It was a long six-hour drive to attend the wedding of Alice and Ted in Alice’s hometown. Bob was to be Ted’s best man, and Carol, his wife, was the matron of honor. Both eagerly looked forward to the celebration. They piled into the car, with Carol taking the wheel for the first two hours of freeway driving.

During the first hour of the journey, they engaged in lively banter, reminiscing about their time at University with Alice. Carol and Alice met during their second year in a business management and accountancy course. Alice had been healing from a broken heart, and while she didn’t share many details, Carol could see she was hurting. They took her under their wing and supported her. Then she met Ted in her final year, and everything looked full of promise. As to Bob and Carol’s love story, they had met in their second year and instantly clicked, staying together ever since. Six months after graduation, they tied the knot and were about to witness Alice and Bob’s union.

Bob took over the driving for the narrower minor highway for the remaining four hours.

“Does this road get wider?” Carol remarked, frowning as Bob navigated through narrow country lanes at a higher speed than Carol thought was necessary. “I’m not a big fan of these narrow roads at high speed.”

Bob chuckled, “Don’t worry, Carol. I grew up driving on these country roads. You’ll get used to it.”

Bob overtook a truck, and Carol couldn’t help but voice her concerns, “Bob, slow down! You’re going too fast!”

Bob reassured her, “Relax, Carol, I’ve got it under control.”

After a time, Carol said, “I think Alice was jealous of the happiness at our wedding. Most of our close fellow students who attended were at the time engaged to be married also. So when, out of the blue, Ted asked Alice to marry him, she said, ‘Yes.’ I’m not sure if it will be a marriage made in heaven.” Little did Carol know this joyous occasion would be etched in their memories forever?

The sun began to set as they approached the outskirts of Alice’s hometown. They arrived at the hotel just before five in the afternoon, checked in, and retired to their room. The first thing they both did was check their wedding outfits, making sure they were hanging nicely in the wardrobe. Alice had organized their arrival meticulously. “I can’t believe the big day is almost here,” Carol exclaimed excitedly.

“I’m just glad everything seems to be falling into place,” Bob replied with a smile.

“I’ve made coffee for us. I was thirsty after the long trip and had frayed nerves, and your high-speed driving didn’t help.” Carol said as she handed Bob a steaming cup.

“Thanks,” he replied, deciding not to respond to Carol’s barb.

With little time to spare before the six p.m. wedding rehearsal at the church, they quickly freshened up with a shower. Bob was hoping for a quickie, but Carol said playfully, “No, I don’t want to be leaking during dinner.” Which made Bob chuckle to himself.

“Okay, come on, Carol, we should hurry. We don’t want to be late for the rehearsal,” Bob urged.

The rehearsal at the church went smoothly, and they were out with fifteen minutes to spare before seven o’clock dinner. In the church’s parking lot, Ted handed Bob the wedding rings in a felt-covered case. Bob quickly checked to ensure everything was in order. Alice chimed in with a teasing smile at Bob, “You won’t lose them, will you?” while giving Ted a dark look!

Alice told Carol as they walked to the restaurant’s front door. Alice said, “I had only met Ted’s parents twice before and was not enamored with them. But I’m not marrying his parents, am I?”

Carol didn’t reply.

During dinner, Carol and Bob had the chance to meet both sets of parents. Bob was particularly impressed with Alice’s father, Bill, a six-foot-three Sergeant Major, now retired, who ran a successful homegrown security service. Alice’s mother, Jenny, a few inches shorter than Bill, held a prominent position in a local charity organization.

On the other hand, Ted’s father, Herbert, was a short, rounded-belly, balding man who didn’t leave the best impression on Bob. Herbert frequently interrupted conversations, showing an over-inflated opinion of himself. He was a middle-level hospital administrator in their hometown and was making a bigger deal out of it than was necessary, in Bob’s opinion.

Alice, too, noticed Herbert’s autocratic way and his dominance over his wife, Betty, who appeared timid and carried a bit more weight for her size. Herbert continually ordered her around, and she quickly obliged without any appreciation. This observation only strengthened Alice’s resolve not to be a docile wife—she was proud of her achievements and didn’t intend to be overshadowed by her husband. Alice had a degree, and Ted had only graduated with a diploma.

Later that evening, while sitting across the table, Bill told Bob about how the security business began. “It all started with a chance meeting when I was asked by a friend of the manager of a local department store to act as a personal bodyguard for a month or two due to threats from an ex-employee. The success of that venture led to a very prosperous five-year business. Nowadays, I have taken on a management role. The firm employs younger ex-military personnel who provide personal security services for politicians and even a visiting Church Bishop.”

As the evening progressed, Carol and Bob felt a growing excitement and anticipation for the upcoming wedding. The evening dinner finished with an optimistic tone, all looking forward to the wedding ceremony the following day.

While getting ready for bed, Carol and Bob discussed their thoughts on the other people at the dinner. “You know,” Carol said, “I tried to talk to Ted’s mother, Betty. It was a lot of work to get her to talk about herself, even something simple such as her likes and dislikes. She appears to be a very private person. It made it hard to ascertain her character. Although I didn’t like the way her husband bossed her.”

“Did you get a chance to speak with Alice’s mother?” Bob asked Carol.

“Yes, she seems like a lovely woman. We had interesting conversations on many different subjects,” Carol replied. “However, Ted’s father appeared to be a bit of a letch and kept staring at my breasts. He reminded me of a younger Ted.”

“I noticed that, too,” Bob said with a chuckle. “He couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

Carol rolled my eyes playfully. “Well, let’s hope he keeps his eyes to himself during the wedding tomorrow.”

The following day, the bridal party gathered for a mid-morning wedding brunch in the hotel’s restaurant. Bob and Carol returned to their room by noon, and Carol, feeling a bit frisky, initiated a good round of sex. Unfortunately, they both fell asleep and are running late for the wedding.

To Bob’s astonishment, the suit had the wrong-sized pants - they were much too large. Bob quickly rang Ted as he had organized the wedding suits locally. “Hey, Ted, I’ve got a problem with the suit pants.”

Ted, waiting outside the church for his best man, replied, “Oh no, what happened?”

“The pants are way too big. I can’t wear them,” Bob said, feeling frustrated.

“Just wear any pants, for now, and get here before the bride does the wedding march. I’ll figure something out.”

Ted then retired to the church and took his place on the altar steps. Ted looked forlornly at the groom’s side of the aisle to see no seats occupied other than his Mum and Dad. Disappointed after having sent out ten invites, not even his older sister came.

While waiting there, he noticed another guest sitting on the bride’s side wearing the same tailored coat as him. He could see the guest’s coat and pants were a mismatch.

Curious, Ted wandered over to introduce himself to the guest.

“Hi, I’m Ted. I couldn’t help but notice our outfits seem to be similar?”

Introducing himself as Peter, the man chuckled, “Yes, it’s quite a funny situation. I ordered this rental suit online and had it delivered to the hotel. The pants I got were too small, so I left them in the hotel room.”

“That’s quite a mix-up, indeed. I have an idea where your pants are. Let me call Bob and see if we can sort this out.” Ted said.

Ted phoned Bob, explained the switch, and suggested he go to the reception counter. Peter then called the hotel’s reception so they could get the pants from his room and give them to Bob, who would bring the larger pants for Peter to change into.

As all this was happening, Ted called Alice’s father, explaining the unfolding events, and asked if they could delay their arrival at the church.

Ten minutes later, Carol received a call from Alice, asking where we were. “We are just passing the bridal car, parked a block from the church now,” Carol replied, realizing they were running late.