50 years, I never thought love could last so long seeing now everyone I know has divorced parents. I didn�t want to go, but I figured my grandparents wouldn�t be around for much longer and they wouldn�t have another 50th anniversary. I remember everyone driving in slowly and walking into the church, greeting everyone else in the sanctuary and sitting down politely. Women were in dresses and the men wore a suit and tie. Mom told us we couldn�t wear jeans and I hate dresses.
My brother and I rolled up in his teal Probe with the sunroof and windows open. You could hear the WWE theme from a mile away. My brother, Eric had to make an entrance. He screeched to a stop in a parking spot and we got out in unison. Strutting our own ways the music seemed to go on with our steps. I had on khakis because I didn�t have any black jeans to go with my black T-shirt. As for my brother, he wore a black silk shirt under a tiger silk shirt and pants. He looked like a rapper. It suited us. My hair was a mess from the half-hour ride to the church with the wind blowing in my hair and my shoes were untied. I sported my Grunge/Goth look flamboyantly.
Throwing the door open and walking into the fellowship hall, Mom greeted us with a gasp. �Oh my! You two were supposed to dress up!� She handed me a brush and pushed me into the bathroom to fix my hair. I guess she didn�t want anyone to see her daughter like that, like I was an embarrassment. It was okay though; it�s not like she didn�t embarrass me once in a while, it was our job as mother/daughter. I looked in the small mirror and I straightened my hair with my fingers and then started brushing. When I came out my cousin Angela rushed us into the sanctuary and my brother and I sat in the middle of the commotion, soon moving up behind my Aunt Beth. There were a lot of McLaughlins there not all I know but there were also tons of the Campbell�s family. I wondered why until my brother told me that there were many reasons. In Scotland, McLaughlins and Campbells were sister clans and since they lived down the road from us our grandparents became friends with them. A ton of them came up to me and thought I knew who they were. Boy, were they wrong! My brother and I cracked jokes about the ceremony and laughed in whispers like little kids. We knew how to behave but we just didn�t want to. We hadn�t seen what my grandmother yet and we thought about what she would be wearing. My cousin Charlie was in charge of the camera and video taping the whole thing. I hope he never becomes a cameraman.
Dad did the ceremony (he does the opening to every 8:30 worship service on Sunday so this was no big deal for him but he was joyful to do it, his parents and him are very close.) and he called the attention to everyone in the room. My grandfather was already up there like it usually is in a wedding in a black tuxedo that looked well on him. My dad sort of looked like a preacher, he should be one some day. He is always preaching to me about the way I act. And soon my grandmother came through the door in a blue dress. It was beautiful actually, I had seen it before but I never really looked at it. She walked slowly down the aisle with her cane in hand and a smile on her face as she stared into my grandfather�s eyes taking careful steps. Now that I know what it feels like to have a boyfriend, I know why she was staring at him like that. It was a stare of pure love, pure happiness as if she were imagining it to be her wedding day. My grandfather kept a straight face but reflected the stare straight back at her. I knew exactly what he was thinking, �She looks so beautiful.�
At the tables, there were chocolate bars with a wrapper of their old wedding picture on it. Angela had the same touch at her wedding accept the wrapper was a little different. My grandfather looked a lot my dad and my grandmother looked like the typical 50�s woman, exactly like one. My Aunt Beth and I saw the wrapper at the same time and we laughed together as we saw the words on it: Beulah and James are the proud manufacturers of Paul, Mike, and Penny. That�s my dad, uncle, and aunt if you hadn�t figured that out. There were also bubbles and two rings, one silver and one gold. I kept those rings and they have hardly ever left the chain around my neck except for a couple misfortunes where the chain broke. It�s more good luck a good luck charm, love that lasts fifty years is pretty special.
My grandmother died a couple months later. My grandfather 8 months after her. At least now the are together in Heaven. |
