Message-ID: <40704asstr$1044450604@assm.asstr-mirror.org> Return-Path: <RevCottonMather@hotmail.dot.com> From: "Rev. Cotton Mather" <RevCottonMather@hotmail.dot.com> X-Original-Message-ID: <4o714vshglc8parhms4l0vud94o6s75c6f@4ax.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by sara.asstr-mirror.org id h155N6nm012819 X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2003 23:22:48 -0600 Subject: {ASSM} Playing the Game II: Playing to Win, Ch. 32 (mf rom) Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 08:10:04 -0500 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org> Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2003/40704> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: dennyw, gill-bates After a bit of a delay, here we go. Many thanks to Rey and the magicians at ASSTR for their fast repair. Youse guys are the greatest! RCM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the Church of The Reverend Cotton Mather. This story is the sole property of the author, and may not be copied or downloaded for the intent of profit. Permission is freely given for anyone to download or copy for their personal pleasure or use, as long as there is no intent to charge money or barter for the privilege of acquiring this material. (Copyright 2003, Rev. Cotton Mather) E-Mail all comments to RevCottonMather@hotmail.com Don't be shy! I enjoy hearing from you. --------------------------------------------------------------------- PLAYING TO WIN: PLAYING THE GAME, BOOK II by Reverend Cotton Mather - 32 - CELEBRATION On a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon in June, Kayla and I were standing in anticipation, turned facing the rear of the church, waiting to catch our first glimpse. All the other participants were in their places, with the big man standing nervously in front. As the organ music swelled and segued into a traditional wedding processional, the bridal party started pacing majestically down the white runner that covered the carpeting of the center aisle. After three bridesmaids and the matron of honor passed by, their escorts holding their arms through their crooked elbows, the lovely bride, clothed in a flowing white gown and a veil, seemed to float down the center aisle, accompanied by an older man I didn't recognize. We settled down to watch the ceremony, and at the end, there were very few dry eyes anywhere I could see as the minister asked, "David McMasters, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" With his assent, the minister continued, "And do you, Lori Wilkinson, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Even those in the back of the church could see her nod, and hear her soft voice say, "I do." When they kissed, I glanced over at Luscious. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears of happiness, witnessing what she later described as the most romantic thing she had ever seen. After the ceremony, everybody was milling around outside the church, waiting for the happy couple to emerge. We all had helium balloons we were going to release, an alternative to tossing rice on them. When David and Lori came out the door, we all cheered and let go of the strings, and a cloud of white balloons floated up into the startlingly blue sky. Lori turned around, first quickly and then once more, much more slowly, taking in the whole spectacle, as if she wanted to imprint it forever into her memory banks. She stopped for just a moment when she saw Kayla and me, and she smiled so sweetly at us, it was an instant of time that I will remember for the rest of my days. A couple of hours later, we were standing in line to greet the newlywed couple at the reception. Lori and David had booked a smaller ballroom at one of the lakefront hotels in the city. There was a bar set up in each of the back corners of the room, a disk jockey had his equipment lined up against the front wall in front of the small dance floor, and there were a dozen big round tables spread out through the room, each with eight chairs around it. The head table was a long rectangle against the left side wall, with ten chairs, all facing into the room. I had the little card with our table assignment in the pocket of my suit coat. I had a tie on, but it was tight, and I wasn't very comfortable. I must have grown out of my shirt collar sometime in the past year, I thought. Kayla had on a dress that resembled a fancy sundress, a flowery thing that swirled around her knees as she moved. Lori's sister Joannie was matron of honor, and when we shook her hand, she didn't recognize me, which was understandable, considering how many people were going through the line, and the fact that we had only met once before, briefly. She automatically shook our hands and passed