The Last Wedding of a Generation Part III
Mitch was the first of the two grooms to arrive at the Gotham Halls. That was not a surprise to anyone, as he had the shortest distance to travel that day. He had made his way up from the West Village on the subway, a decision that would have worried some, but it was relatively efficient, and the stroll along 34th Street past Macy's from the station gave him time to relax. On arriving, Trent insisted that they did not wait outside, as Mitch had considered. He pointed out that it was not the done thing, and that traditionally, the two spouses at a wedding entered separately, so that they could leave together symbolically.
He was greeted with so much warmth the second that he strolled in to the main room. The first to greet him were the Carmichaels, always a fixture at such events, but on seeing him, Mrs Carmichael began to cry. They were all concerned, but then she pointed out that this would be the last Warbler wedding she would attend of a boy that had been educated at Dalton whilst her husband had been headmaster. Having comforted her, Mitch and Trent headed to the front, the groom taking hugs, handshakes and fist bumps as they did so.
Arriving there, he saw his aunt, and he hugged her warmly, doing the same with her family. Then Isabelle was at his side, fussing at his suit, although she found little she could fault; Trent was well trained. Looking across the room, he saw the Hannafords, but no sign of Gideon's grandmother. Before he could enquire, he heard the door opening again, and he turned towards it, expecting to see the young man that he loved so much…
Trent had never met Mitch's parents; they had not been there for his graduation due to illness, and his former roommate hadn't had a photo of them on display at the time they shared a room at Dalton. To quote what was whispered about him at the time, Mitch Dwyer was a home ignoring person, someone whose family was off limits for conversation, and Trent had respected that. He knew that not everyone could have the same kind of relationship with their family as he had, with parents and siblings that loved him without conditions. Mitch, he would later discover, had always had a strained relationship with his parents growing up, his actions never good enough for his father, so when that had turned into nothing at all in his twenties, he had accepted the pain, knowing that in the long term he would be better off without the hassle. Trent knew that, and sorrowed for his friend.
When Mitch turned towards the door, Trent's eyes naturally followed, and he wondered at once who the woman with Gideon's grandmother was. He considered it, and his first thought was that it was an aunt of the young man in question. He turned to ask Mitch, and was shocked by the look on his friend's face. Trent, as was his way, immediately came to the correct conclusion as to who the woman was; she had to be Mitch's mother. Judging by the expression on the other man's face, this was not exactly a happy moment. He reached out, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder…
"Why is she here?" Mitch hissed. "She made it quite plain that she didn't want to have anything to do with my relationship with Gideon… She's come to object, hasn't she, and worst of all, she's managed to get in here in the company of…" Mitch stopped then, his breathing becoming ragged, and Trent was concerned that his friend was on the verge of a full blown panic attack.
"Calm down and breathe, Mitch. I very much doubt that is the reason she is here. You have always said that she hated hearing about you and Gideon because she was worried people would find out that her son was in a relationship with a man. She knows about Gideon's connection to Vogue, so why would she come to destroy this day? She would know that Isabelle would splash the whole story all over the magazine, and then all those friends she didn't want knowing would know." Mitch looked at him, and his breathing began to settle, as he knew that Trent had a point. "The only way that you will find out why she is here is to ask her, calmly. I mean, people have been known to have a change of heart…"
Trent moved back, and gave Mitch a gentle push into the aisle, where he began to walk slowly towards his mother. They met, and began to talk in low voices, Gideon's grandmother also heading to her seat after patting Mitch on the arm. Trent ignored the curious glances he was receiving from his other friends, along with the whispers, but slowly they began to realise for themselves by the body language of the two people that she was Mitch's mother.
Trent was concerned about it all, and was relieved when he felt the telltale draught, and then heard the soothing tones of Wes in his ear. "I was hoping that this might happen. She has actually taken a major step by coming here today. Her husband has no idea where she is, and as for her daughter, she would disapprove most strongly as well. What neither of them counted on was the strength of a mother's love; it is forever, and will brook no obstacles."
Trent was still looking at his friend, and was pleased to see he was smiling now. "Well, it seems that Mitch is happier that she is here now, but if what you are saying is true, there will be issues and consequences for her later, and he will feel so guilty about that…"
"It is highly likely that there will be, unfortunately, but in the long run, this moment of strength might not be a terrible thing for her. A toxic marriage is not a good one, and to escape one is no sin…"
Trent felt a draught again as Wes suddenly stopped speaking, and looking ahead, he saw why the angel had vanished. Mitch was now guiding his mother to the front of the room, to sit beside his aunt, whose immediate reaction was to hug her close, a broad smile on her face. There was no time to formally introduce her to Gideon's parents, but his grandmother had already explained who she was. It was time for the ceremony to start, and bang on schedule, the door opened again to admit the other groom and his brother.
