Laura stood near the backdoor of the house. She could see Rob and Richie standing at the end of the aisle. They both looked so handsome, and she couldn't love either one more. All their friends sat in the chairs that had been set up. Laura looked around, wanting to memorize this moment. The ceremony would be over all too soon, she knew. But the memory would remain with her for a lifetime.

She put a hand on her chest, feeling her heart pound. Suddenly, a tear rolled down her cheek. She had never once complained about the way their wedding turned out. She'd have married Rob in the middle of nowhere if that's what it took. He was the love of her life. What mattered was everything that came after. That one tear was followed by another, and then another. Soon the two men before her were a blur. She stood there, unable to stop crying, knowing everyone was waiting for her.

Rob and Richie were beginning to worry about what was taking Laura so long to make her way down the aisle. Then they noticed her tears. Rob made a move to go to her, but Richie stopped him. "I'll go." Rob nodded, understanding it was probably best if he remained where he was.

Richie quickly made his way to where his mother stood. She tried to apologize, but she began to stammer, and her words were unintelligible. "It's OK, Mom." He softly kissed her cheek. Somehow that did the trick. "Are you ready now?" Still feeling shaky, Laura managed a nod.

A sigh of relief escaped from Richie as he saw his mother nod. He could tell that she wasn't totally calm yet, so he smiled. "Everything's going to be OK," he whispered. Then he slipped his arm into hers, and they slowly made their way down the aisle.

As she got closer to Rob, Laura began to smile. Her son had been right. She was going to make it, after all.

Rob took her hands in his. He could see she was still nervous, but he hoped she would find some calm in the next few moments. He turned to the minister, wondering what he would say at this momentous occasion.

The pastor smiled. He could tell this was an emotional time for everyone. He glanced down at the Bible in his hand. "A s you probably guessed, I've done a few weddings over the years. It's always special to see a couple start out their lives as husband and wife. But it's quite a bit rarer to see a couple who've been together for a lifetime, yet they remain as in love as they were when they were first married."

Rob couldn't help smiling at Laura. He knew everything the minister had said was true. Laura managed a tentative smile in return.

The minister continued. "The Bible tells us that love is patient, love is kind. I think I can tell, just from what we're all seeing right now, that this couple is a perfect example of that."

Everyone was quiet, listening to every word the minister spoke. But the silence was broken by a few sniffles. Rob looked at the congregation and saw both Millie and Sally reaching for tissues. At first he was alarmed, thinking Sally was sad. She must be remembering Herman, he thought. He breathed a sigh of relief a second later, though, when he noticed she was smiling, despite the tears that clearly filled her eyes.

Rob realized he'd missed part of the minister's words. When he returned to the present, he noticed everyone was looking at him. He glanced nervously at the preacher. "Don't you have something you would like to say to your lovely wife?"

Suddenly, Rob felt his heart race. A nervous laugh escaped. Hadn't he been preparing for this moment for weeks? He tried desperately to remember the words he'd jotted down the other day, but nothing came. He'd have to wing it. He looked into Laura's eyes, and a dozen memories hit him at once. The first time he'd seen her at the USO, their first wedding, to which Rob was two hours late. The unbelievable events surrounding their son's birth, just to name a few. "Laura, from the moment I saw you, I knew I wanted to marry you. People thought I was crazy. They said you'd never be interested in a serviceman. But I knew you were the only one for me. Here we stand, all these years later. Our son is now a grown man. A lot has changed, but one thing that will never change is how I've felt about you from the beginning. I love you, Laura, with all of my heart."

Tears once again filled Laura's eyes. This time, however, they did not become an uncontrollable flood. She managed to collect herself relatively quickly. "I hardly know what to say," she admitted with a smile. "When we met, I was so young. Probably too young to make a big decision like getting married. But I felt the same way about you. Even though I didn't have a lot of experience with love, I just knew. You said you wanted to do this to make up for our first wedding. But, Rob, you had nothing to make up! I would have married you anywhere. I just knew I wanted to be with you. The details never mattered. Marriage isn't about a ceremony. It's about spending your life with someone. And I have no doubt that there's no one else I could've been happier with." At the exact same moment, Rob and Laura both leaned forward for a kiss that lasted several moments.

From her seat in the congregation, Sally once again reached for a tissue. She hated the fact that this made her cry. It was so unlike her.

"Hey, are you OK?" Buddy asked, hoping she wasn't upset.

"Yeah," Sally said. "I mean, of course I miss Herman. But seeing Rob and Laura so happy, you know, so in love, it makes me feel better."

Buddy nodded his agreement. "Maybe Pickles and I'll stand up there one day."

Much to her surprise, Sally found herself laughing. She couldn't resist rolling her eyes at Buddy.

"Hey, stranger things have happened," Buddy said, in mock annoyance.

Sally shook her head in disbelief. At a moment like this, she was grateful to have a friend like Buddy . She glanced over at Rob and Laura. Even if she was a bit jealous, she knew no one deserved happiness more.

The End