Life in a Nutshell

The Wedding and Beyond

May 24, 1997 - Wedding Day

Scott

It's here! Today is the day. I'm marrying Molly today.

And it's raining harder today than I've ever seen. Torrential sheets of rain, with no end in sight. "Perfect," I chuckle to myself.

Oregon's weather is unpredictable in the spring, and we should have known that. But we wanted an outdoor wedding, at Molly's uncle's house. Partly because it was inexpensive, and partly because it was beautiful. And now the fifty percent chance of rain in the forecast had turned into one hundred percent. More like one hundred and ten percent.

I'm in my tux, sitting on the couch in the house. The wedding is on hold because of the weather. Molly's dad Darryl is in a chair to my right, and her uncle Davey is on the left.

Davey's short stature, red hair, and penchant for booze and ladies make me think of a leprechaun. He's a scoundrel and a consummate outdoorsman, with a wicked sense of humor.

He comes up to me with three highball glasses each with two fingers of bourbon, and an ice cube.

He grins at me with a sly expression and hands me the glass while passing the other to Darryl.

"Here, Scott. Have a drink to calm your nerves. Are you ready to have only one woman for the rest of your life?"

"Thanks, Davey." I take the glass and take a sip. The whiskey burns down my throat and spreads over my chest.

The funny thing is this is one of my calmest days. I'm not nervous at all. This morning at breakfast, Molly looked like her hair was on fire she was so nervous, but I'm cool with this. It's all good. I'm marrying my girl today. I could care less about the details or the weather for that matter. That's all just logistics.

"I'm doing pretty well." I grin at the older man. "I found a keeper."

Darryl grunts in agreement, raises his glass toward me, and we both take a sip. He's a character, a cowboy. A real one, like the Sam Elliot type. He's wearing his dress clothes today. New black Levis, a white shirt, and a rented tuxedo jacket with a western flair. He's got his good hat on today, the one with only a little bit of cow shit on it and a purple silk scarf draped around his neck. He looks like he just stepped off a movie set, but with Darryl, it's not a joke. His bushy grey mustache twitches with a smile as he raises his glass toward me. He loves his daughter.

The women in the house are scurrying around us in a whirl. Evidently, several things have gone wrong.

None of our reserved chairs and tables have shown up to the house. The flowers that we bought for the bouquets, didn't have the right kind of foam...whatever that means...and now are starting to wilt.

There's a cacophony of chatter and concern swarming around us because all these things are testing Molly's calm. My bride is currently melting down, and I can imagine her stress and those adorable wide eyes. Her cousins come over and speak to me.

"Hey, Scott, Molly's having a hard time with all the problems today. Do you have any words of wisdom we can pass on?"

I nod, and get up and follow the girls over to the room Molly is using to get ready. Both of our mothers have secluded her with the rest of the girls. I get to her door and tap gently without opening the door.

"Yes," she sniffles.

"Honey, it's me. Don't worry, I won't come in. I just wanted to let you know I love you. And that it doesn't matter to me, or anyone else here today, about the rain, or the chairs, or the droopy flowers. I just want to marry you today.