Father of the Bride
Sixty year old David Addison stood in the narthex of The Church of the Good Shepherd in Los Angeles, surrounded by a flurry of activity. He cut a distinguished figure in a classic black tuxedo, thinning gray hair cut short, clean shaven. He was still slim, muscular, and fit, and he possessed the same sparkling green eyes and swagger that he always had. He had a few crow's feet around his eyes and a few wrinkles in his forehead but those only added to his charm. David heard the string quartet begin to play "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." He raised his right wrist and looked at his watch. This was the prelude music. Almost time for the ceremony to start.
The big day had arrived, the one he'd been both excited about and dreading for the past several months – well, if he was honest with himself, for the past 26 years. Their daughter Abby was getting married. He shoved his hands in his pockets, shook his head, and gave a classic and still deadly handsome smirky half smile.
David thought back to all of the moments of Abby's life. The day she was born was one of the happiest days of his life. She was the prettiest baby he'd ever seen and he was so thrilled to be there with Maddie, to cut the cord, to hear her first cry, to hold her for the first time. He thought back to her first steps as she toddled towards him, his arms outstretched to catch her if she fell. Her first day of preschool at this very church, Good Shepherd Catholic School, wearing a navy blue, green, and white plaid jumper, blonde wavy hair in a ponytail tied with a ribbon. He worried about her being nervous and making friends, but little outgoing Abby happily skipped away from Maddie and him and into her classroom, then came home with stories about all the friends she'd made and all the things she'd done that day.
He remembered dropping her off of at ballet class, long blonde hair pinned into a bun, wearing a black leotard, pink tights, and pink ballet shoes, then standing in the wings watching her dance with the other little girls. She was beautiful and tall and graceful like Maddie, with his sense of rhythm. He taught her how to ride a bike and remembered taking the training wheels off and watching her joyfully pedal down the street by herself away from him, no fear. He thought about Maddie teaching Abby and Alex how to swim and watching the three of them in the pool. Abby and Alex were both really strong swimmers, just like their mom, mastering the backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and butterfly.
Abby, like her mother, was an avid reader. He'd find her curled up on the sofa when he got home from work, or sitting on a lounge chair by the pool, or on her stomach, on her bed, reading. She always brought books with her on long car rides and vacations, just like Maddie did. In first grade, she was so bright and precocious that the school recommended she skip ahead a grade, which meant she and Alex were in the same grade in school and graduated from high school together. They were less than 11 months apart in age and people often mistook them for twins. They were very close and always looked out for each other in school, and in life.
It had, in his mind, all gone by in the blink of an eye. Christmas mornings and Easter egg hunts, 4th of July fireworks and family vacations, Halloween trick or treating and birthday parties, soccer games and piano recitals.
Abby was an adorable little girl who looked up to him and adored him in a way he never could have imagined. He remembered how her little hand used to fit inside of his and how she used to love to sit on his lap and lean her head against his chest.
Suddenly she was a teenager, long and lean, like a colt, and so beautiful, so much like Maddie that it took his breath away. The day came when she'd rather spend time with her friends than with them. She wanted to get her ears pierced and have him drop her off a block away from the mall. Before he knew it, she was wearing makeup and high heels and he could see the attention she got from men of all ages. From that moment on, he was in a constant state of panic. He worried about her going out with the wrong kind of guys, the kind of guys who only want one thing. And he knew exactly what that one thing was because it's the same thing he wanted when he was their age.
Abby had a very different trajectory than your typical high school student. She had a Ford modeling contract at 15, discovered sitting in a diner on a family trip to NYC. She was on the covers of magazines and in commercials and print ads by the time she graduated from high school. He and Maddie had tried to keep her life as normal as possible. David taught her how to drive a car and they handed down the old BMW to her to drive. She edited the school literary magazine, was on the homecoming court, went to prom, took her SATs, applied to colleges, and graduated with honors. She modeled over the summers and school breaks, with the occasional weekend trip to New York.
Maddie and David insisted that she go to college, like Maddie's parents had done for her, so she enrolled in NYU so she could take classes and model part time through college. It broke Maddie and David's heart that Abby was so far away from them for the first time but they went to visit her in NYC as often as they could, and Abby came home to LA for holidays. They texted and talked on the phone every day.
