The Last Wedding of a Generation Part II
Gideon's family would arrive in the city on the Acela train at 1pm on the day in question. Mitch found himself waiting for them at the platform exit at Penn Station with his fiancé and his older brother to greet their parents and grandmother. For the latter, it was also her first ever visit to New York; that was something that Mitch did not initially believe, until Gideon pointed out that Boston had all of the big stores and facilities that people expected to find in a major city, so she had never seen the need to go elsewhere…
Therefore, as Mr and Mrs Hannaford greeted their two sons, Mitch smiled at the way that the old lady looked around her like a child. He went over to greet her, and she was only too pleased to take his arm as they headed out of the station itself and into the bustle of Seventh Avenue. Mitch had been in charge of booking the accommodation for his in-laws, and he had chosen the Stewart Hotel, which was more or less directly across the street from the station. He had selected a two bedroom suite and had also paid for an early check-in, knowing what time their train was due to arrive.
After a brief pause whilst the three travellers freshened up, Mitch noticed that the older lady was missing, and he soon found her out on the terrace which came with the room, staring down at the street below. "I really do not know how people manage to live in a place like this all the time; all of that traffic and so many people! I used to think that Boston could be busy and congested, but compared to this… I hope that the place that you and my grandson will be living in is quieter, and honestly, closer to the ground."
"It is, ma'am," said Mitch politely. "Of course, you will be getting to see it yourself very shortly."
"I am looking forward to it, but I sincerely hope that you are not expecting me to travel there on the subway. I've seen films, and on top of that, those seats look hard and uncomfortable." Mitch smiled, and began to work out quickly in his head what would be their Plan B for getting themselves across to Cobble Hill…
So it was that twenty minutes later, he found himself in the back of a yellow cab with the old lady and Gideon. His brother and parents had decided that they would take the subway, and Matthew, who knew exactly where he was heading, had said that he would keep his parents occupied in the neighbourhood until they could weave their way there through all of the traffic. As the other two had boarded, Mitch had spoken to the cab driver, pointing out that the old lady had never been to the city before, so he had permission to take a few detours so that she could see the sights en-route…
The driver was only too happy to plot a route that took them past the Empire State Building and the Flatiron Building; through Union Square, Astor Place and Chinatown, before heading over the East River on the Brooklyn Bridge. Gideon had wondered what was going on at first, but he quickly realised what Mitch had done, and he happily pointed out the various landmarks to his grandmother, who had that same look of wonder on her face as she passed by all of those places and things that she had heard of over the years…
As they crossed the Brooklyn Bridge and headed out of Manhattan, Mitch noticed that her smile began to widen, and as soon as they began to pass through the older houses of Brooklyn Heights, it turned to a positive grin. "Now this I like; it is much more on a human scale that all of those skyscrapers, all of that glass and metal. I also see what I would call proper stores, although that probably makes them very expensive these days…"
Gideon laughed at that, but before he could reply, the cab driver, who was not much younger than the old lady, said, "Ma'am, in that you would be correct. Even so, the food that you can buy here is cheaper than it would be in Manhattan, so if these boys have chosen to live here, then they have a lot of common sense. There is a good sized and well priced supermarket just a short bus ride away from here at the Atlantic Terminal, not to mention a Target."
Gideon's grandmother nodded her approval on that score, which lead to Mitch saying with a grin, "We have been there, actually; most of my friends in the city shop there regularly, even if some of them, by good fortune, are living in an inherited place in the West Village. We have also been to the Farmer's Market at the Borough Hall on Saturdays, as they say it is one of the best places to get really fresh produce."
He had just finished speaking as the cab pulled up at their destination. The driver hopped out to open the door for his elderly female passenger, and she smiled at him for doing so. However, on seeing the brutal concrete apartment block they had stopped outside, her smile faded, disappointment filling her expression. "Don't worry, Grandma," said Gideon on seeing that, "our new place isn't in there."
He pointed at the end of the block, where another two vehicles were parked and had blocked them from getting closer. As Mitch paid the taxi driver, tipping him handsomely as well, Gideon took her arm and walked her to the end of the tall concrete monolith, and when she saw what lay beyond it, her smile reappeared, broader than before. "From what we were told," Gideon said, "a determined pair of old-school couples refused to sell out back in the 1950s, and so the new blocks had to go up round about them instead."
