22 The Wedding
I didn’t sleep. I couldn’t. I lay next to Mac, caught up in a frenzy of thoughts and memories. My alarm went off to get me up so I could give him his meds. We went through our morning routines and hit the road. Nine hours later, we stopped in Rochester, Minnesota. I found a place to park for the night. It was still early, but it would take another eight or nine hours to reach St. Louis.
We took the historic trolley tour of Rochester at the suggestion of the RV park’s manager. It was a good deal for most tourists. Riders could get off at any stop and reboard at no extra cost. Getting off to check out the sights was not an option for Mac.
We did get off at an outdoor recreation center. It offered access to bike trails. A shop near the trolley stop rented out bikes by the hour. I was able to get a tandem trike with the stoker’s seat in the front. I had to do all of the pedaling, but we got to spend some time riding through wooded parks.
##
I parked the RV in front of my cousin’s home office a little after noon. We were early. I got Mac cleaned up and took a shower. The meeting with Jimmy lasted half an hour. From there, we drove over to St. Elizabeth’s so my friend Dr. Gert Williams could take a look at Mac and change his bandages.
Williams had set up a teleconference with Dr. Sutherland in Fairbanks. The two doctors chatted while Williams examined him. Dr. Weizman popped in and watched. The wound from the operation was healing as expected. Weizman had to register her disapproval of the way I was going about things.
“Katherine is a valued member of our team. She’s diligent, and she knows her stuff,” Williams said.
“Her behavior has been unethical at best.”
“Mr. MacGregor seems to be doing well. I think Katherine is doing everything that can be done.”
“She pulled Mr. MacGregor out of the hospital and left Fairbanks while a judge was trying to determine who should be responsible for his care.”
“She did what she thought was best under the circumstances.”
“What circumstances are those?”
Gert looked over at me. She smiled and winked. “She’s young and in love.” I could feel my cheeks turning red.
“Then, she should stop passing herself off as his caregiver.”
“It has been nice talking with you, Dr. Weizman,” my friend said. “I have to get going. I’m behind schedule.” With that, she killed the link.
##
We went straight to Sam’s Diner and ordered dinner – spaghetti and meatballs with a Cabernet. While we were waiting for our meal I called Eddie Flores and got a reservation at Camp Discovery. Sam brought the wine out and joined us.
He asked, “How long will you be in town?”
“It looks like two or three days,” I said. “Jimmy is making arrangements for the wedding. The JP is booked solid at the moment.”
“Who is getting married?”
“We are,” Mac growled.
Sam smiled and nodded. “You should have your reception here.”
“That’s a nice offer,” I said. “I would like that.”
“We could do it tomorrow night.”
“If we were married,” Mac grumbled.
“Tomorrow. Just before the reception,” Sam proposed.
“The JP won’t do it tomorrow,” Mac countered. “We already checked.”
“My rabbi will.”
“We’re not Jews,” Mac objected.
“No one is going to hold that against you,” Sam said without a hint of irony.
I said, “I think Mac meant a Jewish ceremony wouldn’t be appropriate.”
Sam grinned. “So you want a nobody to stand there and listen while you promise to love each other?”
I clamped my lips shut and shook my head. Sam returned Mac’s glare with a steady gaze. He turned to me with a twinkle in his eyes. “Rabbi Zenman is very smart. He can be a justice of the peace when he wants.”
I reached under the table and squeezed Mac’s hand. “We would be pleased to have him officiate if he’s willing.
“Then it’s settled. You two relax and enjoy your dinner. I will make the arrangements and let you know when to show up.”
##
Sam’s proposal was logical. But it still left us with a day to kill. We could do whatever we wanted except continue our journey. Eddie dropped by to see how we were doing. Our trip across the Yukon interested him because his unit had made a trip up there for survival training. He had also visited Denali on a Wounded Warriors retreat.
My phone interrupted the conversation. Jimmy was calling with details about the wedding. I had to interrupt him to explain the situation to Eddie and invite him to the festivities. He accepted, and Jimmy promised to pass the information to Sam. Then he suggested that he and his secretary, Mrs. Burns, could be our witnesses. That sounded like a good idea. He also offered to be the best man and suggested Mrs. Burns as maid of honor. When I looked at Mac and Eddie sitting together, I knew who Mac’s best man should be. I told Jimmy I would get back to him after I had a chance to discuss it with the groom.
Before he hung up, Jimmy offered to drive us around for some sightseeing and shopping before the wedding. We agreed on ten in the morning.
Mac said, “This is getting too complicated. Now we have to go shopping. For what?”
“Well,” I said, “we need the rings. I would like to wear something dressy tomorrow night.”
“This is why I wanted to go to the JP and get it over with. As soon as you start trying to do anything else, it snowballs.”
“It’s not snowballing,” I shot back. “This is my wedding too. And these are my friends. I want to share my big moment with them.”
He pressed his lips together and snorted. He wasn’t ready to apologize.
##
We had to get up for Mac’s meds, so we ate breakfast at four. After we had eaten, I brought up the issue. “Why don’t you ask Eddie to be your best man?”
“It isn’t important. I just want to get this over with.”
“It might be important to him.” Mac looked puzzled. I said, “He obviously cares about us. He came over for a visit last night.”
“I don’t know. I don’t want any more hassle than is absolutely necessary.”
“It won’t be the end of the world if he turns you down.” Mac grimaced. “But if he says yes, you’ll have one of your favorite people standing by your side when you marry me.”
“It’s too early to call him.”
“We’ve got time.”
“Who’s going to be your maid of honor?”
“If Eddie is your best man, I’ll get Gert Williams.”
##
The place was packed when we walked in. Eddie and Gert were waiting at the door. They ushered us to the middle of the room. Mac was wearing tan slacks and a black shirt. He wore a fedora to hide the bandage. I wore pink slacks with a matching blazer over a black blouse.
Rabbi Zenman rose and walked over to greet us. I thought he did a good job of covering his shock when he encountered Mac for the first time. He soldiered on, reading the standard marriage vows with the traditional, “Do you take this person to be your spouse?”
Then he paused to study us thoughtfully. “I have a blessing for the couple, but I’m not sure it’s appropriate in this case.”
“I think you should use it,” I said. “It might be more appropriate than you imagine.”
He bit his lip and tilted his head slightly. Then he intoned:
“Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has created joy and gladness, bridegroom and bride, mirth and exultation, pleasure and delight, love and brotherhood, peace and friendship.
O Lord, make these beloved companions greatly rejoice even as you rejoiced at your creation in the Garden of Eden. Blessed are you, O Lord, who makes the bridegroom and bride to rejoice.
Mr. and Mrs. MacGregor, may you be inspired each day by the world around you. May the people you meet show you love and friendship, generosity, kindness, and compassion. May you express these qualities freely throughout your lives.
You may kiss the bride.”
Mac pulled me in for a kiss. He still had it. I looked up at him. I could not believe how happy and proud I felt. I knew this was the moment.
“I have something for you, Mr. MacGregor,” I said. The room went quiet. I giggled nervously. My heart was pounding against my chest. My palms felt moist. I had no idea how he would react, so I just blurted out, “A son.”
Mac stared at me as if he didn’t understand what I had said. “I’m pregnant,” I barked anxiously. “Tereza said it would be a boy, and we should name it Gregor MacGregor.”
“Gregory,” he said at last. “Gregory Donald MacGregor. We’re not going to give our boy a weird name.”
Applause broke out. I threw my arms around Mac’s neck and whispered in his ear, “I love you.”