us on to Lori, turning back to greet the next people behind Kay and me. Lori's eyes lit up when she saw us, and she hugged me to her tightly. "Oh, Sean, thank you so much for coming," she murmured in my ear. I put my arms around her, hugging her back. "I wouldn't have missed it for anything," I said. She finally, almost reluctantly, let me go, and turned to Kayla, wrapping her up in an equally big hug. While she was greeting Luscious, I turned to David. "Mr. P!" he cried out. He stuck his meaty paw out for me to grasp, and gave me a big, strong handshake. "Congratulations, Mr. McMasters," I said. "Mr. McMasters!" He shook his head in denial. "I don't think so. If you don't call me David, don't you call me anything at all," he said with a big laugh. He was still shaking my hand. "Okay, then, David," I agreed. He let my hand loose from his grip, and gently, as if he was handling a china doll, took Kayla into his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so glad you two could make it here," he said to her. Kayla, for her part, had tears of joy in her eyes. She couldn't say anything, so she just nodded. When he let her go, she grabbed onto my arm and held herself next to me. David turned to the older gentleman standing next to him. He was the man who had taken Lori down the aisle at the church. "Sean, Kayla, I'd like to introduce Tom Wilkinson." Tom held out his hand, and I shook it. "So, this is the young man who has been teaching my grandsons how to play soccer," he said warmly. "Tom is Lori's father-in-law, her late husband's father," David informed us. "He graciously agreed to give Lori away, as her surrogate father, at the wedding." I must have looked a little puzzled. "Lori's father is deceased," explained Tom. "Even though my son, Lori's first husband, is gone, my wife and I love her as the daughter we never had. I was honored to be able to walk her down the aisle today." David put his arm around Tom's shoulder, by way of thanks, before turning back to greet the next well-wishers. A familiar voice caught my attention. "Hello, Sean, honey." I moved down to say hello to Wendy Marcus, standing next to Tom Wilkinson. She reached out to hug me, but I sidestepped her and turned to introduce her to Kayla, who gave me a curious, questioning look. "Kay, this is one of Lori's best friends," I said. "Wendy Marcus, this is my girlfriend, Kayla Lehigh." Wendy held out her hand, and Kay shook it. Distractedly, I wondered why women shook hands the way they did. Another unsolvable mystery. "I heard you moved away," I said. Wendy sighed. "Arthur and I are divorced," she said, rather too matter-of-factly. "Justin and I moved back east to be closer to my folks." I looked around, suddenly missing seeing Davey and Kip. "Is Justin here, too?" I asked. She smiled. "Yes, he's running around here somewhere," she confirmed. "I know he's looking forward to seeing you, too." "I'll look for him," I said. Kay and I continued down the receiving line, until, finally, we reached the end. We wandered around, looking for our table. We found it, over close by the speakers, and, since we were the first ones from our table to arrive, we chose seats that faced the head table and the dance floor. "Would you like a Coke or something?" I asked Luscious. "Coke would be fine," she replied. She favored me with one of her patented smiles, and I walked over toward the closest bar. As I was standing there, waiting for the bartender to fill two glasses with soda, a triple tornado hit me. "Sean!" "Sean!" "Sean!" Davey, Kip, and Justin nearly knocked me down, running into my legs as the three of them swarmed me. "Hey, guys, how are you doing?" "We're having fun, Sean!" said Kip. "It's pretty neat, isn't it?" asked Davey. "What's that, champ?" I asked. "That David is going to be living with us," he replied. I smiled. "Yes, it is," I agreed. "You like him, I guess." "Oh, yeah, he's pretty neat, for an old guy. Not as fun as you, but he's pretty fun." "And how are you, Justin? I heard you moved away." "Yeah, but I'm really glad to be back. I'm staying with Davey and Kip this week, you know." "No, I didn't know," I said. "Really?" "Yep," he replied. "Me and my mom are staying at their house, while Mr. McMasters and Mrs. Wilkinson... oops, I mean Mr. and Mrs. McMasters..." He covered his mouth and giggled. "You know what I mean," he continued. "While they go on their vacation." "Ah. Your mom is staying and watching you kids," I reasoned. "Right!" They all started leaping about in agreement. Wendy was going to have her hands full while Lori and David were gone. I just shook my head as I watched them race off in search of adventure. By the time I got back to the table, another couple had joined Kayla. Molly O'Toole and her prom