Haven Days

(August 2020)

17-Tears and Joy

W-Day Minus Seven

In the end, Mabel decided not to go with her first impulse—a wedding dress modeled after the dome of St. Paul's in London, with layer upon layer of lace, and a veil and train that would require a dozen Gnomes to carry it behind her, making her look like a figurine in the middle of a fantastic mound of cake and frosting. "I guess I got sentimental," she told Wendy as she bent over her sewing machine and worked on altering her mother's wedding dress so that she could wear it.

It was a simple, lovely dress of ivory-colored satin, with a scoop neck and a long, but not quite floor-length hemline. With Mrs. Pines's blessing, Mabel was not only altering it—her bust was fuller than her mother's had been at her age—but also dressing it up with some lace for the shoulder straps, bodice, and hem. "It's beautiful, Mabes," Wendy said with a smile.

"Yeah, and it doesn't cost a fortune. Really just for the lace and stuff! But it wasn't expensive back when Mom wore it, even," Mabel said. "Mom and Dad got married straight out of college, and they didn't have a ton of money. Back then Dad was working for Grandpop in one of his electronics shops. From what I've heard, Grandpop was pretty well off, but Dad wouldn't ask him for money. They had to have a subdued kind of wedding, 'cause Mom's family wasn't well-off, either, but she told me it was a charming one, and she showed me photos. They look so young and so happy in the pictures."

"Speaking of which," Wendy said, "I know a guy who can be your photographer if you want. He's good with a camera and he won't charge a lot. I went to high school with him, his name's Devlin MacNear, and he's worked weddings before. Pretty sure he'll give you a deal. Want me to ask?"

Mabel's sewing machine had been humming along as she finished the hemline. "Devlin. That sounds familiar. Hey, wait, is he the guy you went to dances and stuff with like six years ago?"

"Yeah," Wendy said. "Before Dipper and I had made our solemn vow. But the thing with Devlin was Platonic, you know? I mean, he was real shy back then and hadn't come out, so I was sort of helping him keep up appearances. But then he met somebody in college and admitted to his mom and dad that they were attracted to each other, and it turned out they didn't make a big deal of it and were accepting and all. Anyway, he's a really nice guy and, like I say, good at photography."

Mabel held up the dress. "How's it look?"

"You'll be beautiful in it," Wendy said, smiling. "Way to go, Mabel."

Holding the dress against her, Mabel smoothed the fabric. "Looks like it'll fit. I'll try it on later to be sure. Then in a soft voice, she asked, "And, um, how much does Devlin usually charge?"

"About three thousand dollars, I think," Wendy said.

With a sigh, Mabel put the dress on a hanger. "Oh, uh, well, that's OK, don't ask him."

Wendy opened the closet door so Mabel could put the altered dress away. "But, like I say, I'm pretty sure he'll do a great deal. I'll talk to him about it, I mean I won't make a commitment to pay him or anything, but he'll give me a quote for you."

Mabel took a deep breath. "It'd have to be a big discount," she said. "Teek and me are starting off with some savings, but, you know—it may be a long time before we can start to earn a living."

"Yeah, I know," Wendy said.

Later that day, Wendy did talk to Devlin, and to Grunkle Stan, and to Dipper. "I'm fine with it," Dipper said. "But Mabel can't ever know. Is your friend OK with keeping it a secret?"

"Oh, yeah," she said. "He's great at that." In turn, Devlin MacNear and his husband, Mitch Bayson, were happy that Dev got the gig—there hadn't been much in the way of professional photography jobs or home remodeling in the Valley since the lockdown began, and neither had found much work. Devlin was happy to offer a complete package for $2500, knocking off a thousand dollars on his end.

The next morning at breakfast—Teek was a guest at the table—Wendy said, "So about the photographer. My friend Devlin, just for you guys, will do the job for five hundred dollars, and he'll include the processing for the basic package, a private downloadable collection of pictures, and a forty-page album for the special ones you want to keep as a memento. There should be about two hundred photos in all, he says."

"That's a big savings," Dipper pointed out. "It usually runs over three thousand."

"What do you think?" Mabel asked Teek, almost timidly. "It still seems like a lot of money."

"Tell you what," Wendy said. "Me and Dip will front half of it as one of our wedding presents to you."

Teek looked flustered. "Uh, I think it's a great offer," he said. "The five hundred, I mean. You and Dipper don't have to—"

"Sure we do," Dipper said with a grin. "Because we want to. I'm Mabel's best friend."

Mabel blew her nose, right at the table. "Thanks, Brobro. OK, we'll accept both of the offers. And I'll make it up to you somehow! I'll knit all sorts of sweaters and design clothes for Wen, and—and thank you both so much!"