Abby was a tremendous success as a model, thanks to Maddie's beauty and David's charm, confidence, and heartbreaking smirk. She was walking the runway in New York and Paris at 18 and had a perfume campaign at 21. She graduated from NYU with an English degree, with honors. Soon, she was instantly recognizable everywhere she went. But she was kind, and smart, and down to earth. She had a great sense of humor.
The depth of David's love for her exceeded anything he could have ever imagined. She was his little girl, and always would be.
David had to admit, as much as he'd worried about her meeting the wrong kind of guy, as she got older, he started worrying about her meeting the right one. He remembered the first time she brought Josh Stewart home to meet them, a couple of years ago. He instantly noticed the chemistry between the two of them, and the ease of their interactions together, and it reminded him of how things had always been with him and Maddie. They sat in the living room, he and Maddie on one couch, and Abby and Josh on the other. As they talked, David noticed the intimacy in their interactions, at how Josh comfortably put his hand on Abby's knee and rubbed it gently. The more he watched that small gesture, the angrier he got. This guy was sleeping with his daughter, his little girl. But he had to remind himself that Abby wasn't a little girl anymore. She was 24.
Abby had met Josh at a charity event in NYC and it was love at first sight. Josh was a very successful, and very handsome, Wall Street executive, a few years older than Abby. He was tall, blond, and smart, with a great sense of humor. Looking at the two of them, David thought that they really did look like they went to modeling school together. Josh was a graduate of The Wharton School at Penn. David breathed a sigh of relief to hear he didn't go to Yale like old Sammy Boy. That would have been more than he could take.
But as much as David wanted to hate him, he didn't. Josh was a self-made man who had grown up in a working class Catholic family in New Jersey, not far from where David had grown up in South Philadelphia. Josh was kind and had a great sense of humor and a genuine ease with people. He loved and adored Abby and treated her with respect. He laughed at David's jokes and they shared the same taste in music. He was always happy to play a round of golf with David, Richie, and Alex. Maddie just adored him, as did Alex, as did Maddie's parents, and he quickly became part of their family. David was touched that Josh had asked his permission to ask Abby to marry him. It was an old-fashioned gesture that meant a lot to him.
David looked around at the scene in the church in front of him - Abby's bridesmaids, all wearing long champagne-colored dresses, each dress a little different, holding bouquets of cream and light pink flowers tied with champagne colored satin ribbon, lining up to walk down the aisle. He looked over and caught Maddie's eye. She looked gorgeous, wearing a long, light pink dress with her hair in blonde curls down to her shoulders. She was just as beautiful as she'd always been, maybe even more so. At sixty four, the years had been very kind to her. Alex stood next to her, ready to walk her down the aisle. David smiled. Looking at his son was like looking in a mirror. They were almost identical in appearance, although Alex was a couple of inches taller than David, with a full head of blonde hair and Maddie's small upturned nose. Otherwise, he was all Addison. He had sparkling green eyes, a mischievous smirk, a wicked sense of humor, and a way with the ladies, a charmer ever since he was a little kid. He could talk his way into or out of anything. He studied criminal justice and business administration at UCLA, then joined the team at Blue Moon. He had Maddie's business sense and had taken over all of the finances for the company. Blue Moon had expanded, opening an office in Las Vegas that Alex was, for the time being, running with his first cousin, Michael, Richie and Elizabeth's son. David shook his head and smiled at the thought of that. He probably didn't want to know everything the two of them were up to. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
They heard the string quartet start playing "Pachelbel's Canon." It was time for the ceremony to start. A ring bearer and flower girl walked down the aisle first, hand in hand – the son and daughter of Josh's older sister – followed by the bridesmaids, one of whom was Richie and Elizabeth's daughter, Katie.
Maddie walked over to David and straightened his boutonniere: "You ready for this, fella? I can't believe our baby girl is getting married today. You are looking very handsome today, Addison."
David: "And you take my breath away, Blondie Blonde. Wow." He kissed her softly and gently on the lips and touched the back of her hair with his hand, then whispered in her ear: "You know it's not fair to upstage the bride. I know we're supposed to be the responsible parents here but damn, I can't wait to get you alone tonight." He kissed her again.
Alex: "All right you two. Save it for later. Ready, mom?"
David watched as Alex walked over and took Maddie's hand, looped her arm in his, and walked her down the aisle, seating her in the front row next to her parents, then taking his place as a groomsman next to Josh.