"It's like that film with the flying robots that fix things," the old lady muttered, and for the first time, Gideon saw that she was right.
Then he heard his brother's voice calling, and he looked up to see his parents and brother coming along the street towards them. The timing could not have been bettered. Mitch would join Gideon and his grandmother just as his future mother-in-law saw the house for the first time, and saw her smile grow as broad as her mother's.
"Now that is what I call a house," said Mr Hannaford. "I take it that you own a couple of floors?"
"Actually, dad," said Gideon proudly, "we will own the whole thing. It needed some work, which we have started, so we can live in it whilst we sort out the rest. Mitch was able to use his contacts from Dalton Academy to find this place, and then, because of the fact it is a hidden gem in an overlooked street, we got an excellent deal."
"I have to admit that I am insanely jealous of the two of them," said Matthew, grinning. "When the time comes that I need a family home, I will need to either move way out east, into Long Island proper, or compromise and live under the flight path of JFK…"
They headed in, and began the tour, concentrating on the entry level and the floor above, which they had largely sorted, with a temporary kitchen on the entry level to allow them to move in before they got the basement sorted in the way they wished. Even in that condition, everyone could see the potential, and Mitch was happy to note that his future in-laws seemed very impressed…
They returned to Manhattan on one of the East River Feries, to have dinner together, and they did so in an unusual location; Katz Deli. It was, of course, somewhere that Mitch had heard of, but it was not a venue he had ever considered going to in all of his trips to New York. However, once Gideon had decided that they should get married in the city rather than in Boston, he had faced a hard task in selling the idea to his mother. She had always imagined that her sons would get married in their home state. In his desire to convince her that New York was not the end of the world as a marriage venue, he had ended up making a rash, spur of the moment, promise. He had promised her excitement, and that was the chance to eat at the venue that featured in one of her all time favourite films. That had sealed the deal in a moment…
However, once he had managed to get her agreement, it suddenly occurred to him that fulfilling that promise might not be quite as simple as he imagined. Thus had begun a very stressful period in his life, as he had used all of his own influence, at first, to try and get them into the restaurant and at the actual table if possible. The venue was heavily booked, and in the end, he had needed to pull out the big guns. For once, however, the mention of Vogue didn't cut any ice, and even Isabelle herself had failed to get him what he desired. Despairingly, he had turned to Mitch, desperate to make things right, or facing the cancellation of their wedding plans…
In the end, it would be Michelle that pulled the right strings, with her influence in the restaurateurs associations, that had secured him the booking, albeit earlier than he might have hoped, and the actual table that Meg Ryan had uttered those immortal words at. She had not done so alone, and it had been Sebastian and a subtle word from his Aunt Bette that had finally sealed the deal. Isabelle might then have been more than happy to allow the most senior female staff at the restaurant to pay a visit to the legendary closet as a thanks, and all of them had taken away an outfit. She had been only to happy to allow it, to secure the happiness of her new PA, by letting him marry the man he loved in the city he would soon call home.
The food was excellent, and sitting where she was, Mrs Hannaford felt like a star. Her mother though had the last word, and made them all laugh out loud, when after listening to her daughter wax lyrical about being there for the hundredth time, she had said, "We know… And yes, yes, yes, this is the best pastrami I have ever tasted…"
The meal over, there came the moment outside the famous venue where the two grooms that would be joined together the next day had to part until then. The senior Hannafords would take a cab back to the Stewart Hotel, dropping Mitch off close to the West Village, where one of the spare bedrooms at Nick and Jeff's home awaited him for the night. As for his fiancé, he would be heading down a block or two to board the 'F' train alongside his brother; they would head back over to Brooklyn, to the very room that he had been staying in on the night that he first met the man that he would be marrying in a few hours time, the love of his life.
Seeing the look on his brother's face, and on Mitch's, Matthew whispered in his brother's ear, "Keep it short and very chaste; remember that the olds are watching," before he headed over to say goodnight to his parents and grandmother, distracting them for a moment.