date, Alex Baumgartner, were just settling in next to her. "Hi, Sean," said Alex. "Hey, Alex, how's it going?" I handed Kayla her Coke as Molly stood back up and moved around her chair to hug me. "How you doing, Molly?" I asked. "I'm doing really good," she whispered, holding me tightly. We sat back down and watched as the bars got busier, and the tables began filling. Alex had gotten drinks for himself and Molly, and the four of us made silly remarks about the other guests we saw. The little kids were all assigned to one table near the back, with a couple of girls who looked like they might be in college riding herd over the pack. I didn't know if they were friends of Lori or David, or if they had been hired for the occasion to watch the kids, but they were paying attention to all of them, even the ones, such as Davey and Kip, who would leap up occasionally and streak over to another table or group of adults. Once they saw Molly sitting with me, the two of them ran over to say hello to their favorite babysitter. Molly was wearing a beautiful lavender satin dress, but she still let the boys climb up into her lap, accepting the wrinkles along with the love they were displaying toward her. Our table filled up, but the only other people I knew were Coach Bill Blaisdell, who sat down next to me, and John and Mavis Christanapoulis, whose son, Joey, played on the Warriors team. Bill introduced his wife. "Sean, this is Maryanne, my wife. Maryanne, this is the legendary Sean Porter." I reached across Bill to shake Maryanne's hand. She was a small, mousy woman with a timid smile, but she shook my hand with a good grip. "I've heard so much about you, Sean, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," she said. I introduced Kayla, Molly and Alex to the Christanapoulises, and to Bill and his wife. As the evening progressed, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Maryanne, belying her plain, frumpy looks and rather dour demeanor, was actually a very bright third grade teacher, and possessed a dry, acerbic wit that had me chuckling appreciatively throughout dinner. There were a lot of people hanging around the bar and standing at tables, visiting with acquaintances and family, as the room filled up. There was no sign of any of the bridal party at all. I had been to a couple of weddings as a kid, when younger siblings of one of my parents had gotten married, but the activities and traditions of weddings and receptions were just beginning to make sense to me, so I was interested and trying to pay attention to what was happening all around us. The DJ turned down his music, and grabbed a microphone. "If you could all find your seats, please?" he requested. The noise level in the room elevated for just a moment as knots of people dispersed, conversations ended, and everybody not huddled around the bar trying to grab one more drink before sitting down moved toward their respective tables. "I'd like to draw your attention toward the doors," continued the DJ, once the room settled down sufficiently. "First, I would like to introduce the parents of the groom, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph McMasters." David's parents entered the room as everybody applauded. They waved to friends, and walked toward their table, holding hands. "And, for the bride, introducing Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Wilkinson." Mr. Wilkinson and his wife came in, and walked to the same table, looking as happy and proud as any parent. The three bridesmaids and groomsmen were introduced next, but the only one I knew was Wendy. They entered the room and walked slowly, amid the applause, to the head table, where they remained standing. "Now, the matron of honor, Mrs. Joanie Monfort, and the best man, Mr. Ronald McMasters." Lori's sister, accompanied by a man who could only be David's brother, came in, and also walked over to the head table. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, would you please stand, and welcome, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. David McMasters." The applause, along with a few cheers, got very loud as we all stood. Lori and David stepped into the room, paused for just a moment, and then, with huge smiles on both of their faces, walked slowly toward their table, waving to everybody. It was an amazing sight to see. The happy couple finally sat down, a signal for the rest of us to take our seats, and almost immediately I heard the chime-like ringing of forks tapping against water glasses. David and Lori looked out into the room, and then leaned in toward each other and kissed. Coach Bill, in the meantime, apparently knew what was coming up, because he stood and grabbed the champagne bottle that was on our table. There