Chapter 22: Another Marriage and Another Meeting

The summer passed quickly. It was a very busy time. Percy's lodge was booked solid the entire season. He worked assuring his guests had a pleasant vacation from sun up to sun set. He was too tired at the end of the day to even dream. Without the terrible dreams, he slept the sleep of the just.

One day Percy was having his weekly breakfast at the diner in town when the Rabbi Feldman and Father Dolan sat down at his table. After the initial greeting, the Rabbi started, "Percy we need a favor from you. We need you to be a best man at an upcoming wedding."

"Boy are you two dragging the bottom of the barrel asking me. So who's the unlucky guy?" Percy replied.

"Me," replied the rabbi.

"What did one of farmer Schmidt's sheep get loose?" teased Percy.

Father Dolan almost fell off his chair laughing.

"Come-on Percy, You know it's Sara" the rabbi replied. "Please Percy; I'd really want you standing next me. I want you to be my shomer."

"Do I have to wear the beanie?" I teased.

"Yes Percy a yarmulke is required in the temple." Sighed the rabbi."

"Congratulations, I'd be honored in all seriousness to stand with you at your wedding."

The three of us talked about the upcoming nuptials thru breakfast. It seems that after the death of her son, Sara leaned on the Rabbi for support. She had no family left to turn to. As it would happen, two lonely people found each other. The rest was history and a wedding needed to be planed.

Percy offered the lodge's facilities for the reception. There would be no charges to the couple. Father Dolan jokingly offered to perform the service, but Rabbi Feldman already had a friend coming in to do it.

Father Dolan then offered to host the stag party at his churches hall on the condition there would be no "dancing girls", gambling, or drinking alcoholic beverages. As he explained, "The ladies of the church wouldn't like it."

His offer was rejected. It was decided to let the fire department plan the stag party.

Two months later Percy found himself in the temple next to his friend, then giving the main toast at the reception and finally dancing with the bride. She was the only woman Angela would allow him to dance with.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Angela flew up to attend the wedding. She acted as if she was Sara's long lost sister. While Angela wasn't in the wedding, she acted as a wedding planner. She hosted the bridal shower, selected the flowers (she had them flown up from NYC), she helped pick the food for the reception and finally bought the wedding cake. Sara was overwhelmed by Angela's generosity.