Everybody's heard of it. Some people claim that's it's happened to them. The whole 'Love at First Sight' thing. If someone asked me,
I'd say that yeah, I believe it can happen. I've seen it happen. The first time that Brian and Clare met each other. BAM!
Then, there's the other thing. The thing that I'd supposedly learned over a year ago. About how you can't control someone that you love,
and keep them from falling for, (like Guthrie and that horrible girl from Oklahoma), someone you know isn't right for them. Lessons learned,
and all of that rigamarole. Add to that chaos hurt feelings, misunderstandings, stubbornness, and you've got yourself a bushel of trouble.
I regress.
Evan and Nancy's wedding had gone off with success. Even though we'd moved nearly all the furniture out, to set up
chairs for the guests, it was still crowded. There was no glaring hiccups in the ceremony itself, unless you count Evan dropping
the ring. Right after it was handed to him by Ford, who was Evan's best man, Evan dropped it. It rolled a ways, and Ford was the
one who got down to retrieve it, handing it off to Evan a second time with a flourish. Evan was embarrassed, I knew, but Nancy
just laughed. And then when it was time for the public ceremony kiss, after it was 'official', Evan (who's not really comfortable
with public affection), gave Nancy a kiss, and then at the end of the aisle, she stopped, and gave Evan another kiss, which caused
clapping and whistling thru the guests. It was a 'Let's try that again' kiss.
The reception was outside, with tables set up with food, and drinks, and there was music with a DJ. I'd forgotten about Bill coming
with Felicity, and it could have been awkward and all, since I'd just two nights before became official with dating Kenny.
But, it really wasn't so awkward. I went to Bill when they arrived, and I explained to him, sort of privately, that I liked him and
all that, but that I was going to go out with just Kenny right now. And Bill was nice about it.
When Kenny had first seen me, when he arrived about an hour before the ceremony itself, he'd paused, there on the front steps,
as I came out of the house to greet him.
His eyes had sort of lit up, and he said, quietly, "You sure are pretty."
I knew that the dress Nancy had made for me to be her bridesmaid was attractive. And my hair was all tamed, so that it
cascaded down my back. Other people that day had told me that I looked pretty, or that I looked beautiful. But the way that
Kenny said that. That I was pretty. Not just because I was in a fancy dress, with makeup on and all of that, but that he thought
it all of the time. It sounds silly, but, that's how it made me feel.
And, of course, a highlight was having Daniel at home, amongst the clutches of the family unit. We did all the usual things
that we did while he was around. Hung out, went to eat pizza, and to the movies, and then, of course, he got roped into
helping with all the chores. Mostly, a lot of mechanics. Daniel's a good mechanic, for sure, and the rest of the guys are
always glad to turn over any mechanical issues on equipment or vehicles to him. And, Daniel's not like a lot of musicians are,
where they don't want to do dirty stuff like mechanics, where they might get their hands all greasy and blistered, or even get
a thumb smashed with a hammer or turning a wrench. Daniel says that it is indeed possible to still play the guitar with
ranch-blistered fingers, since he's done it plenty of times.
When he left again, to return to Tennessee, after a week of being at home, I felt as I usually did. Sad to see him go. Emotional. But,
resigned to the fact of it. And hopeful for his quick return home again.
If, I'd known just what the 'quick return' visit would entail, then I would have been less excited about it. That sounds terrible. I would
have, if I'd known what was coming down the pike, been anxious, and hesitant, and all. But, at least it wouldn't have been such
a complete shock, as it was. I maintain that the shock of it made it so, so much worse.
More about that in a bit...
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