was also a bottle of white wine and a bottle of red wine, as there was on every table, except for the one with the littler kids. Bill started filling glasses, starting with the ladies at the table. When he moved around to Molly's setting, she demurred. "No, thank you. I'm only 17," she said. "Nonsense," said Bill. "It's for the toast. Just clink your glasses together, and don't drink any, if you don't want." He gave her an exaggerated wink. "But a little sip probably would be okay, considering the circumstances." Molly blushed just a little, and smiled. I couldn't remember the last time I saw her blush. It was further confirmation, to my mind, that she was nearly healed. Bill moved on and filled Kayla's glass, and then mine, and moved around and made sure everybody at the table had a glass. I glanced around and saw similar activity at many of the tables. After a few minutes, Ron McMasters stood up and came over to get the microphone. He stood in the middle of the dance floor, and the room hushed, anticipating the best man's toast. "Since I'm the older brother, I can safely say I've known David his whole life. Which is something he can't say." He paused as laughter tittered through the room. He turned and faced the head table. "As kids, I used to tell you that I taught you everything you know. I'm here to confess something to you, though, David. I may have taught you everything you know, but that doesn't mean I taught you everything I know." Again, he paused and waited for the laughter to die down. "David, for the longest time, I've known that you have been searching for something, something that you didn't even realize you were missing, searching for a long, long time. There are lots of people here tonight who know you as a happy, high-spirited soul, which is true. But those who know you best also recognize that, despite your laughter, despite your outgoing personality, despite the jokes and the hearty handshakes, there was something missing in your life, something essential, something that would complete you. "Eighteen months ago, what was missing was now found, and you have changed, my friend and brother. "And Lori, you beautiful and wonderful agent of change, you cannot know how you have built up this man, made him whole. For that alone, I would love you as a sister. But you also bring to him your two sons, Davey and Kip, giving him the stability and companionship of family. For these gifts and talents, and for your love of my brother, on behalf of my parents, on behalf of my own wife and children, I am honored to welcome you into the McMasters clan. Slainte!" The clink of glasses raised and touched in toast rang throughout the room, along with the sound of sniffles over the sentiment of Ron's touching comments. Ron drank from his glass, and raised it once again toward David and Lori, who smiled and applauded in appreciation. Tom Wilkinson stood and walked over, taking the microphone from Ron, and the room hushed once again. "I hate to follow such a wonderful speech with my own hastier toast, but there's something I need to say," he started. He cleared his throat. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Thomas Wilkinson, Tom, and up until about 4:00 this afternoon, Lori was my daughter-in-law." He paused a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself. It was obviously a struggle for him to make this speech. "My only son, Tom Junior, was Lori's husband, and the father of her two boys. He passed away over two and a half years ago, and there's not a day goes by that my wife and I don't miss him terribly. Our consolation could be found in our grandsons, and in the wife he left. Lori, Evelyn and I have known you ever since Tom brought you home to meet us on that Thanksgiving Day, so long ago, and we have loved you as the daughter we never had almost since that day. It was so obvious to us that Tom loved you with all his heart, and you loved him. We are so glad he had such great happiness while he was with us, and I know that he is looking down upon this celebration with pride and great joy at seeing you able to find love again, after so long and such a trial. "And David, your bride might be a McMasters now, but you, too, are welcomed into a new family, the Wilkinson clan." He raised his glass high, tears streaming down his seamed cheeks unnoticed. "Congratulations to you both, long life filled with happiness. You compliment each other." And he drank, as the room burst into thunderous applause. The bubbles in the champagne tickled my nose as I drank from the glass. I offhandedly noted that the carbonation in the wine was much stronger than in sodas, and wondered why. Kayla giggled just a little at the sensation, and I turned and laughed with her, just happy to