She was crying a little, but she was happy. And that made Teek smile and kiss her. And that made Wendy squeeze Dipper's hand, and they discovered they both were happy too.

But the greatest wonder of all was that Stan Pines didn't raise one single grump about slipping the photographer a thousand bucks under the table. But he warned Mabel, "When you come walkin' down the aisle, ignore me. 'Cause I'm gonna be bawling like a big baby!"

W-Day Minus Five

Wendy and Dipper decorated the parlor of the Mystery Shack that day. They went old-school, hanging white curtains, mounting a pair of crepe-paper wedding bells on the ceiling, setting up the dais that Soos used when he played DJ for a Mystery Shack dance for Grunkle Stan and the wedding party, and arranging with Soos to DJ both the event and the reception afterward.

Soos, as usual, was overjoyed. He had become a good pianist, too—when Little Soos began to take lessons, Soos had taken them right alongside his son. And as he said, "My keyboard can sound like a church organ, dudes!"

Soos consulted with Mabel about the ceremony tunes. A few were vocals, the rest instrumental versions. Lots of oldies, quite a few newies.

For the prelude Soos would DJ an assortment ranging from "Helplessly Hoping," Schubert's "Serenade No. 4," "Your Love's so Lovely that I Love It" (the &NDRA hit from the previous fall), "Can't Help Falling in Love" (the Ingrid Michaelson version), "Just the Way You Are," "The Way You Look Tonight" (a surprise for Mabel and a mellow cover version by Sev'ral Timez, recorded just for the occasion), and a few others to take up the half-hour before the ceremony commenced. When he got the signal from Melody for "last song," instead of playing recorded music, he switched to the live keyboard, piano mode, and played a tune called "Morning Rituals," slow, sweet, and soaring. And then he would switch to organ mode.

Mabel asked Soos to play a real oldie for her walk down the aisle—"Wedding Song (There Is Love)." That was the tune her mom had used, and Soos's version was soulful and joyous.

Of course for the recessional—can't help selecting this one—Soos would play the Mendelssohn's wedding music from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Then there would be a light luncheon, and after that with the floor cleared and Soos doing the musical honors as DJ, the reception. There would be the first dance, bride and groom, then father-daughter dance, then parents' dance, then wedding party, and a special surprise musical interlude. After that, Soos would announce, "On the dance floor, dawgs, it's free for all!"

Wendy would arrange a floral coronet for Mabel—pink rosebuds and greenery—and also took charge of making the bouquet. "I didn't know you could do that!" Mabel said when Wendy showed her a sample.

"Oh, yeah, and I know where I can get all the flowers fresh and free," Wendy said. "I like making floral arrangements, just never had much of a chance to do it."

"My netting and ribbon stash is at your disposal!"

Too bad that Teek would be so busy that he wouldn't have time to do the lunch cooking, and the kindly Willett couple who often subbed lived out of the Valley and were sheltering from COVERT-19, but Lorena and Sheila were no slouches as cooks and volunteered to take over the catering duties.

Meanwhile, Teek's siblings had come for the wedding and were for the time being staying in one of the quarantine houses. They had tested clear so far, and Fiddleford was standing by with doses of the nanite vaccine just in case some worrying sign popped up.

The Gnomes had decided to send six representatives to the wedding. Five were, um, well, in an earlier year they had called themselves "Normal . . . man." The sixth was Gemula, whom Jeff would marry soon.

The Manotaurs didn't feel comfortable indoors for the length of a ceremony, but they promised to come and stand outside the Shack to line the route to the limousine. And in turn, Grunkle Stan promised them a whole case of jerky. The sell-by date was coming up anyhow, and the Shack wasn't doing business during the lockdown.

Pacifica had hesitantly agreed to be a bridesmaid—"Do you think the town still has a grudge against my father?"

Naw, of course not. The citizens had become accustomed to forgetting things. And her dad and mom were coming too, though her father was looking gaunt and a little shaky. Recovering from a severe bout of COVERT was a drawn-out business.

To sum up, everything was looking good.

Mabel was on top of the world.

And she couldn't stop fretting and worrying.

The Big Day

From upstairs they could hear the music begin. "I'm so nervous!" Mabel said. "Do I look nervous? I feel nervous!"

Pacifica said, "Hold still." She had swathed Mabel in a blanket and was carefully touching up her makeup. "You look beautiful. There, much better." She twitched away the blanket and Mabel, already in her wedding gown, stood up to look at her reflection.

"Pacifica!" she said with a gasp. "You could make like a zillion dollars doing this professionally! Look at me! I'm as gorgeous as I used to think I was!"