Gideon turned to Mitch, and huffed, "There are times when I think that all of these traditions are so out of date! I mean, it says that a bride and groom shouldn't see each other the night before their wedding!"
"I know, my love," replied Mitch softly, "particularly seeing that neither of us is the bride. However, agreeing to this makes your family happy, so we will survive being apart for one night. I mean, after tonight, you, Mr Hannaford, will be stuck with me for all of eternity…"
Gideon chuckled, and responded, "I actually don't think that eternity will be long enough, but if that is all that is on offer, then I guess I will have to take it… So, I will see you, tomorrow, at 1pm sharp. And once again, as neither of us is the bride in this scenario…"
"…we will both be on schedule, if not early," finished Mitch. Conscious now that they were being observed, he leaned forward, and kissed the younger man on both cheeks. "Now technically, that was still a French style kiss, although that is how one greets a close friend or relative," he added.
Gideon smiled, and replied, "Well, I will be a relative this time tomorrow, but I think I will have a proper French kiss then."
"That is guaranteed, my love," responded Mitch.
"Good," came Gideon's reply, and then he headed over to say his own farewells to his family.
Mitch would arrive at Nick and Jeff's home to find that it was pretty full. Thad had arrived, and had brought Cameron with him, the quiet man not wishing to miss the wedding of one of his contemporaries from Dalton, particularly not one that had been so kind to him during those days. Mitch was one of the few people that he had kept in touch with after school ended, and had known about his post graduation struggles, but kept it all to himself.
Gabriel had also arrived, and the moment Mitch arrived, he stepped into the guise of best man. It was the role that most people had expected him to be playing the following day, as after all, the two of them were close, and had shared an apartment together until Gabriel had married his long term girlfriend. He, however, had known right from the start that he would not be playing that part, as it was reserved for the man that Mitch had been best man to on his wedding day a decade and more before…
Trent had been as surprised as many of the others when Mitch had asked him, but he had accepted without hesitation. He had been forced to call on Gabriel for help him with information for his speech, but other than that, he was well organised for the role. His work, however, meant that he would not arrive in the city until the actual day of the wedding; the Oval Office could be a cruel master at times.
To an outsider, what happened that night might have appeared odd. There was no alcohol consumed, no raucous behaviour, and no sign of a stripper, but then, both Mitch and Gideon had agreed that they did not need or want a bachelor party. So instead, Mitch and his fellow Warblers sat and reminisced, drinking coffee and enjoying the cake that Nick had baked for the occasion. After all, nobody wanted anything other than a clear head for the following day's events…
Mitch woke up before his alarm clock the following morning, and he did so with a smile on his face. The sun was shining in already through the guest bedroom windows at the rear of the West Village house, and as he lay there, he felt a level of contentment that he had not known for years. This was his wedding day, the day that he cemented the most true and honest love he had ever experienced with his younger soulmate. All of his past relationships had been nothing in comparison to what he had found with Gideon.
He had despaired at times of ever finding the one person that would complete the jigsaw that made up his life; he had watched for a long time as his younger friends and all of his contemporaries had found their own true love. Now it was finally his turn, and he did not feel any of the nerves or doubts that often plagued people on their wedding day. He knew that he was doing the right thing; he also knew that having been living with Gideon for so long, the certificate would not alter anything, merely confirm in legal terms what they already had.
Of course, there was a sadness to the day, deep inside, and that was the absence of the closest members of his family. His parents and sister had never been able to truly accept that he was bisexual; he surmised that they had all hoped that his relationships with men would be a temporary thing, perhaps just an unfortunate by-product of his having been educated in a series of all boys schools. When he had told Mrs Hannaford that he had asked her son to marry him, and he had accepted, she had cried tears of joy at the news; his own mother, when told the same thing, had sobbed in horror, and since then, contact with his parents had been limited and glacial. He was wise enough to see the situation as their loss, not his; he deserved to have a happy life after all, and happiness was what he had when Gideon was standing at his side.
