I looked around the room, which was nicely carpeted and wallpapered. I stepped over to the full-length mirror and looked at inspected myself. My bow tie was still perfect, my collar still firmly riding high and snug on my neck. In just over an hour, it would happen.
I knew Linda from a couple of my college classes I was taking in the evenings after work. I was working fulltime at the bank and finishing my degree at night. I'd go straight to the campus from work, so I was always the most overdressed member of my classes. When I'd first met Linda, she immediately took a liking to my "buttoned-up and formal" look, or, as she later called it, my "about to be wed" look. Working in banking, I kind of had to wear suits daily, and bow ties I'd been wearing since before high school. Linda and I had never "gone out" since I was usually dating one girl or another when I had the time and she was usually dating a variety of guys, but we'd gotten to be friends, getting together to study some evenings.
So about a month before, during one of our study sessions, Linda had asked me for a favor. She told me about a campus group that she helped run and about an event they were planning. She asked me if I'd participate in the event. At first, I'd been quite reluctant. Then I figured, How big a deal could this event possibly be? Probably just be some goofy little thing and it would be over. That, combined with Linda's daunting powers of persuasion, resulted in my finally agreeing. Now, standing before the mirror in the sitting room in the Metropolitan Community Church, it was sinking in that this may have turned out to be much more than I'd originally thought.
The event was a "mock wedding." The group that Linda ran, it turned out, was the campus Gay Pride Alliance. The event was a called Gay Wedding Day. Originally, Linda had planned on holding the event in a large meeting room in the student center. Then someone suggested she call the Metropolitan Community Church. She did, and the church couldn't have been happier to help. So Linda went into overdrive, running an ad in the campus newspaper and posting fliers all over the campus.
My groom was a guy named Todd, who was an actual member of the Gay Pride Alliance. Linda originally had wanted us to wear tuxes, since I owned one. Todd, however, was either broke or cheap or a combination of the two. The two of us, however, both had very nice three-piece navy blue suits, so we figured we'd look pretty formal wearing those with white shirts and navy blue print bow ties. I, of course, had a closet full of suits and a rack full of bow ties. I was going to pick two navy blue bow ties that were relatively closely matched and give Todd one, but then he went out and bought his own.
Stepping away from the mirror, I took my jacket off and hung it carefully from the bathroom doorknob. I sat down on the loveseat, figuring I'd try to relax for a bit.
I don't know how long I'd sat there before the door opened and Linda came in.
"I thought I'd let you know," she smiled, "Your groom just arrived."
"Did he?" I said. "How's he look?"
"VERY formal and VERY nervous," she said, a bit of a laugh behind her voice. "We've got him in another room down the hall. I don't know which one of you is more nervous!"
"I'm not nervous!" I protested, smiling.
"OH yes you are!" she said. "It's your wedding day. You're supposed to be nervous!"
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Twenty after four," she said, stepping back out and closing the door.
It's your wedding day! rang in my head. I could feel my nerves rising. I could feel my pulse quicken a little beneath my high, stiff collar. Forty more minutes and I'll be wedding my groom! I thought to myself. Suddenly this "mock wedding" was feeling VERY real.
Linda came back into the sitting room, along with Becky, a little while later. Becky was holding a small, clear plastic container.
"It's 4:35," Linda said, taking my jacket off the doorknob. "Can you put your jacket on?"
"Getting down to it," I said absently as Linda helped me put my jacket on, then buttoned its top button and slightly adjusted my bow tie.
"Time to get this on you," said Becky, removing a white rose and baby's breath boutonnierre from the plastic case. Petite as she was, Becky reached up to pin the boutonnierre perfectly in place on my left lapel. Slipping her arm through mine, she stepped me over to the mirror.
"There!" she smiled. "Now you look like a groom!"
"That's because he is a groom!" Linda chimed in. "A groom about to be wed!"
I could tell Linda was just playing with me.
"I'm NOT nervous!" I told her again.
"Not even a little?" Becky asked teasingly, and it occurred to me that any other time, were I not a groom about to be wed, I'd probably try getting her phone number. She was really cute.
"Well," I admitted, "maybe just a little. This is starting to feel very real!"
"We'll be back very soon," said Linda, and they left the room again.
At this point, I figured there was no point taking off my jacket again and trying to relax, and I didn't want to sit and get my suit wrinkled, so I paced, stopping occasionally in front of the mirror. Each time I did, someone who looked more and more like a groom was looking back.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a short plump woman in a clerical robe stepped in, holding a book.
"Hi!" she said in quite friendly tones. "I'm Reverend Susan. I'll be performing your wedding."
"How do you do?" I said, shaking her hand.
"I just spoke to your groom," she said. "It's almost time for your wedding. Linda's gone over with you how everything goes?"
"Yes, she has," I replied.
"Any questions?" she asked.
"Nope," I said. "Just ready to be wed."
"I'll see you down the aisle then," she smiled walked out of the room.
Just minutes away from my wedding! I thought. I stepped back to the mirror, checked my jacket and bow tie. I could smell the fragrance of the rose in my boutonnierre. I paced the room again and ended up back at the mirror.
The door opened and Linda and Becky came in. I could feel my breathing get shorter.
"It's time," Linda informed me. I couldn't help but think that she sounded like she had come to escort me to the gallows.