Pacifica hugged her. "If I've learned one thing," she said, kissing Mabel's cheek—very carefully—"it's that I don't need a zillion dollars. Mabel, um, this sounds so schmaltzy, but, um—thank you for being my friend."

"Thank you, Paz," Mabel returned, hugging her. Carefully.

Wendy tapped on the door. "Knock knock! I come bearing flowers!" She and Dipper had arisen early that morning.

Pacifica opened the door. "What do you think of our girl?" she asked.

"Oh, wow! Mabel, you are beautiful! Let's see how this fits." She handed Mabel the tiara of rosebuds, so fresh you'd expect to see dew on them.

"Perfect," Pacifica said. "Get the photographer in here!"

Devlin MacNear, a mid-twenties, slim guy, came in, wearing so many cameras that anyone would think he'd collapse from the weight. "Oh, she's wonderful!" he said.

He snapped Mabel in a dozen poses solo, then another dozen with Wendy and Pacifica. They were pretty dang beautiful themselves, wearing the pale pink gowns that Mabel had suggested—and created. Wendy went out for a moment and returned with the bouquet, white and pink roses. "Now, remember," she said with a smile," you carry this in with you. Hand it to me before Stan begins the ceremony. Then after you kiss, you take it back and walk down the aisle as a married woman."

"I'm a quick study," Mabel said, but her voice was a little shaky.

"OK, so Harmony's gonna go in just before you and spread the rose petals," Wendy continued. "She's not shy, so the betting is she's gonna walk slow and hold the spotlight for a pretty long time. Billy will carry the rings and he'll set his pace to hers. Just don't appear in the doorway until your dad holds out his arm. When you show up, Soos breaks into your wedding song, and then you go."

"Wendy—" Mabel began and then she sniffled.

"I know," Wendy said. "I love you like a sister, too."

With tears shimmering in her eyes, Mabel nodded.

"Dev, clear out now," Wendy said. "See you down in the wedding chapel."

Down on the main floor, Stan, looking sharp in a tux, said to Teek, "OK, kid, it's time. We're gonna go outside and come in the side door. Me and you first, then your brother, then Dipper and the other two groomsmen, then Alex and Wanda, then your mom. When we get in place, you just wait until I sorta nod, and then you can turn and see Mabel coming down—'scuse me, I got an allergy—" he honked his nose into a handkerchief and resumed, "comin' down the aisle."

"The, uh, ring?" Teek asked in a squeaky voice.

"Billy's bringin' em down the aisle," Stan reminded him. "Dip, you make sure the best man takes good care of the rings."

"I got this," Dipper, the old married man, said smoothly.

So how did it go?

How should a wedding go, like a brawl?

It went, in a word, perfectly. When Mr. Pines held his arm out and smiled his best teary-eyed Dad smile, Mabel put her arm through his and whispered, "I love you, Dad."

Soos began to play the keyboard. Mabel, her heart in her throat, walked beside him down the aisle, accompanied by gasps, oohs, and aahs from the standing guests. The six Gnomes, sitting in the back row but perched on booster seats, stood on the boosters, crossed their arms and put both hands on their chests, an ancient Gnomish gesture that meant "May your hearts be full of love and your stomach of mushrooms."

Gnomes are both complex and often literal-minded.

Mabel's mother watched her approach with tears dripping from her face. Manly Dan, who could never see his daughter in a dress without bawling, was leaning into the arms of Wendy's stepmother Ruby, a formidable—looking woman who as a former Marine wore her dress uniform, red cummerbund and all, and even she looked misty-eyed.

Mabel, her veil in place, clutched her bouquet with both hands, her right arm linked to her dad's. They walked on roses.

They reached the dais and stopped. Wendy gently tugged the bouquet from Mabel. Stan, clearing his throat, hoarsely said, "Who presents Mabel Pines?"

"I do," Alex said. He stepped back, weeping himself, and after Mabel raised her veil, he took both her hands in his and squeezed them.

Then she was standing beside Teek, and Stan began: "This—this is something I'm glad I've lived to see. Relatives and friends, I want to remind you all that marriage isn't just some rinky-doo ceremony that you go through and forget. A true marriage is an expression of deep love, a life's commitment, and a set of promises. I see a lot of tears. Heck, I've leaked one or two myself. But these are not tears of sadness, but tears of joy. Please join me in wishing my grand-niece Mabel and my young friend T.K. O'Grady—do you mind 'Teek?'"

Teek shook his head no.