He would say very little as he ate his breakfast that morning, a substantial one that Nick had prepared for him. He ate heartily, and answered any direct questions, but all of the others at the table that morning could see that he was deep in thought. None of them tried to probe him for what was on his mind, however, as they saw that his demeanour was a joyful one, and there was the risk that bringing out what he was pondering could change that. He would thank his hosts profusely for the meal, before he headed back up to his room to start on his ablutions, and preparing for the ceremony. That left the others at the table to chat…
"I have an inkling as to what is on his mind right now," said Gabriel in a half whisper, in case Mitch was still on the stair, listening. "He spent yesterday with the Hannafords and they are such a loving, kind family, all of them so pleased to see this day arrive for them…"
"Whereas his own family are conspicuous in their absence, as they do not approve at all of the fact that he is marrying a man. They were all still hoping that he would meet a woman and leave Gideon, and today finally puts the nail in the lid of that notion," continued Thad.
"It is a societal thing, the way that they were brought up in the case of his parents. In the end, they will be the ones that will regret not being present for this day," replied Gabriel. "The fact is that he doesn't need them; he has all of us, his chosen family, and he has the love of the Hannafords as well."
"So there is nobody at all coming from his blood family?" asked Jeff, sadness in his eyes.
"I think his maternal aunt is coming, along with her husband and children. She has been trying to persuade her sister and her niece to come, but Mitch's sister is, being honest, as prejudiced and homophobic as her father. It is significant, I think, that his aunt never even tried to get his father here," responded Gabriel
"I think, being honest, that the nature of the relationship between the siblings can be summed up in the fact that until now, most of us didn't even know that he had a sister at all," remarked Nick.
"For that reason," Thad said firmly, "I think that it is for the best that we have no further discussion of any of this today. Our bird brother needs our total focus to be on him, and we need to ensure that this wedding, the last one of this generation, turns out to be the happiest of them all…"
Mitch would be washed, shaved and part dressed by the time that there came a knock on the bedroom door, and his best man entered. Trent's train from Washington DC had arrived in Penn Station on time, but the subway had problems, and he had struggled to find a cab in the throng that had grown up outside the station as everyone tried to get downtown. He had headed straight up on arriving, leaving Rory and the children, who had of course come with him, to chat with everyone else that was assembling downstairs.
Trent took an appraising look, and smiled at the sight of his one time roomie at Dalton. He looked like a model in the expensive suit that had been liberated for this day by his soon to be husband from the closet at his new place of work. His shirt was crisply laundered and brilliant white, just awaiting the tie that would match the pocket square that was already in his breast pocket. His shoes shone, an old pair that had been hand made specifically for him; an expensive luxury a few years ago, but something that was still paying dividends even now.
"I feel like I am doing a fashion shoot for Vogue, and I am not sure that I am totally comfortable with that," admitted Mitch to his old friend.
"Well, you do look good enough to be gracing those pages, that much is certainly true. Truth is, you never were a fan of formal clothes, not even your Dalton blazer," replied Trent with a grin.
"I would much have preferred a letterman jacket, that much is definitely true. The thing that is annoying me most about this get up is actually my socks. Gideon insisted on them; they are silk, and sheer, and they are held up with suspenders. Now that is a look that Gideon likes…" Mitch stopped, blushing furiously as he realised what he had revealed about his love life, but Trent just burst out laughing…
"Well, given that, substituting a pair of more comfortable tube socks just will not cut it today. All you need to remember is that it is for one day, and then you can go back to your usual smart casual attire. Plus, tonight, Gideon will be very pleased in the honeymoon suite…" Trent ducked out of the way of Mitch's hand then as he tried to swat him for making his face even redder, but the he heard the groom laughing. "Okay, let's get your tie sorted; I will do it for you, because it will need to be just so for this wedding. Might I suggest that your Warbler pin would make an excellent tie pin for the ceremony…"
The wedding was scheduled for 1pm, and would take place at The Gotham Halls, a former bank building. which was located on Broadway, within sight of both Macy's and the Empire State Building. It was, as Isabelle herself had put it, one of the most visually amazing locations in the city. When they had begun to plan for the event, they had both imagined that City Hall would be their venue, not wishing to have too extravagant a wedding day, but that had been before the editor of Vogue had become involved in the process.
