Weddings

I read this particular story in Willful Creatures on the plane to Detroit while my boyfriend slept. It's the most powerful story, in my humble opinion, thus far in the collection. Never mind that it is only perhaps the 5th story I've read. Craig wondered why, if that book is so very good, I have not finished it yet. He doesn't quite understand this, but if I finish it all, I have nothing new to look forward to, at this point, in the literary sphere. Though that is not entirely true, because there is a book called Nice Big American Baby that I want to purchase, as well as a swell-seeming novel by a contemporary writer named Krista Madsen. Regardless, this particular story would read very well at, say, a wedding. Or maybe at an engagement party. The theme is dark but its appearance overall is hopeful, in a sense. This isn't the best excerpted quote, in my estimation, but I don't have the book with me and this line was included in a review on line.*Being a bridesmaid is exhausting work. Craig and I met at Hartsfield Jackson Friday around 4, and our flight left around 6-something. We landed in the old D about 8...JW picked us up and he had, in tow, an old subcontractor buddy of ours, DW. Things change. He's now divorced, living in a bachelor paddish condo and bald, in contacts instead of glasses. But some things do not change. Ed's Hangar Lounge, while now named something different and owned by someone different, is still the smokey shoebox bar in that anonymous strip mall on Eureka Road with approximately 15 patrons (on a good night, which Friday was one of those) and Miller Lite in buckets. DW drank Bud Lite--I didn't recall that. But honestly, how is one to keep track of long lost friends' drinks of choice? Anyway, we polished off a few beers there, left to check into the hotel in Southgate, settled ourselves at a table at Hooters of Taylor (MI) and proceeded to eat wings and drink beer. I finally reached ST and she resolved that we should come see her new house. That said, we picked up additional beer and headed over. In the back yard were several of my old Taylor team mates: A, K, S, N...BW, of course. A and I were partnered up for the procession the next day. I was relieved to have such a gleeful and helpful escort, seeing as I had missed the rehearsal as a result of not getting to Michigan until the weekend. Seeing ST was, as always, very exciting for me. I miss not having her to give a hard time to day in and out. She sincerely became my adopted sister in those days. After mingling with them for a while, Craig and I climbed into the back of JW's beastly white too-big truck and we went to a bar in Dearborn that DW loves called Kelley's Irish Pub. Not the Double Olive as I hoped, but fun...Craig passed out sitting there, how completely like him. He's undeniably the most tired person I have ever met.*Her big day came too soon. I couldn't sleep well--too much beer, or too little beer? Whichever. I showed up at JN's roughly late (typical KB) but it wasn't a huge deal...we were getting what I like to call "updone" by JN's sister-in-law, or what have her relation. She did a fabulous job pinning these little girlie curls all over my head, spraying the whole nest to beat the band, then even spraying it with what Craig lovingly deemed later "stripper glitter". I think I looked more like a girl than I ever remember looking. Oh, and add make-up to my face. I'm still yanking clumps of mascara from my eye lashes. So, basically we were drinking mimosas and getting updone and dressed and panicking...at one point, OK, who is ST's cutest and dearest, oldest, and most interesting friend, in my book, said, "I can't take this. I'm calling off this wedding." She was cute...nervous, more nervous, perhaps, than ST. But we survived--all mimosa morning, beer afternoon, smoking cigarettes standing on the other side of the bridge later at the park waiting for the male portion of the wedding party to arrive, soothing ST's nerves, laughing that we all should have definitely used the bathroom before heading out to the park seeing as none of us would be able to fit ourselves whole plus the puffy dresses inside the single port-a-john at the entrance to the park. ST was a lovely bride, and the ceremony went without a hitch. Her dad walked her up to give her away and that was emotional, that was all of us moody women bawling from behind waterproof mascara (and, obviously, can't-ever-come-off mascara) and streaking "toner" (that's what JN called it when she brushed it on my cheeks). Following the ceremony there were family photographs taken, and following that, entire wedding party pictures. I look forward to seeing them eventually upon release to the public. I wonder how plastered my smile looks. It sure felt like it...after 10,000 of them your mouth starts to feel like it's been wiped like a huge smudge of gloss across your face. But that's what's fun. ST was tugging at her jaw saying she couldn't take it anymore. After that was the reception. Craig made me swoon by playing the ever-doting sycophant, telling me I was the prettiest bridesmaid there. He knows how to win big when he wants to. He then made a misplaced and irrelevant point of reminding me that my one eye gets squinty when I am tipsy, which ranks right up there with scoffing at my purple teeth when I drink red wine, particularly like that time in front of TW and his girl A, during our hot tub time in North Carolina. It would be specifically helpful and sensitive if he were to privately alert me to these things instead of shouting them across the room for everyone else to take notice, too. But, can I say I did not know he was like this? I'd be delighted if he would read "The Meeting" so that he could get a sense for what I feel sometimes when I am with him. Other times I don't feel that, however...such as last night, when things fell right back into place. I'm beginning to recognize that things are not supposed to stay in place constantly. What good would a puzzle be if it were all put together already and never came apart? Offhanded and lazy-minded cliche, but ringing true regardless. Anyway, ST's day was, as near as I can reveal, nearly perfect. Everyone cleaned up well, and she and BW exchanged tearful vows in front of those they love and who love them. The reception was a massive party with free booze for all and a good dinner and a DJ who, well...let's just say that he didn't forget to play "Celebrate Good Times Come On." At least he managed to unearth Craig's Outkast request. Craig and I decided that at our wedding (when we're 60, ha, if we stick out everything in between) we're going to create a play list on the iPod and just push play. But then Craig recanted and claimed he wants a band. I don't think we're hiring the guy who loves Kool and the Gang, sorry ST. Everyone had a great time, though. What more could a girl have wanted on her special day? One wedding down, one to go...next weekend Indianapolis, here we come.