Chapter 16: The Rather Dull, Inaction Packed Conclusion

“Nervous?”

“Nope.” I made an honest but doomed attempt at standing still. “Organ music always makes me dance.”

“Hold still, your tie is crooked.”

“Yes’em.”

I held still, and she straightened my tie. Then, she brushed a little dander from the shoulder of my jacket.

“You look nice in a tuxedo.”

“Thank you.”

“Well you do. We should dress you up more often.”

“You’ll get at least one other chance after this.”

“Mmmmmm! I can hardly wait for that, but I think we ought to find other excuses.”

I shook my head with a goofy grin plastered all over it.

“You ever think that we’d reach this point,” I asked.

“Right from the very start.” The organist switched to the pomp, and the bride entered the doorway. “Here she comes. Isn’t she beautiful?”

“White suits her very well.”

“It does.” She sighed. “I can’t wait for tonight.”

“Steady, girl.”

“Well, I can’t.”

“You’re going to have to.” I decided to distract her.

“Sherry looks nice in full dress.”

“I like how all the medals draw attention to her chest.”

“Brat.”

“Yes, I am.” She looked up to me. “She does have nice tits though.”

“They’re pleasant enough,” I said, refusing to take the bait like the wily old veteran I hoped to someday become.

“More than, Mr. Gamera.” She sighed. “Damn, that’s a long aisle.”

“All the better to show off.”

“God, she’s hot in that dress.”

“Steady, girl.”

“But I want her so bad.”

“You’ll get her.” I reached for her hand and squeezed it. “But not until the proper time.”

I scanned the near empty church; my parents sat on the groom’s side; Kim’s of course were on the bride’s side. My sisters were there as well, with their husbands. My family had a slightly dazed look but otherwise smiled. They were happy but confused. Much like me, but in their own way and for their own reasons. And if their confusion were greater than mine, so was their happiness at being proved right at last that I would find someone.

A few others that we knew sat here and there, mostly along the aisle. Everyone faced towards the back, except for those that Sherry and her charge had passed. Those had all turned to watch the pair progress closer to the altar where we waited.

The bride and Sherry neared the front and passed Jenny’s cheerleaders, who giggled quietly but gleefully. With them were what I found out was the chess club, who sat as if they hadn’t the first clue about what was happening. They passed the families. They passed the first pews and stepped to the immediate front of the alter.

I looked at Kim. A broken beam of light from a hole in the roof surrounded her for an instant. She had never seemed more lovely than she did that summer day. I turned away from the bride and to her lovely groom standing next to me.

“You are a very lucky woman, Jenny Smith.”

“Yes, I am.” She gave my hand a squeeze before releasing it. “You’re my next, you know.”

“We’ll worry about that latter, my future bigamist.” I reached around and kissed her cheek. “Now, get married.”

In front of friends and family, in an abandoned church, with me at her side as best man, Jenny Smith received Kim Wright from Officer Sherry Michaels. Together, hand in hand, they stood before a woman dressed in a flowing white shift and flowers. I was told that she was a practicing priestess in a pagan religion that I would add a mental “weird” in front of to modify. Kim was extremely serious about it, but even Jenny appeared to be assumed by it in a way that she would never explain.