People had thought that Mitch looked stunning in his designer suit, but his soon to be husband easily put him to shame in his. It had been made to impress, and was tailored almost exactly for him, making him look like one of the cover models on the stablemate of the magazine he now worked for. He smiled broadly as he walked down to join Mitch. There was a moment then when Mitch whispered to him, causing Gideon to look along the front row, and smile. His face was beaming with delight as he and the man he loved stepped up to the place where the celebrant was now standing, his heart filled with delight that his Mitch had his mother at the wedding after all…
The ceremony was brief and to the point. Neither of the grooms had wanted a long ceremonial, just the basics. They had not written their own vows, as the majority of the congregation knew already exactly what they would have said to each other in any case. They exchanged rings, simple gold bands that would illustrate their commitment to each other. Then, those age old words being said, they became husbands, and they kissed to oblige all of those that had joined them in celebration of the moment. There was applause, then smiles, and finally paperwork, something that even in a digital age was never far away…
As the newlyweds attended to it, it fell to Gideon's grandmother to formally introduce her daughter, son-in-law and grandson to Mrs Dwyer, who was now all smiles. She had realised that she was meant to be there, that had she missed seeing the moment her son married then it would have been the biggest mistake of her life. Eventually, she was finally introduced to her new son-in-law by her proud son, and Gideon hugged her without a qualm. She was shocked for a second, but then returned it, before pulling her son into the same tight hug…
As she did so, she knew that there would be ramifications from her actions that day, but she felt more than ready to deal with the consequences and fallout. In fact, she was certain that her son's marriage might even be a sign that her own needed to change, or even end. Mitch was happy, that much was plain, and in the end, that really was all that mattered. Had she said those words out loud, she would not have found anyone in the room that would disagree with her at that moment…
The arrival of Mrs Dwyer was only the first of the surprises that day would bring. The second would come at the meal afterwards, held in the same venue as the ceremony itself. The food had been all that they could have hoped for, a fusion of the traditional and modern. Nick had paled for a moment when he saw that tiramisu was on the dessert menu, able to recall the state that his husband had ended up in thanks to that dessert at Sebastian's vow renewal, thanks to the heavy hand of the chef adding the marsala wine to the dessert that Jeff had eaten three portions of. He could not stop his husband form choosing it, but he could ensure that he only had one portion, and stuck to gelato himself, like his son.
Sebastian was sitting at the same table, and had wondered why Nick looked so concerned at the menu, and it fell to Rory to explain it to him, as naturally the other man's mind had been elsewhere on that renewal day. He chuckled as the Irishman told him how they had forced several espressos into the blond so he could be sober enough to perform in the song that the Warblers had planned. Sebastian would choose the tiramisu himself, voicing his hope to have several portions to wind Nick up, but discovered that there was little danger of getting drunk on this version.
With dessert over, it was time for the speeches, and Mitch made them all laugh when he held his hand up to stop the first speaker, and produced an egg timer. From the look on their faces, it was obvious that his new husband had been aware, but neither of their best men had been. Trent ran perfectly to time in his speech, his quick brain editing out the unnecessary from what he had prepared, and was cheered loudly as he finished just as the final grain of sand fell. Matthew Hannaford was not so fortunate, and ended up being cut off halfway through a story that had them all laughing. Then, before anyone could stop her, Isabelle stood up to speak, giving Mitch such a look that he didn't dare turn the egg timer over…
"First of all, I would like to congratulate Mitch and Gideon on their marriage. I have not seen a couple as well suited and happy together as them, and long may that continue as they embark on married life. Now, as you all know, Gideon and Mitch are moving from Boston to New York as I offered the former his dream job as my new PA. Thanks to my connections, and those of Mitch's friends, they have a beautiful new home in Cobble Hill, which the builders are still working on, although they will have enough of it up to scratch in the next three weeks for them to be very comfortable there…"
Isabelle paused, then changed her tone. "Of course, Mitch thinks that he will be there to supervise that process, but I am afraid that he is quite wrong in that assumption. I have arranged and paid for a supervisor to come in and oversee the works, as Mitch will be accompanying my PA on his first individual assignment for Vogue. I need someone younger to go to Paris and London to observe the style on the streets, and Gideon is the perfect choice. It will be a hardship, naturally, for them to go away for three weeks, all expenses paid, and they will also have to suffer travelling in first class and staying in the most hip luxury hotels in both cities. What is worse, Gideon comes off worse, as he will have to write about it all after, whilst his new husband can just relax…"
Mitch looked stunned as Isabelle handed an envelope over to his husband, which contained their boarding passes and all the information of the various reservations for what was, to all intents and purposes, a European honeymoon; the one that they had both wanted but decided to postpone as they needed to get their new home in order first…
"Now, before anyone gets upset or angry, this is a genuine assignment, and in no way a working honeymoon," said Isabelle with a smile. "Gideon will need to be observing those around him at all times, particularly when they are visiting all of those landmarks and must see places…" The whole room laughed at that, and she added, "As for my wedding gift to them, that is the wages of the supervisor…"
Mitch would be a little concerned, on checking the boarding passes, to discover their flight to Paris was the following evening, as he would have no real chance to let the builders he had hired know of the change of plans, or what he wanted, but he calmed down when Isabelle told him that they would be meeting her contractor at lunchtime the following day, and they could tell him face to face what they wanted. That would make life easier, as they did have plans, and sketches of what they wanted to see from that first phase of works, which would provide them with a serviceable kitchen, living area, bedroom and bathroom in the style they desired.
