Voluminous clouds relegated the Sun to the back of the sky as if it were the line the to newest nightclub. It was mostly grey. It didn’t have the feel or stench, frankly, of inevitable showers. Spears of sunlight poked through wherever they could. An impeccably dressed couple strolled passed me and grinned in my direction while I opened my car door. I mimicked their gesture before sitting behind the wheel and rolling down my windows. Two minutes later, in my passenger mirror, was an angelic flower girl with her sharply adorned parents. Across the street emerged another couple, then another, followed by a dapper toddler with a tinier version of the same suit his father selected. His dad carried a small pillow while his mother styled her son’s hair one last time. “I’m certain he’s the ring bearer,” I mumbled after sipping water. “This is someone’s wedding day.”
I’d done my adulting for the afternoon and was ready to drive home. Witnessing the aforementioned activity however overrode my ability to start the engine. So, I sat; viewed what I could. The ceremony probably wouldn’t begin for another hour considering the speed that guests who were still parking in the general area and casually walking to the destination deployed.
It was a celebration for two people who found one another. Two souls who opted not to take themselves off the dating market after a few ill-fitting episodes with past partners. Two individuals who survived date nights with friends they wouldn’t be cordial with if not for the fact that they’re coworkers in the same small firm and the bride-to-be invited everyone in the production department except them. It was a pity invitation.
Two singles who would’ve missed each other if the future groom went along and cancelled his flight to New York City like he planned to because of a deadline at his new job. He completed the project. Barely. Today, these two weathered the peaks and valleys of any partnership - and agreed to make their commitment official with each other (and the state of California).
My imagination began to dream up their tales as a couple. That’s what I do sometimes. Writer brain.
This week’s post had a wildly different subject altogether. They weren’t in the same universe as topics. This was a slice of life happening that I stumbled upon all because I found a perfect, free, parking spot in Hollywood that was shaded by trees, quiet, mostly hidden among the madness, and free. I read the signs three times before I left my vehicle there.
I didn’t rush to begin my commute home. The rest of my evening was formulaic. I watched the Shogun finale 24 hours earlier. The only thing awaiting me was dinner that I didn’t feel like cooking.
This was a better option at the moment.
Seeing the attendees arrive gave me an uninvited element of peace. I loved being a spectator, even if it was only for the red carpet portion, so to speak. Although…I was dressed damn well to attend if someone dropped out or one of the single women needed someone with a handkerchief, some dance moves, or an attractive man in a charcoal suit to flaunt in the face of their ex who arrived with his new boo.
Immediately, the soon-to-be wife and husband took up all the real estate between my ears.
On the streets of Rome, Paris, and Berlin I’ve been lucky enough to see newlyweds celebrating on the streets. With the Colosseo as their backdrop, a couple and scores of children laughed. The kids danced circles around the married pair while a hired photographer snapped the moments for eternity. He was flanked by horde of family and friends holding their phones to memorialize the event.
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