The following is an excerpt from "It's Only Me".
July 4th, 1986 came and the wedding was set for
4PM at the Church with a reception to follow at the Greenspring Valley Golf and
Hunt Club. We were set up in a big tent on the edge of the golf course with the
food catered and a large ice sculpture done by the Chef at the Club.
My best man, Seth Herman, and my friend Michael Held, were
both on hand at the church to handle any problems associated with Ben; who
lived around the corner; should he decide to make an appearance. I think the
plan was to put him in the trunk of a car until Sue and I were gone, but
nothing ever did happen.
4 PM came and Sue was late and I was worried and pissed
off. She arrived 10 minutes later and I took my place at the Altar as she began
the march down the aisle with Keith and Shane. I was overcome with the beauty
of her walking towards me to spend our lives together.
Arriving at the Altar she turned to face me and we held
hands. The Pastor blessed us and did the vows. I was crying the whole time.
Whether it was from release that the last 2 years were behind us or because I
would never know how our courtship would’ve gone without all the problems, I
can’t really say. But I was very happy when Sue said I do and the Pastor
pronounced us Man and Wife.
We went to the reception and it was really very nice. The
weather was just perfect- not hot and no rain. We had about 80 people in all,
including my Dad and his new wife Alice. My favorite Aunt Gloria and Uncle
Bobby were there also. And they had bought along Nana, my Grandmother on my
Dad's side. She was very happy and smiling. It was the last time I would ever
see her and I am happy to remember her like that.
Most of the reception is a blur. I remember leaving and
the boys were looking a bit apprehensive, wondering if we were ever going to
come back for them. They were staying with their Grandma Marlene and her
husband Grant. Sue and I were going to Mexico. Our plane didn’t leave until the
following morning so we stayed at the hotel by the airport.
We got in the room and Sue went to change clothes- coming
out of the bathroom ready to consummate our marriage. I was busy with the
envelopes we had received as presents. Sue told me to put them down, “Don’t you
want to see what’s under here?” she said, referring to the sexy outfit she had
on. I looked at her and said, “I know what’s under there- I want to see what’s
in the envelopes!”
Fixing me with a hard look in her eyes she said, “Put the
envelopes down and consummate our marriage.” I did- but then went back to the
envelopes…
The next morning we flew to Cancun, Mexico. At the time
Cancun was new, having just been created on the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico as
an economic way out of the devastation wrought by a bad hurricane a couple of
years before that had virtually wasted their economy. Also the traditional tourist
areas of Tijuana, Mexico City and Acapulco were plagued with crime. Cancun
would be the new tourist destination. Surrounded by Inca ruins there was a lot
to see and do.
Our first night was a misadventure. The hotel had us on
the 7th floor with a beautiful view of the sea. But the room was sweaty- it was
actually humid and there was moisture on the walls! We called the front desk
and they said they would be right up. After an hour or so we called again. This
time they said there was no one available to fix anything until the morning. We
asked for a new room and were told there were none. We tried to stay in the
room but it was really uncomfortable. Usually I would be a screaming maniac in
order to get my due, but I didn’t want Sue thinking she had made a mistake in
marrying me so I had to be calm.
By midnight we had finally agreed on a course of action.
Taking our luggage we went down to the lobby and set up on the sofas. We even
brought pillows down with us. The manager asked what we were doing. We told him
we couldn’t move until the morning when our air conditioning was fixed. A room
was found immediately on the 3rd floor. This was actually an improvement
because we could seee the iquanas on the beach and began feeding them with the
chocolate covered almonds from the snack bar in our room. At $6 a pack the
iquanas were very appreciative and began hanging out beneath our windows.
The next day we began exploring, signing up for all the
tours to the ruins. Sue wanted to see the Pyramids. We took a bus and headed
off to see them. When we got there a little kid was selling ices and was really
aggressive at it. I told him no about 10 times before he went away. Sue and I
made the climb up and then back down. By this time we were sweating and
thirsty. Spying the boy with the ices I went to get some. When he recognized me
he said, “No ices for you Senor!” before huffily walking away. Kind of like the
Soup Nazi on Seinfeld!
One day we went snorkeling and after we were through were
resting at the edge of the lagoon. I saw a rowboat, abandoned and drifting
towards the mouth of the lagoon. Having some sense of respect for small boats I
dove in and did a power crawl type stroke to overtake the boat. I flopped into
it and rowed back to shore thinking I had impressed my bride with my aquatic
prowess. Sue went to use the ladies room and I went to the bar for a drink.
That’s when all the exertion I had put forth hit me. I never even got to order.
I passed out and slid to the floor! Sue attributes this to the ices I had eaten
in a small village we passed through on the way. They were really good, but in
retrospect they probably contributed to this whole ordeal.
Coming to after only a few seconds I tried to get some
help but no one would pay any attention to me! I started to crawl out of the
shack that was a bar on the edge of the jungle trail. I didn’t get very far
before I had to stop and just lay there, sweating and heaving. The Mexicans
that passed me pronounced me a “Gringo addicto,” a drug addict. The Americans
who passed me by took me for a drunk Mexican. But no one would help me!
Sue was with the tour bus which was about to leave. She
would not go without me and so they came back to find me. I think they were
afraid of getting into trouble if they lost an American. I was carried back to
the bus and the driver mixed Coca Cola with salt and made me drink it. Before
long I was back to myself but I think I scared the hell out of Sue! The rest of
our time was spent in the markets and shops buying souvenirs and gifts for the
kids.
The time passed too quickly and we were home again. But it was a beautiful trip and made me realize how empty all my previous travels had been without someone special by my side. Now we were home and it was time to find a real job.
Sue and I are still together as of this writing. But who knows, she could always change her mind...
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