“All right.”
We watch each other, goofy and grinning. My chest feels so light right now. It’s as if I could float.
And then Maggie laughs, gesturing toward Jacob and me. “Really, Ajit, you didn’t pick up on this?”
My father takes a sip of his drink, his forehead still creased. “No. I had no—I still can’t—” He mumbles into his glass, and Maggie’s laughter is contagious, all of us joining in.
The conversation moves on. Jacob says he wants to come to drop me off at the airport tomorrow too, so we’ll all be going together. My dad asks about my pitch, and I tell them I sent all of it over to Natalie yesterday. I’m crossing my fingers that we can work on it more when I get back. Jacob talks about his prep for the semester, and the work he’s doing on his poetry collection, and the wholetime, he holds my hand on top of the table, his thumb brushing against my skin.
After all this hiding, it feels so bold. A declaration. It warms me through and through.
We keep chatting, but when the music in the pub changes, Jacob sits up straight. He scans the room and grins when he spots the bartender, who gives him a big wave.
The music gets louder, and the instrumental section gives way to lyrics.
By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes
Maggie’s eyes shoot to Jacob. “You didn’t. You told them?”
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond
My dad laughs, and Jacob stands up, bringing me with him, our hands still clasped.
“What’s happening?” I ask.
There’s a group of four men at the next table over, and they look over at us, smiling.
“Who’s the happy couple?” one of them calls.
“These two,” Jacob says, pointing at Maggie and my father.
The men at the table raise their glasses toward them, and beside me Jacob starts singing along, his voice deep in my ear.
You’ll take the high road and I’ll take the low road
And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye
I snap my head toward him, confused, until I hear the folks at the next table singing too.
Jacob reaches for Maggie’s hand, and my father grabs mine, the four of us forming a circle.
And then Maggie starts singing as well, her voice high and clear.
Where me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond
“You all know this song?” I ask Jacob.
He squeezes my hand. “It’s tradition. At the end of a wedding, we sing this to the bride and groom. Usually, all the guests surround the couple in a circle, but since it’s just us…” He shrugs, smiling wide.
My father joins in on the song, and I stare at him. “You know it too?”
“You’re supposed to sing it!” he says.
I laugh. “I don’t know the words!”
“Oh, you’ll learn the chorus fast,” Jacob says.