Unbeknownst to them, Ethan had been aware of Isabelle's plans, and had found a contractor of his own that would arrive first to proof the basement properly against damp and water, which would permit the kitchen to be installed there from the off, not in a few years time, and save the couple the expense of the temporary set up upstairs. His fellow Warblers had all contributed to a fund that would pay for the major work needed on the guest bedrooms and bathrooms too, as their wedding present to the couple. It was true that the newlyweds might not be able to decorate and furnish those rooms as yet, but they would be in move in condition, just waiting the paint colours and flooring of their choice…
All that extra work would come as a surprise to them when they returned in a three weeks time, hopefully with wonderful memories of the non-honeymoon that they had just been on together. It would be luxury from the moment they boarded their first plane, the mention of Vogue in the booking process guaranteeing special treatment and upgrades wherever they went…
Once the reception came to a close, people headed for home, and to take advantage of being in the city. Sebastian used the day as a chance to see his family, naturally, and he and Dave headed to New Jersey with them to stay the night. It had only been a few weeks since Peter had finished at Dalton and headed back to his parent's home, but Sebastian already missed his nephew being around. On speaking to his brother first, he was not unsurprised to hear that Peter was finding being back in New Jersey a little difficult. Being away from home for school meant that he had few friends of his own age group in Maplewood, and those people that he had known from his early Dalton days, such as Lawrence, had their own busy lives. Julian was anxious that his son should feel comfortable at home, but he saw that increasingly this was not the case.
He had also been shocked to discover that his son had made a request to live in the dorms when he started college at Columbia in the fall, as he had anticipated that being so close by, and having access to a car, he might want to do what so many others in the area now did and stay at home, thus saving some money. Sebastian listened to his brother and how he had expected Peter to commute to college daily with patience, but then had to chuckle at the notion, much to his brother's surprise…
"I can't help but think that was a very naive assumption on your part, big brother. He has been living on his own, away from home, for several years now, albeit with the closely watched confines of Dalton. Even there, he was, like all the others, given more freedom in his Senior year, although that wasn't entirely a good thing in his case! The truth you have to accept, Jules, is that Peter isn't a boy anymore, he is a man. As such, he wants to be as independent as possible, just as we both wanted to be at his age."
"I guess that is true, and it won't do him any harm to live in a dorm. However, it is the here and now that is more concerning. He seems to have little or no interest in doing anything other than sitting in his bedroom, playing computer games. I know sending him to Dalton was good for his education, but it has left him without friends that are close enough to drop in, or to visit. His nearest contemporaries from Dalton are up north of Poughkeepsie in the Hudson Valley, and over in Connecticut. It is too far for a day trip, and although we have said they could come and stay over, he isn't keen…"
Sebastian nodded, not wishing to point out that having a much younger sister in the house would probably be part of the reason for that reluctance, along with his parents being at home when his friends were there. It was then that a thought crossed his mind, and he excused himself from his brother's presence for a moment to make a phone call and have a word with Jeff…
After his call, Sebastian went in search of his nephew, and headed to his room. He found him there, absorbed in a computer game. Seeing that it was his uncle that had knocked on the door and was now standing in the doorway, Peter smiled, and at a convenient moment, paused the action onscreen, and beckoned him in. Sebastian came to sat on the bed beside him, and spoke before his nephew could.