"Good man. Let's call him Teek during this ceremony, 'cause if I remember right, that was the nickname that Mabel gave you years ago." Then, surprisingly, he reached into the lectern and produced a yarmulke and tallit, the white-with-blue-stripes, fringed prayer shawl. He donned both and then gave the crowd a rather challenging scowl. "I ain't a rabbi," he said. "And this is a civil ceremony, but the garments I just put on came down from—" he broke off and then almost whispered—"from my older brother, Sherman Pines, who passed away many years ago. And they came down to Alex, and he asked if I would say a brief Hebrew prayer for the occasion."

He raised his hands and sang, "Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu, v'kiy'manu, v'higiyanu laz'man hazeh."

Then Stan said, "Not too shabby, but I gotta admit I asked my poker buddy, Jacob Emmerich to brush me up on it. And just to show I got nothing up my sleeve, I'm gonna do it again in English. 'Blessed are You, Adonai our Lord, Ruler of the Universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this occasion.'"

Both Alex and Stanford were audibly weeping, and Stanley himself fussed a little about removing and storing the prayer shawl and yarmulke. "OK, now down to what we came for. Good people, I present to you all this young couple, Mabel Wandelle Pines and Ticknor Keevan O'Grady, who have come before you this beautiful morning to be joined in matrimony. First, I gotta ask is there anybody present who objects to this union? And there better not be, I got a squad of Manotaurs just outdoors!"

No one did object. Then Stan said, "I got just a few words. I made a terrible mistake and waited until I was an old man—practically—before asking my wife, Sheila to marry me. I didn't know what I was missing. This couple is young. They're beginning their life together in a bad time, but their love for each other will light their way and make the journey a joyful one. Not to say they won't have sorrows, we all do, but when you come right down to it, the joy in life outweighs anything bad that comes our way. So Mabel and Teek, take each other in wedlock and be better together than you could ever be on your own. Care for each other, support each other, and most important of all, love each other. Now I believe you two have some vows you want to recite. Teek, take it away."

Teek, now looking red in the face but more relaxed, said quietly, "Mabel, I think I fell in love with you the day I met you. You're beautiful, you're funny, you're talented, you're exciting to be around. Never change any of that. I promise to love you and cherish you and honor you and—did I say love? Because I really, really mean that. In the closing days of the Second World War, the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa and the woman he loved, Yoko Yaguchi were living in really bad times. One day he came to her and said, 'We're going to lose this war, and then everyone in Japan will be expected to commit mass suicide. I'd like to see what being married is like first. Let's try it and see if we like it.'" That got a laugh. Then Teek said, "They had a long and wonderful marriage. I can't wait to try it with you, Mabel, my love."

Mabel's words were hard to hear, but Dipper could understand her: "Teek, you've been my friend when I've behaved rotten and when I've tried my best to be nice. You put up with it, you made me feel better, you cheered me up, and I fell in love with you. I won't promise not to drive you nuts, but I do promise to be the best wife I can be and to love you forever and forever and . . . forever."

"Beautiful," Stan said. "Now we come to the vows. Brendan, the rings, please."

Teek's older brother, who looked a lot like him, but with a spray of freckles on his cheeks, handed the rings to Stanley.

Stan raised them. "These rings," he said, "are symbolic of a perfect union, circles without beginning or end. Teek, take this ring and place it on the fourth finger of Mabel's left hand."

Mabel held out her hand—she had removed her engagement ring temporarily—and Teek slipped the ring on her finger.

"Repeat after me," Stan said. "With this ring, I pledge you my everlasting love. I take you in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, until death parts us."

Teek repeated each phrase.

Then Stan said. "Great. Pumpkin, you place this ring on Teek's finger—"

"I got this," she said, and without Stan's prompting, she repeated the vows flawlessly.

"Oy!" Stan said. "We got an actress in the family!" But then he smiled and said, "Having exchanged your vows before everyone and before God, and by the power vested in me by the State of Oregon and the City of Gravity Falls, I now pronounce you husband and wife. That's your cue. Kiss each other!"

They did for a period of time that verged on the uncomfortable. Then Stan said, "I present to you Mr. Teek O'Grady and Mrs. Mabel Pines O'Grady, and what God has joined here today, nobody better try to bust up, or they'll answer to me!"

Everyone stood, Mendelsohn's music began—though Soos was sobbing—and they went out onto the lawn, where the Manotaurs saluted them. When the others came out, they spent some time mingling and accepting good wishes. Then Pacifica hugged Mabel, who whispered in her ear, "Go long and cut to my left!"

Later, before the meal and the reception, Wendy said to Dipper, "Man, Pacifica was on the ball! You'd think she knew just where to head for that bouquet."

"I wonder how?" Dipper asked, grinning. And then he mimed zipping and locking his lips.