She knew that both of the grooms had a thing for comic books; Gideon had often been told that he was the Robin to Mitch's Batman by some of their closest friends. That knowledge had immediately made her think of what was now their venue, knowing that the 'G' word would make both of them smile. She also happened to know personally the owners of the location, and had even considered it for her own wedding to Julian; several of her colleagues had actually had their wedding ceremonies there.
She had then hatched a plot to get the two grooms to the venue, and had prevailed upon Gideon to bring something to her as an emergency one of the last times he had been in the city with Mitch; a haberdashery item that was required at once for the wedding dress photo shoot she was monitoring for the magazine. The reception space had therefore been all set up when he rushed in with the item in question, Mitch at his side. She had studied the face of the young man that was to be her new PA as he had entered, and was forced to stifle a laugh. It was instantly clear that he loved the space, and once that was established, Mitch would have very little choice but to go along with him.
The fact that she had arranged for there to be a few brochures just casually lying around, with sample menus and décor schemes for his benefit was accidental. He had also been impressed, but he knew that such places did not come cheap, and with a new home the biggest priority, every cent mattered. He had tentatively asked the cost per head for a small party of between 50 and 100 people; it had been high, but that was before Isabelle pointed out that Gideon, as a Vogue employee, would be entitled to the usual discount, and that hefty discount brought Mitch on side too…
The location also had the advantage of allowing the older members of the Hannaford family to walk to the venue; when Gideon's mother had suggested taking a cab, her mother had immediately pointed out that taking a cab such a short distance was bad for the planet, and an extravagant waste of money. She did not find the walk comfortable, not keen on the congested streets, and the constant noise, but within 10 minutes they found themselves outside the venue. The old lady had to admit that it was not the sort of place that would have been used for a wedding in her day, but she had to admit that she approved of the grandeur of the old Greenwich Savings Bank, and the fact that for its location, it was actually very quiet.
They headed in through the open door, and were not, of course, the first to arrive. A smartly attired waiter approached them, and after seeing their invitation, escorted them to the wedding room, leaving the three members of the Hannaford family at the threshold. They all stared at the sight before them, slightly stunned. "It is like something out of a movie," said Gideon's mother when her voice returned, "or the pages of Vogue itself…"
"It probably has been shown on the pages of the magazine," her husband replied. "Now, there was mention of a seating plan, so let's see if we can find it."
His mother-in-law saw it nearby, and also recognised the glamorously dressed lady at its side, even though they had never met in person, as her grandson's boss. She hastened over with her daughter and son-in-law in her wake, and introduced herself. Soon they were all chatting together, with Isabelle pointing out some of the small touches and features of the venue that they might not otherwise have spotted. Then she made her confession…
"You would of course be correct in assuming that we use this place for photo shoots, and to be honest, that is exactly how we all ended up here today. I had Gideon bring me something whilst I was here supervising a wedding shoot, although in the end I didn't actually need it… He was here a minute before he fell in love with the space. I mean, City Hall is great, but when it comes down to it, it's City Hall…"
"The Batman reference was probably the clincher for both of them," joked Mr Hannaford, before adding in mock horror, "Of course, we haven't actually seen their wedding suits… Maybe they are getting married in costumes…"
"I cannot confirm or deny anything like that," said Isabelle, noting that the man's wife and mother-in-law had both paled, and she felt a little uneasy herself at the suggestion… I mean, they wouldn't, would they? She composed herself, and said, "I did get them very nice suits from the Vogue closet, so I think we can forget the idea of spandex. That, and the fact that Gideon knows I would never forgive him…"
The room was by now beginning to fill up. The Hannafords had taken up a spot near their seats, and observed the arrivals. They recognised the young men that were assembling from the photos they had seen of Mitch's schooldays as his compatriots from the Warblers; others as college friends of Gideon. Then they saw an older woman with a man and two adult children arrive. They quickly put two and two together, and they headed over to speak to them. Sure enough, the lady introduced herself as Mitch's aunt, Muriel. She was warmly welcomed by the three Hannafords, soon to be related by marriage. They were all just glad to see that Mitch would have one blood relative in place to witness his wedding day…
"I had hoped to manage to persuade my sister to be here, and I think that if it were not for the pressure she was getting from her husband and her niece to stay away, she would have come. Before she met that man, she was never homophobic or intolerant. We were raised to live and let live…" Muriel sighed, and then apologised for her outburst. "It does make me so angry, but that is a topic for a different day. Today is all about Mitch and Gideon, not the stupidity and ignorance of those that are supposed to love my nephew without condition…"
"He has you and your family here; you are family, and that is more than enough to show him that he had not been completely cast aside," said Mrs Hannaford sagely. "It must be hard for your sister too, and Mitch knows that. She has to try and keep everyone happy. Whatever choice she made, it would hurt and anger someone. She also has to live with her decision, and that will probably haunt her for a very long time. I don't think it would happen, but no mother ever wishes to lose a child…"
Mitch's aunt nodded at the other woman's sentiments. It was ironic in a way that her sister, raised as she had been in a relatively tolerant and liberal home, schooled in California, and living in a major, cosmopolitan city, should be markedly less tolerant than a woman from a small town in Massachusetts. In the media, it was those small town dwellers that were the ones portrayed as backward rednecks, bigoted, intolerant and cruel. She was more than happy to find that her nephew was about to marry into a supportive family.