"It isn't easy being back here with family when you have been so used to spending all your time with your closest friends; people of your own age that you have more in common with. I know that when I graduated from Dalton I couldn't wait to get away from my dad's house in Westerville. I wanted the relative freedom that living away from family brings, even if it was only, in my case at first, lodging with another family in London. What made the whole being at home thing worse was being separated from all of the others, the people that had been there with me through everything that happened with Hunter. We had supported each other through the worst, and not seeing them hurt… I am guessing that you would love to see your friends, but having a little sister in the house makes here far from ideal…"
"Yeah, and the other guys all have reasons equally as valid for me not being able to go and stay over with them," sighed Peter.
"I thought as much, which is why I have just spoken to Jeff. He was sympathetic, and so weekend after next, from Friday through to Monday, the beach house in Port Jefferson is yours to have a get together with them all. Invite your friends and just relax and enjoy the beach and pool without the presence of parents or siblings. The only caveats Jeff made are that you don't trash the place, don't upset the neighbours, and don't do anything illegal…"
Sebastian grinned at the stunned expression on his nephew's face as he finished speaking, and it took a few moments for Peter to reply, "You are serious? We have a beach house all to ourselves for a long weekend on Long Island?"
"You do, and it is big enough for twenty people to be comfortable staying there. You also have total privacy…"
Sebastian stopped as Peter had jumped up and was now enveloping him in a bear hug. "You are the best uncle ever!" he whispered in Sebastian's ear, and the older man had to smile at that, in full agreement…
Sebastian and Dave would fly back to Ohio in the middle of the following day, and would be joined on the plane by Thad. Sebastian now knew the reason for the wistful look on his friend's face as he sat beside him on the flight, thanks to the events at New Year, but he said nothing on the plane. On arriving in Columbus, Dave had to head directly to work, and would take the car that they had parked at the airport. Sebastian had intended to take a cab, but Thad offered to drive him home, as it was only a little out of his way, and saved money. As soon as they were in the car, and out of the busy area around the airport, Sebastian asked quietly, "How are you feeling?"
Thad sighed, and said, "He is happy, so I am. Honestly, he is having a much better life being raised by his mother and my brother in New York than he would have being raised by his single gay father in Ohio…"
"I guess, but it still hurts when you leave him though, doesn't it?" asked Sebastian wisely, and Thad nodded…
The Head Warbler then changed the topic, and asked, "So how is Peter doing? He looked a little down in the dumps to me at the wedding…"
"He was, and Julian was concerned, but I guessed what was wrong, and managed to do something to cheer my nephew up. I had a word with Jeff, and I have arranged for Peter to have use of the beach house the weekend after next for a reunion with his closest friends…"
Thad laughed, and then said, "I trust that you read the riot act to him on behalf of our blondie…"
"I did, but Peter is sensible and mature for his age…"
"You could have said that about most of us at that age, but I can very clearly recall the shenanigans that took place at the first Warbler reunion we had at Port Jefferson…"
Sebastian smiled, and said, "I know that they will probably manage to access alcohol, but they won't drink to excess. Yes, they might skinny dip, given the privacy and the fact there will be no girls, but where is the harm in that?"
Thad smiled, then said, "I would still ask Peter to supply a guest list in advance, and then I will be more than happy to send all involved an e-mail in which I set out the riot act, and remind them of the Warbler code of conduct." Sebastian nodded, and decided that Thad might have a point. It wouldn't hurt to remind them all of the rules, and it meant there was less chance that Jeff would regret his decision to allow it to happen…
Sebastian the moved the conversation on to Thad's plans for the rest of the summer. His friend smiled, and said, "Well, after I have sorted out all of the lesson plans for next year, I am taking a trip up to Canada. I am going to start in Vancouver, then take the train across country to Toronto. I have read so much about our northern neighbour over the years, and now it is time for me to go and see some of it for myself. I'm looking forward to sitting on that train, looking out at the vast expanses of the prairies…"
"Ah, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan," replied Sebastian, for whom geography had always been a good subject. "What I have always wondered is how the first of those manages to keep itself free from rats, when it is totally landlocked and all of the neighbours have them!"