David heard someone clearing their throat and turned around to see their beautiful daughter Abby, looking absolutely stunning in her wedding dress. It had a princess silhouette with a train, a cap sleeve bodice, a high neckline, and keyhole back, made of exquisite white lace. She was wearing a long veil and wore her hair up, with the sapphire and diamond comb that Maddie had worn on their wedding day. She also wore Maddie's pearl earrings, a gift from David many years ago. God, she looked so much like Maddie. The blonde waves, the blue eyes, the small upturned nose. He wished he'd known Maddie when she was this young. But there was a lot of him in Abby, too. She had his smile, his smirk, his sense of fun, his easygoing and outgoing nature.
Abby: "Ready, daddy?"
David: "Are you nervous, sweetheart?"
Abby: "Cool as a cucumber."
David: "You look beautiful. Your mom and I are so proud of you, Abigail. Josh is a lucky man."
Abby smiled: "Thanks, daddy. I love you."
David: "I love you, too, Buttercup."
David took her arm in his and they started walking down the aisle towards the altar to "Can't Help Falling In Love." The church was packed with family and friends from all over. David smirked and smiled as they walked past the rows of people gathered to celebrate this day. This was one of the happiest days of his life. He smiled and nodded at friends and family as they walked along. Agnes, Bert, and their three daughters, Petunia, Poppy, and Daisy. The Wobblies with their families. Former Blue Moon clients. David's friends from NYC. Maddie's friend Lisa from NYC and her husband. Richie, Elizabeth, and their son Michael – their daughter Katie was one of Abby's bridesmaids. David Sr. and Stephanie. Alex and Virginia Hayes. Virginia was still as spry as could be at almost 90 but Alex was not in the best health – everyone was so glad he could be there today. Maddie looked up at David and Abby, with the biggest smile on her face and tears in her eyes. David winked at her.
David stood at the altar with Abby on his left side and Josh on his right. He listened to the priest begin the traditional Catholic ceremony and couldn't believe this day was here. He looked at the beautiful woman next to him and thought how it seemed like yesterday that she was a little girl.
Priest: "Who presents this woman?"
David: "Her mother and I do." David squeezed Abby's hand, put it in Josh's, and backed away, then took his seat on the front row next to Maddie. He held her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. They looked at each other, both with tears in their eyes.
David thought, who presents this woman? This woman. He realized at that moment that she was all grown up, and he was filled with a mix of emotions. He was happy and proud but also a bit wistful and nostalgic.
Abby: "I, Abigail Virginia Addison, take thee, Joshua Thomas Stewart, to be my lawful wedded husband, to love and comfort from this day forward."
Josh: "I, Joshua Thomas Stewart, take thee, Abigail Virginia Addison, to be my lawful wedded wife, to love and to comfort from this day forward."
Priest: "The rings, please."
Josh: "With this ring as a token of my love and affection, I thee wed."
Abby: "With this ring as a token of my love and affection, I thee wed."
Priest: "By virtue of the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
Josh gently lifted the veil off of Abby's face and let it fall down her back. He leaned in and kissed her sweetly, then more passionately.
Alex raised his fist in the air and screamed "Whoop! Whoop!" Maddie rolled her eyes. He was an Addison, all right.
Abby and Josh looked at each other, smiled, and walked down the aisle as husband and wife to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy."
Alex: "Well, she did it! Now it's time to party!"
And what a party it was! The reception was held in a huge white tent in Maddie and David's backyard. The tent was filled with large round tables with white tablecloths and bamboo chairs, with candelabras and arrangements of cream and light pink flowers on each table. Fairy lights were strung across the top of the tent and there was a large chandelier in the center. The sides of the tent inside were decorated with more lights, greenery, and flowers. It was beautiful. David expected nothing less from Maddie and Abby, who had planned the entire shindig. There was a seated dinner, an open bar, and champagne toasts. As the father of the bride, David made the first toast.
