Forever RiverCreek

Chapter 26 - I Do Times Two

Mother Nature decides to gift the travelers a wet drive the day before the wedding. The sun can barely poke through the dark gray clouds, but Mary reminds Lloyd what it means, "The old saying is if it rains when you get married, it's meant to last."

"I hope so. I don't think I've ever been this nervous. What if I'm making a mistake?"

Mary knows it's only cold feet talking, but she tries to help her son remain calm while keeping her eyes locked on the traffic ahead.

"What you two have is something special, and I couldn't be happier that you found Simon. The day you brought him home, I knew he was the one for you. The way your eyes lit up showed the passion between you two, and had your father been here, that would've made this perfect. No one could blame you for feeling nervous. You're the first ones to get married between you, Cory, and Rick. Look at you setting the trend," Mary clarifies as they share a laugh.

Her words help Lloyd feel a bit better. He stares out the window listening to music while he works on bringing his blood pressure and worry down until they stop at the border crossing and hand over their passports.

The Mountie at the station leans towards the window to question their business for crossing the border, "Good day, what's your purpose for visiting Canada today?"

Before Mary can respond, Lloyd speaks up, "Good day, sir. I'm meeting my groom-to-be in Kenora to get married."

"Oh! Well, allow me to say congratulations, eh. Are there many others in your party?"

Turning his head, Lloyd sees the Accord, Sportage, and Crown Victoria, making sure the others are close.

"Yes, see the Honda Accord, Kia Sportage, and Crown Vic behind it; they are with us. They shouldn't give you any issues, sir."

"Dually noted, and again young man, congratulations. I wish you a happy, long, and healthy marriage," The Mountie says with a smile and hands back their passports.

"Thank you, sir. You are too kind and a treasure to the great country of Canada. My fiance is Canadian. Have a good day, and thank you for your service."

Mary rolls up the window and pulls through once the gate is lifted and takes her time slowly strolling as the others make their way into Canada. Finally, they pull into a Circle K gas station after everyone crosses the border. There, everyone refuels, and rather than take off once the vehicles are topped off, Cory heads inside to get drinks and snacks. Some of the items he purchases for everyone are five bottles of water for Lorraine, Rick, Dawson, Charlotte, and Janet, and he buys Lloyd Seagrams Ginger Ale. At the same time, he picked up a Fruitopia juice for CJ and a cherry 7up for Tara while he enjoys a 20-ounce Mountain Dew Voltage fountain drink. As for snacks, the only thing Cory buys is a bag of Muncho Potato Chips since they're salty and one of Tara's favorite snacks.

"Here, babe, these should help your stomach feel better. Are you sure you're okay?" Cory wonders, seeing Tara still pale, holding her stomach.

"Yes. I'm sure it's only that stomach bug going around. It's nothing; I promise I'm fine," Tara tells him, then quickly struggles to get out of the car to run inside, where she pukes in the ladies' restroom.

All of them sit and wait for Tara to return, but the riding arrangements change when she does. Soon after, Tara gets into the back seat of her mother's Accord while Lorraine rides with Cory and CJ as Lloyd takes over driving his car, so he doesn't have to give his mother directions to the church. When they arrive and park, the rain turns to snow, leaving Janet, Dawson, and Charlotte shocked.

"It's so pretty!" Dawson mentions with his hands out to catch some snowflakes.

"Get your jacket on, buddy. You don't want to come down with a cold," Rick advises after he pops the trunk to get their jackets out.