A Wedding Observed

The Proposal

When my brother, Martin, decided to ask Laura, his girlfriend of a little over a year, to marry him, the first person he told was our mother. That simple gesture, which led to an hour long conversation where he described all of the things he loved about her, was one she would always remember, considering it among the finest gifts she had ever been given.

Then he called our father when he was at work, he became immediately embarrassed with the news and was unable to respond coherently. He made up an excuse, hung up the phone and took a few minutes to clear his head. Then he texted—not called—back ‘congratulations’. They would discuss it that weekend, at a sports bar, over a dozen wings and some cocktails, in the environment in which our father was most comfortable.

I don’t know how he told our sister, or what she said and felt afterward. I only know that he called me while I was driving to work. I answered the phone the way I always do when he calls, by saying “No, I won’t watch your kid.”

He laughed heartily. That was something worth noting, his new found laugh. Over the past few months it had become deeper and richer, even when he was laughing over the silly, stupid things that often made us (and no one else) chuckle.

“I don’t want you to watch Jack,” he said. Then he went on to tell me, while trying to stifle his laughter, that he bought Laura a ring.

With a narrowing of the eyes, and slight cock of the jaw I managed to say ‘huh’. It wasn’t the kind of ‘huh’ that ended with a question mark. It was more like the kind of ‘huh’ you say when something surprising and fresh breaks through your daily routine. Like if a stray dog were to trot up towards you and say “hello” or if your twenty six year old brother, who you never imagined marrying, just told you he was going to ask for Laura’s hand, a girl you always thought he was simply living with for the convenience of cheaper rent.

“Huh” I said once more, and he just laughed and laughed.

He asked her parents for their blessing on Thanksgiving Day, when our two families met for the first time, over under cooked hamburgers and over cooked ham. Then, that night, when everyone had gone home, he proposed, on bended knee, with a bottle of champagne (or bubbly, as he called it) chilling in the freezer.

She said yes, with tearful eyes. I could picture her fanning herself with her fingers, as if her face had suddenly become a few degrees warmer and she was afraid of bursting. She would call her parents and friends to tell them what they already knew. My brother would text me, saying it was official.

Our father would be up for the rest of the night. I would sit with him in the living room, with the TV on but the volume muted. He was thinking aloud about the details: Where would they get married? How soon? Who would be the best man? How many people would be there?

Then, late in the night, when we were both growing too tired to think anymore, he looked at me or, rather, through me and I could tell that he was wondering if I’d ever marry and whether or not the happiness my brother found would one day be mine.

It has been five months since the proposal and most of the details have been revealed. They will marry in October, at the Wright House on University. I will be a groomsmen, our father will be the best man and we will wear black suits. The exact date is Oct 2nd, 2010 and that was decided by my brother who likes to tell people, with a hearty laugh, that he is getting married on 10-2-10. When he first started telling people that, Laura would just roll her eyes and laugh but now, as the date approaches, she hardly hears him, being far too busy imagining (and re-imagining) a day which she has long awaited.

Note: This is based, more than just loosely, on my brother’s upcoming wedding. I figured it would make a good story or, at the very least, a nice wedding present, one that wouldn’t cost too much, just a few sleepless nights turning life into prose. This should be a work in progress with more detail and background on both the bride and groom, along with separate stories for the bachelor party (which is taking place in Vegas) and the actual wedding ceremony.

The Reality: http://www.mywedding.com/danamichael/index.html