David: "Maddie and I would like to thank you all for joining us tonight. We're so happy to celebrate the marriage of Abby and Josh. Abby is the most beautiful bride I've seen since her mother and I got married almost 30 years ago. A successful marriage is not about finding a person you can live with. It's finding a person you can't live without, and I know you've found that with each other, just like your mother and I did. We raised Abby to be kind, independent, and to embrace everything that life has to offer – to 'live it up.' We could only hope that someday she'd find her match who embodies all of that and more and now that she has, well, we couldn't be happier. Josh, now's the time when I'm supposed to officially welcome you into our family, but the truth is you've been a part of this family since the day we met you. Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses and join me in wishing the newlyweds a healthy, happy, and fun future together. To the happy couple!"
After the toasts, Abby and Josh cut the cake, and the dances started. Abby and Josh's first dance was to Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud." David watched Abby and Josh on the dance floor. The looks of love they shared were like the ones he and Maddie had shared on their own wedding day, almost 30 years ago. He held Maddie's hand, looked at her, brought her hand to his lips, and kissed it.
David and Abby's father-daughter dance was to not one but two songs. The first was Otis Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is." David picked it. They were both fantastic dancers and spun around the dance floor with confidence and swagger. David thought back to when they'd dance together in the kitchen on Saturday mornings to Motown music when he made pancakes, and to the father-dance at her elementary school, Abby in a pink dress and David in his best gray suit and a pink tie. Maddie had a photo of that night in a frame in the living room.
If I was the sun way up there
I'd go with love most everywhere
I'll be the moon when the sun goes down
Just to let you know that I'm still around
That's how strong my love is
I'll be the weeping willow, drowning in my tears
And you can go swimming when you're here
And I'll be the rainbow after the tears are gone
Wrap you in my colors and keep you warm
That's how strong my love is
I'll be the ocean, so deep and wide
And catch all the tears whenever you cry
I'll be the breeze after the storm is gone
To dry your eyes and love you warm
That's how strong my love is
David leaned over and kissed Abby gently on the forehead and told her how much he loved her. There was not a dry eye in the room after their dance.
Next, they danced to a more upbeat song, The Foundations' "Build Me Up, Buttercup, " bouncing and dancing around the dance floor and inviting everyone to join them. "Buttercup" had always been David's nickname for Abby so it was her choice, and a perfect one. Abby laughed and smiled as David spun her around the dance floor with his next-level confidence and swagger. Alex, who also possessed the Addison charm, confidence, and dance moves, pulled Maddie into his arms and danced with her.
After their dances, David walked around the room, taking in the scene in front of him. It was such a happy day. All of their guests were dancing and having a good time. He saw Abby, standing and laughing with her bridesmaids, showing off her wedding ring. He saw Alex dancing with a particularly attractive model friend of Abby's from New York, then shook his head, shoved his hands in his pockets, and smiled. He caught Maddie's eye – she was chatting with Agnes, Virginia, Stephanie, and Elizabeth.
Maddie walked over to him and put her arms around his waist: "Hey there, stranger. Wanna dance?"
David: "Stranger who? Stranger me?"
Maddie laughed: "They don't get any stranger. Or maybe I should call you Spencer Tracy?"
David: "Are you saying I look like Spencer Tracy?"
Maddie: "No, David. From 'Father of the Bride.' Would you rather be Steve Martin?"
David laughed: "How about neither one!"
Maddie: "You're still devastatingly handsome and sexy, Addison, and you know it. I even caught one of Abby's bridesmaids checking you out." She ran her fingers through the back of his hair and kissed his cheek.
David: "It's all gray now, baby."
They were playing their song now, "Since I Fell For You." Maddie and David danced together. He leaned his head in and put his nose in her hair and took in her scent, the scent that had intoxicated him for the past 30 years. He could never put his finger on what it was but it drove him mad – lavender and citrus and a scent that was just her.
David: "Can you believe that our little girl is someone's wife?"
Maddie: "Next thing you know, we'll be grandparents!"
David: "Maddie, Maddie, Maddie! Why do you have to go saying something like that? It's hard enough thinking of Abby as a married woman!"
Maddie laughed: "At least she's not pregnant like I was when we got married. Or at least I don't think she is!"
Maddie and David danced together for a long time, only stopping to say goodbye to Abby and Josh as they left to head off to their honeymoon. They continued dancing into the wee hours of the morning, enjoying the closeness and the happiest of days. They were the last ones left on the dance floor…
"Moonlighting: A Cookbook and Culinary History - Recipes, Restaurants, Clubs, and Cocktails Featured in the Iconic 1980s Series" now available thru Amazon and TuckerDS Press! It's great great!