be with her on this special evening. I happened to glance over at Molly, who was making a face after tasting the champagne, while Alex was looking at his glass critically, watching the bubbles appear, some of them sticking to the sides of the glass. He was swirling a mouthful as he studied his glass. Science geeks, I thought to myself. He'll have the whole process figured out by the time dinner's served. Kayla, perhaps reading my thoughts, reached up and kissed me on the cheek, pulling my attention away from Alex and Molly, back where it belonged. I put my arm around her and pulled her to me, and kissed the side of her face, near her ear, and then we sat down and waited for our dinner to be served. Between courses, the newlyweds continued making their rounds, visiting each table. While the salad plates were being cleared, they came by our table. David had his best man with him. Lori came over and stood between Kay's chair and mine, a hand on the back of each of our chairs as she watched her husband. "Is everybody having fun?" David asked. We all made appropriate sounds of agreement at once. "Great, that's wonderful. So are we, aren't we, Mrs. W.?" He shot an exaggerated wink at Lori, who smiled and blushed. "Uh, sorry, David, but shouldn't that be Mrs. M. now?" Bill reminded him. "Damn, you're right," boomed David. "Y'know, I've been calling her Mrs. W. for so long, it'll take me a little time to correct myself." He leaned in toward the middle of the table and whispered conspiratorially. "I'm still having a hard time believing that she agreed to this, anyway. I mean, why me? Do I really deserve having such a beautiful wife?" We all laughed, but a chill ran down my spine. How often had a similar thought occurred to me, about girls I had dated? And, especially, the gorgeous creature sitting beside me right then. I reached for Kayla's hand, under cover of the tablecloth, and held it gratefully. I never wanted to let it go. "Anyway," David continued, "for those who don't know my best man, this is my brother Ron." Ron nodded in acknowledgment. "He's got something he needs to let you all know about, concerning this evening. Sweetheart?" He held out his hand toward Lori. She leaned down and whispered to both Kayla and me, "I'll be back after dinner to visit, I promise." She took David's hand in hers, and they moved off to the next table. Ron said, "You might know that Lori's first husband died in a motorcycle accident almost three years ago. Because of this, she and David have reserved a block of 10 rooms here at the hotel, and I have all the keys here in my pocket." He patted his jacket pocket, and we could all hear the jingle of keys. "Lori respectfully asks that anybody who feels like they have indulged a little too much tonight, please come to me and get a key, and stay overnight here, on them. They don't want to take the chance of anybody getting hurt because of their celebration. Okay?" He looked around the table, and especially at the four of us younger people. "Don't be embarrassed to ask. We want everybody to get home safe and sound, either tonight or tomorrow. This is very important to them, and especially to the bride." He stood, glanced to the next table, where David and Lori were talking, and nodded. "Enjoy yourselves tonight, folks," he said, smiling, and he moved off to join his brother and Lori. "That's very generous of them, and quite thoughtful," said Bill. "That's Lori," I said. The main course was coming out from the kitchen, so David and Lori walked back to their seats at the head table. They no sooner sat down than some knucklehead started in with the fork against the water glass again, and very quickly, there were several copycats from around the room. David shrugged, and leaned over to meet Lori, and they kissed for the crowd. Maryanne said, "It's too bad the tradition didn't develop requiring people to knock their wine glasses against their teeth hard enough to make them ring. Maybe then this foolishness wouldn't be so tempting." I was just taking a drink from my Coke, and very nearly spewed soda all over the table. I had to agree with her. It was by far the most irritating wedding reception tradition I had ever witnessed, considering the frequency that it happened. "Here, Sean," John said, reaching for the bottle of white wine. "Try this, instead." He poured a glass for me, and about a half of a glass for Kayla. He pointed the bottle toward Molly and cocked his eyebrow, but she declined. Alex, always in the interest of discovery, held out his glass, and John poured some wine into it for him. "Thanks," said Alex, pushing his wire-rimmed glasses back up on his nose. By the time dessert was finished, the adults at our table had finished off the bottle of red wine, and