dollar, buddy?" Don asked "I wanna see if she's as nutty as the other wives"
"You don't have a dollar in your wallet?"
"I don't have change" Don replied as Charlie rolled his eyes, and lent his brother a dollar. Their interaction reminded me of the banter that I developed with my brother and sister in adulthood.
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So, I danced with the bride, Gigi. She had on a simple, very light pink dress. The song, 'Save the Last Dance', played. We did some small talk. She seemed pretty normal, which surprised me.
Soon, it was Gussy's turn. He glared at me as I stepped away. Then, I returned to our table.
"I hope to see you dance with your own bride someday" Dad told me.
"Dad..come on!" I rolled my eyes. Why must he always nag me about this? I'll marry when I'm ready not before.
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"So, was the bride nutty?" I asked Don. I wanted to know if my dollar was well spent.
"She seemed nice and normal."
"Maybe your cousin Greg finally found the right girl" Dad said optimistically. "At least they got a normal cake this time."
"What?" Don asked as I laughed, and Natalie looked at Dad with puzzlement.
"During the second wedding reception, they had a chocolate cake with this blue disgusting frosting that had caviar in it!" I explained and made a face just thinking about it.
"Ugh!" Don exclaimed.
"Doesn't sound appetizing." Natalie remarked.
"Your Aunt Rachael hit the ceiling when she found out that was going to be the cake for the reception." Dad told us. He, like me and Don, had his jacket draped over the chair.
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Then the DJ returned, so that there could be some more general dancing. Charlie and I sat it out, while Dad danced with Nat to a couple of slow tunes. Of course, the DJ played Luther Vandross' 'Here and Now.' Natalie seemed to like that song a lot as she smiled when the introductory chords started. Dad looked happier than he did in ages. Just having her in his arms made him joyful. After a while,I noticed that Natalie wasn't as good a dancer as he was. Dad had learned how to dance from Mom. She could really cut a rug! I started to remember a time in which he was dancing with Mom. Then, I gulped my drink.
TBC