"I've heard that they have a very aggressive anti-rat policy, the sort that the animal rights people must really hate; they don't catch them, they kill them. I think that even having a pet rat is a severe crime in Alberta, and magicians that use them in their tricks have to have a licence. Anyway, once I reach Toronto, my next stop is Niagara Falls…"
Sebastian went pale, and said quietly, "Please tell me that your aren't intending to go over them in a barrel…" He knew that the Head Warbler, an otherwise urbane teacher, had a severe daredevil side, and he would not put such a stunt past him…
"No, certainly not! That would be irresponsible in the extreme!" his friend exclaimed in reply. "However, there is a zipline to ride on, and an extreme obstacle course. Disappointingly, however, I have missed this year's naked bungy jumping fundraiser…" Thad chuckled to himself as he heard Sebastian choke a little on hearing those final words, and decided it was best not to tell him that the date for next years event was already stored in his online calendar. "Finally, on my way back to Ohio, I will be doing, at last, my first skydive - a tandem one. I must say that I am looking forward to it…"
"And I must say, from a personal viewpoint, that I think you are stark raving mad!" replied Sebastian. "Whatever happened to the young man I knew that wouldn't even go on a rollercoaster at a theme park?"
"Well, we all change as we get older, Sebastian. Some of us go wild, whilst others become more mellow, less impulsive and confrontational; we settle down with a spouse and have kids…" Sebastian knew that Thad's comment was directed entirely at him, but he did not mind at all. He was more than happy with his lot, and he guessed that had Wes been alive, Thad would have been more than content to the same safe lifestyle as he now enjoyed…
Sebastian would be welcomed home by Mrs Carr and the children, both of whom were growing up so fast, his daughter off to school this fall. he had no doubt that she would rule elementary school just as she had ruled her kindergarten class. He had said as much to Santana at the wedding, and she had admitted that Alma was just the same in her kindergarten in New Jersey. She then suggested that it had to be down to being a relation of the Smythes, which had made him laugh, knowing full well it was daughter taking after mother… He would still have Francis at home for a while, but in no time, he too would be off to school each day…
He shook those thoughts out of his head, however, and enjoyed an afternoon of the pleasures of being a parent. They were much better now, with the era of diaper changes out of the way, and the trauma of teething past too. Having said that, he was starting to prepare for the moment that the tooth fairy became a part of their lives. Nick had told him at the reception that Wes had lost his first baby tooth the previous week. He had lost it during the day, and thus he had arrived home from the office to a harassed Jeff, and a screaming son, who thought he was falling apart. It had taken a long time, and in the end a call to Nick's mother, to finally calm the youngster down.
"I had to get my mom to dig through all the old family pictures for the one that I knew existed of me when I was not much older than Wes; I am smiling and have at least three teeth missing in the front. It made Wes happier, but the fact is that Jeff has seen very few pictures of me at that age, and when he saw that one, he wanted a copy, because he thought I was adorable in it. After an hour of him saying that constantly though, it became annoying, so as a mature, rational adult, I had no choice…"
"You called up your mother-in-law and asked for a similar one, didn't you?" asked Sebastian with a grin.
"I did, and well, he looked so sweet in it, and once Wes saw it, he said that his papa was a sweet and adorable little cookie monster… I ended up having to make a batch of his favourite cookies before he would speak to me," added Nick.
"Speaking of Wes…" said Sebastian, and Nick followed his friend's gaze across to where his son was standing in a crowd of the other Warblers, showing them something on a phone. Nick felt in his pocket hurriedly, and realised that his son had his phone, and from the way the others were now chuckling and pointing at both him and Jeff, it was clear what the boy was showing them. "I think a chat with your son about boundaries and a not obvious pin on your phone might be necessary," laughed Sebastian as Nick paled. "As for me, I promise not to look…"
Sebastian's afternoon passed quickly, and in no time his husband was home for a family dinner, after which they put their children to bed. That allowed Mrs Carr to spend some time with her fiancé, which made her smile. It was good to see her so happy, and Dave could truthfully say that he had never seen his father happier than he was now. They had set a date for their wedding at the end of September, which suited all involved in the two families. Dave was not just gaining a stepmother, but a stepbrother too; he had met Mrs Carr's son Andy a few times, and they got on well, and he was looking forward to spending more time with him.
He had also concluded that had this event happened whilst he was still in high school, then he would have been much less happy, as Azimo would not have liked Andy one bit. Dave had rarely thought about the young man that had once been his best friend since leaving McKinley, and the last that he had heard, he had moved away from Lima, and was now in New Mexico. He was not tempted to look him up as some people did with their old high school friends, as he seriously doubted that they would have much to talk about. The fact that he had suffered an accident on television, had been plastered all over the media, and Azimo had not been in touch spoke volumes as to his opinion of Dave these days anyway. He had a whole new circle of friends, and a husband that adored him as much as he loved him. He had his daughter and son, and a job that was a dream come true. His life was perfect, and now that Sebastian was content with his lot in Ohio too, there was nothing more he could wish for…