"Are you ready to be wed?" Becky asked.
"Yes," I said. "It's now or never."
I knew Linda from a couple of my college classes I was taking in the evenings after work. I was working fulltime at the bank and finishing my degree at night. I'd go straight to the campus from work, so I was always the most overdressed member of my classes. When I'd first met Linda, she immediately took a liking to my "buttoned-up and formal" look, or, as she later called it, my "about to be wed" look. Working in banking, I kind of had to wear suits daily, and bow ties I'd been wearing since before high school. Linda and I had never "gone out" since I was usually dating one girl or another when I had the time and she was usually dating a variety of guys, but we'd gotten to be friends, getting together to study some evenings.
So about a month before, during one of our study sessions, Linda had asked me for a favor. She told me about a campus group that she helped run and about an event they were planning. She asked me if I'd participate in the event. At first, I'd been quite reluctant. Then I figured, How big a deal could this event possibly be? Probably just be some goofy little thing and it would be over. That, combined with Linda's daunting powers of persuasion, resulted in my finally agreeing. Now, standing before the mirror in the sitting room in the Metropolitan Community Church, it was sinking in that this may have turned out to be much more than I'd originally thought.
The event was a "mock wedding." The group that Linda ran, it turned out, was the campus Gay Pride Alliance. The event was a called Gay Wedding Day. Originally, Linda had planned on holding the event in a large meeting room in the student center. Then someone suggested she call the Metropolitan Community Church. She did, and the church couldn't have been happier to help. So Linda went into overdrive, running an ad in the campus newspaper and posting fliers all over the campus.
My groom was a guy named Todd, who was an actual member of the Gay Pride Alliance. Linda originally had wanted us to wear tuxes, since I owned one. Todd, however, was either broke or cheap or a combination of the two. The two of us, however, both had very nice three-piece navy blue suits, so we figured we'd look pretty formal wearing those with white shirts and navy blue print bow ties. I, of course, had a closet full of suits and a rack full of bow ties. I was going to pick two navy blue bow ties that were relatively closely matched and give Todd one, but then he went out and bought his own.
Stepping away from the mirror, I took my jacket off and hung it carefully from the bathroom doorknob. I sat down on the loveseat, figuring I'd try to relax for a bit.
I don't know how long I'd sat there before the door opened and Linda came in.
"I thought I'd let you know," she smiled, "Your groom just arrived."
"Did he?" I said. "How's he look?"
"VERY formal and VERY nervous," she said, a bit of a laugh behind her voice. "We've got him in another room down the hall. I don't know which one of you is more nervous!"
"I'm not nervous!" I protested, smiling.
"OH yes you are!" she said. "It's your wedding day. You're supposed to be nervous!"
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Twenty after four," she said, stepping back out and closing the door.
It's your wedding day! rang in my head. I could feel my nerves rising. I could feel my pulse quicken a little beneath my high, stiff collar. Forty more minutes and I'll be wedding my groom! I thought to myself. Suddenly this "mock wedding" was feeling VERY real.
Linda came back into the sitting room, along with Becky, a little while later. Becky was holding a small, clear plastic container.
"It's 4:35," Linda said, taking my jacket off the doorknob. "Can you put your jacket on?"
"Getting down to it," I said absently as Linda helped me put my jacket on, then buttoned its top button and slightly adjusted my bow tie.
"Time to get this on you," said Becky, removing a white rose and baby's breath boutonnierre from the plastic case. Petite as she was, Becky reached up to pin the boutonnierre perfectly in place on my left lapel. Slipping her arm through mine, she stepped me over to the mirror.
"There!" she smiled. "Now you look like a groom!"
"That's because he is a groom!" Linda chimed in. "A groom about to be wed!"
I could tell Linda was just playing with me.
"I'm NOT nervous!" I told her again.
"Not even a little?" Becky asked teasingly, and it occurred to me that any other time, were I not a groom about to be wed, I'd probably try getting her phone number. She was really cute.
"Well," I admitted, "maybe just a little. This is starting to feel very real!"
"We'll be back very soon," said Linda, and they left the room again.
At this point, I figured there was no point taking off my jacket again and trying to relax, and I didn't want to sit and get my suit wrinkled, so I paced, stopping occasionally in front of the mirror. Each time I did, someone who looked more and more like a groom was looking back.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a short plump woman in a clerical robe stepped in, holding a book.
"Hi!" she said in quite friendly tones. "I'm Reverend Susan. I'll be performing your wedding."
"How do you do?" I said, shaking her hand.
"I just spoke to your groom," she said. "It's almost time for your wedding. Linda's gone over with you how everything goes?"
"Yes, she has," I replied.
"Any questions?" she asked.
"Nope," I said. "Just ready to be wed."
"I'll see you down the aisle then," she smiled walked out of the room.
Just minutes away from my wedding! I thought. I stepped back to the mirror, checked my jacket and bow tie. I could smell the fragrance of the rose in my boutonnierre. I paced the room again and ended up back at the mirror.
The door opened and Linda and Becky came in. I could feel my breathing get shorter.
"It's time," Linda informed me. I couldn't help but think that she sounded like she had come to escort me to the gallows.
"Are you ready to be wed?" Becky asked.
"Yes," I said. "It's now or never."