If anything, Gideon's grandmother was even more of a cheerleader for the wedding, and she found all of that refreshing; in fact, she happily thought that had her own mother still been alive, then she would have been every bit as supportive of her grandson, because his happiness was all that mattered. She had found out that Mitch liked boys every bit as much as girls when her grandson was still at Dalton, and she had been pleased for him, her only concern being that those boys treated him right. She had no doubt that her mother would be watching events from above, and cheering him on….
Isabelle came over to join them in time, and Muriel was left glowing with pleasure that the editor of Vogue had complimented her on her outfit. That would be something else that she could inform her sister of when she told her all about this day, especially as he had spent most of her life criticising her dress sense and style. She checked her watch, and saw that there was still twenty minutes until the ceremony began, but that nearly all of the guests seemed to be in place already, and all they were waiting for was the two grooms and their respective best men. The fact that there were so many people there celebrating, several well known faces amongst them, made her smile; she was particularly happy to see the former Broadway star that she had tickets to see in Columbus in a few weeks amongst them. This day was noteworthy for so many reasons…
With the time ticking down, Gideon's grandmother decided to seek out the restroom. She was pointed in the right direction, and headed down a level to a clean and well maintained facility that seemed empty as she entered. It was only as she was standing at the basin after, washing her hands, that she realised that there was someone else in there, quietly crying. She could easily have turned and left, but that was not her way. It was clear to her that there was another woman in distress, and she was of the generation that did not sit idly by and ignore the pain of a fellow human being…
It was not all that easy to identify where the sound was coming from, and she had to walk softly along the line of cubicle doors until she came to the right one; taking a breath, she knocked softly. That immediately silenced the crying, as the person inside tried their best not to be discovered. "Is everything okay," the old lady asked quietly. "I know that it is probably not the done thing to intervene in this way these days, especially in a big city like New York, but I am a visitor from a small town, and was raised to show compassion and concern to my fellow human beings…" There was silence in reply, and after a few seconds had passed, Gideon's grandmother wondered if she should give up, but then…
"There is nothing wrong with that… If I am being honest, things are far from okay." The voice paused, but the floodgates had been opened. "I find myself in a situation where I have to chose between two parts of my family. Neither part know that I am here right now, but whatever choice I make in the next few minutes, I will leave one part devastated. I cannot win, as neither side will shift from its position."
"I think that sometimes, when faced with such a decision, you have to chose to back the part of your family that shares the opinions of the majority, but mostly, you have to listen to your own heart and head, and do what you know is the right thing."
"If only it was that easy," came her reply, with a sigh. "I love them all so much, but I risk losing that love either way…"
"Doesn't being here already mean that you have made that choice already, even if it was sub-consciously?" asked the old lady, changing tack. She had suddenly realised the possible identity of the woman she was talking to. "If it does, then you will only give yourself more heartache and pain by changing your mind at the last moment. One part of your family will chastise you for coming in the first place, but worse, the other part will never forgive you when they find out you were here, but didn't appear. Now, I need to head back up to my grandson's wedding, but if you want, Mrs Dwyer, I can wait until you freshen yourself up, and we can walk in there together…"