Kayla, Molly, Alex and I had killed the bottle of white. The DJ was getting ready to crank up the music for a few minutes before the obligatory dances, so John and Mavis got up and scavenged at a couple of other tables, grabbing half- empty bottles of wine and bringing them back to our table. As we sat back down, Bill leaned over and said to me in a stage whisper, "I think we'd better grab a couple of those keys from the best man." "Good idea," I replied. "But what about your kids?" He grinned. "Staying with Maryanne's parents for the weekend." "Good plan." "Absolutely," he agreed. "Will you guys be able to stay over? What about your parents? I'd hate to see you drive home tonight." "I'll call them later, and let them know that the party's going too late to drive home. They'll understand. I hope." "Do you want me to talk to them?" he offered. I thought for a moment. "I've got a better idea," I said. I leaned behind Kayla and tapped Molly on the shoulder, and quietly explained what I wanted to try. She thought it was a good idea, too, so we agreed that she would call my parents, and I would call hers, and let them know that we all would feel safer if we stayed downtown. Kayla and Alex decided they would make their own calls, after seeing how Molly and I managed. We all figured that if we could convince one set of parents, the others would fall in line, and Molly's parents would be most likely to agree, as long as they were under the impression that we would all be staying together, and that there would be adults staying, too. We stepped out into the hall and found a bank of pay phones. I dropped a quarter in and dialed Molly's number. Mrs. O'Toole picked up on the third ring. "Hello?" "Hi, Mrs. O'Toole, this is Sean Porter." "Hello, Sean. Is everything okay?" She sounded suddenly nervous. "Oh, yes, everything's fine," I hurried to reassure her. "We're down here at the wedding, and it's been just great." "Oh, good." I could hear her relaxing, just in her inflection. "What's up, Sean?" I stumbled through an explanation about how late the reception was going to be, and the long drive, and how David and Lori had set aside rooms, and how Coach Bill and his wife were planning on staying, and about how the four of us could share a room to sleep in, so we wouldn't be driving all the way home so late. She didn't sound very convinced. "Why are you calling, instead of Molly?" she asked. Oops. We hadn't thought that far ahead. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that the four of us would stay together for the party, and in the room together, so we would all keep each other... safe." "Is Molly there?" "Yes, Ma'am." "Put her on the phone, please." I handed the handset to Molly, and shrugged. She put the receiver to her ear. "Hi, Mom." After a moment, she said, "No," followed by a "Yes," another "Yes," and an "Okay." She hung up the phone, and grinned. "She said it was a good idea, as long as we all stuck together." "All right!" I hesitated. "Do you still think you should talk to my parents?" "Sure." She dialed the phone. Fifteen minutes later, we were all set. My parents were just as glad that I wasn't driving home while the drunks were out. Once they found out that Lori and David had arranged for the rooms, and that Coach Bill and his wife were also staying, they were okay with it. Kayla's parents were the hardest sell. They didn't want their 15- year-old daughter staying overnight with a boy, even under these seemingly innocuous circumstances. They even offered to drive down and pick us up after the party. It was only after pointing out to them that we would just have to drive all the way down again tomorrow to pick up my car that they started relenting, just a little. Finally, they told us they would call my parents and Molly's parents, to confirm what we were telling them. We gave them the number of the pay phone, and a few minutes later, they called back and reluctantly agreed that it did, in fact, make sense. Alex's parents were the easiest. It sounded so logical when he called them that they immediately agreed. It made the rest of us wonder why we didn't have Alex call all our parents. At the end, we all ran back into the ballroom holding hands, our own little conga line that threaded its way from the doorway back to our table by the speakers. (Continued in Chapter 33) -- Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | alt.sex.stories.moderated ----- send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com> | | FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderator: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d, look for subject {ASSD}| |Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org> Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+