“Not too bad. But I do think I ended up with a wedding that wasn’t really me,” I reflect.
“How so?”
“Looking back, I would have had a smaller wedding. A different dress. Request no gifts. All these things that in retrospect should have been the sign to me that I wasn’t entering the right marriage. A wedding can be quite telling. We let other people’s expectations make our wedding decisions. I guess that is how our marriage ended up. Always doing what we thought we were supposed to do. You?” I drink a big gulp of wine as it’s very needed.
I’ve never admitted it out loud, except once to my cousin, Avery. But nothing about that wedding was my dream. I picked the dress that friends persuaded me to wear instead of the one I really wanted, had a guest list way too long and partly influenced by my parents. Not to mention, I would have wanted the whole event to be simpler.
“I thought it was a special day. But looking back, it wouldn’t have mattered what the wedding was like. It’s the marriage that counts, and it wasn’t what I envisioned,” he admits.
There’s a pause, and in that moment, I remember a peculiar fact in this situation.
A chortle escapes me. “You know you invited me to your wedding? My parents went to your wedding, and your mother must have sent me an invite or something.”
This makes him laugh. “I’ll be damned. True. My mother went a little overboard with the invite list. And actually… I also received an invite to your wedding.”
I pause to think about it. “Oh yeah, my mother also went overboard with the invites. Well, kind of good that neither one of us went to the other’s wedding.”
“Why? Because now we’re on a date?” He has a humorous look.
“Exactly.” I return the look, before taking a big sigh. “Anyhow. I am kind of done talking about our divorces. Tell me something else. Do you still run?”
“Good decision, let’s move on and enjoy tonight. Yeah, I still run. Funny you remember.” His gaze is almost intense, and his smile entertained.
“Well. You used to run to our house to help my parents with the garden when my brother was away at college. For some reason, you felt getting in your cross-country practice to and from was the way to go.”
“True. You? I have to say, I remember you a little different. You seem calmer now.”
I hold a hand up. “You mean not rebelling against my parents, society, and the world? Yeah, I moved out of that phase as I matured,” I reflect.
After catching up on my recent trip and how he designed his new house, we move into discussion over our careers as we feast on a dish of beef and a mix of vegetables. The plate is painted with various coulis and sauces for the meat. I’m afraid to ruin the perfect image of the plate.
He asks about the hardest part of my job.
“Well, putting a pet to sleep is the worst. You would think it’s harder when kids are involved, but they’re resilient. It’s older people or military vets who have a dog to help them that is the hardest. It’s crushing. Those are the days that I really just want to go home and down a bottle of wine alone. People underestimate the power of man’s best friend.”
He touches my hand on the table; it feels strong as if he has the ability to support someone. The tingle through my body runs heavy.
“I can imagine. Being a family doctor, sometimes I feel like I took the easy road. Most times, I refer patients to specialists if I think there is something serious. Still, there are times I have to deliver life-changing news, and I still had to do my rotations in different departments when I became a doctor. But I think the worst is when I see a child who’s unhealthy or struggling, yet the parents seem to be in denial or oblivious to what’s going on.”
I squeeze his hand. “That sounds difficult.”
“Still, I’m lucky. The last few weeks back here and my days are mostly filled with check-ups for kids who are excited to get a sticker after and old ladies who are convinced they’re ill even though I am positive they just need to down some Nyquil and skip a bridge meeting for an extra nap.”
It makes me giggle. “That sounds like Sage Creek for sure. You’re happy with your decision to move back?”
He nods and almost beams. “I am. I actually wanted to move back before I got married, but someone had a strong opinion about that. My guess is it’s the same story for you?”
I hold my wine glass out to him so he can pour me a refill. “Same story. But it doesn’t matter. As they say, everything happens for a reason.”
There is a calming pause between us.
The waiter breaks our silence by clearing the dishes and offering dessert. We decide for the crème brulée to share and a dessert wine. As the waiter leaves, I look at my phone and swipe my screen.
“Sorry. I just want to see what Romeo is up to.”
Lucas nearly spits out his water. “What?”
I laugh and explain. “There’s an app where I can basically spy on my dog while I’m away. I guess it’s the same for kids, right? Anyhow, Romeo is out like a sack of potatoes on the couch.” I show Lucas the screen and he finds this hysterical.
