From disembodied voice to son-in-law

Saturday

I got up before 8:30. I brushed and swished and got dressed. I sprayed the inside of the car with oregano water. I went walking up and down the street until I had covered two miles. Michele and John got up. Becca and James came over. Then Mike and Kelly arrived. They had breakfast while I read some e-mail. Then we all sat in the den and talked.

Around 11:30 I ate some cheese squares. Then at noon Chris started cooking fried green tomatoes. (My tomatoes were not ripening even though there was an apple in the bag with them.) I got to eat some, then got in the Olds and headed to Midlothian.

It seemed to take a long time. It had been years since I drove through a traffic light, or on a highway. But I did ok. I arrived right at 1pm. Faye and Kurt were counting money from the yard sale. They kept trying to add it up in their heads. Then they gave me the number and I divided it by 4. They put that amount in each of 4 envelops, except that the last one came up short. We recounted and recounted, then added up what we had and divided again. And that's what everyone got. William came late. He forgot to bring some money, but I said Faye could have my share of that, and Kurt said that too, and then Faye said to give it all to Karen.

Then Faye laid out the coins and jewelry, William had some, too. Faye also put out some mix-matched china. So then we drew straws to get a picking order and divvied it all up. Kurt pulled out some silver-plated platters which we cleaned up so he could give them to Michele.

I ate my pomegranate. Faye brought out a ceramic parrot that might have belonged to Chris' grandmother, but which I thought was with our stuff in Utah. But the box was from the Delaware area. Kurt took down the windchimes and I put it in the box with the bird.

After more discussion, I got in the Olds and drove back. I tried to put on the radio and got nothing but static. I was back by 4:30 and Cecily was relieved. Chris got out the parrot, showed it around, and still was not able to say whether this was the bird he remembered. We chatted with Mike and Kelly, then got dressed and drove to the hotel.

We met Faye and Kevin in the parking lot. We went in the hotel and spotted the reserved room. People were already there. Michele was greeting them in her wedding gown as they arrived. I showed her the three masks and she picked the Christmas one for me to wear. I walked around taking pictures and chatting. I went out to the parking lot to find Kurt and Patrick.

When everyone had arrived, we were invited to sit down. Each table was marked with a list of names. Chris and I and Faye and Kevin were seated at the last table by ourselves. All other tables had 8 people and they all seemed to be having a great time.

Becca put on her stole and called the bride and groom to the front. She performed a lovely ceremony tailored to their interests. It didn't have the weight of law, but it was touching and meaningful. Then she introduced the new couple as Mr. and Mrs. Damour. It seemed like a slip of the tongue, but later I found out that he does intend to change his last name to Damour.

Then each table was excused to go to the buffet. Our table was last, of course. There was spaghetti, chicken, two sauces, unsavory-looking broccoli, and salad. I took off my mask to eat and made it last as long as possible. Kevin took off his mask and ate, then talked to the bartender. John and Michele cut the wedding cake. Kevin got some cake, several times, without a mask and it really upset Cecily. She thought he was putting everyone's health at risk. The sugar from the cake and several beers did not help his judgment or attitude. Faye took him home early.

Afterward, I talked to the bartender. She wasn't vaccinated either and not required to wear a mask. She said we have to stand strong. John's mother, almost 20 years older, came over to talk to me. It was odd to know we were both parents of the couple and yet so different in age. Am I old enough to have a son-in-law? It got close to 9. Ladies were coming in to clean. I gathered in the hall with Michele and Becca and Mark. Becca talked about holding Cecily back when Kevin threw his mask at her. I didn't see that.

Afterward, we went to John and Michele's room to chat in their suite. It was mostly gaming. Ssme had extra cake since it would not fit in the little fridge. We left around 10:30. When we got back, I worked on my blog, downloaded pics and cropped them. Then I read e-mail till after midnight.