Institutionalized: 1940

Annie's Wedding

It was only one week since the dedication at the West Coast Kart Club. Greg still cannot believe what a great honour he was given. He also cannot believe he has been given so much kindness the past few years with the gallery and now a track named in his honour.

The next day, Greg received an unexpected telephone call. The telephone call was from his sister Annie. She called Greg to ask him to be part of her wedding party. The expression on his face while on the telephone with Annie was pure surprise. I thought to myself that Annie must have told Greg something that surprised him.

After a few moments, I heard Greg say "Sure I would love to be part of the wedding party." he then asked her about if I could be part of the wedding party as well. She replied by telling him that was a fair request because you and Alissa are inseparable and you two need one another. Greg thanked his sister for her understanding. I could hear her tell him that is what younger sisters do. They accommodate family's needs especially for her older brother. I could hear Greg tell Annie that he loved her very much and thanked her for including us in her wedding and hung up the telephone.

Greg told me what Annie told him. I just listened because I heard a bit of the conversation, but I did not tell him. The reason I did not tell him I heard the conversation was that he was very eager to tell me what Annie had to say. He told me that we would need to get new fancy outfits for the wedding. He told me that Annie will be calling again to tell us what the colour she wants us to wear as we will be part of her wedding party. I told him that it sounded like we would have to go on another shopping trip with his parents. He agreed that was a good idea. He told me that he would call his parents as soon as he got the telephone call from Annie about her colour preference for dresses and for suits.

It has has been a little bit over ten years since our wedding which was the last one I was part of. I do not know what to expect because I have not been to someone else's wedding before. Even if it is Annie's wedding my sister in law, i still have a little bit of nerves about being part of her big day. I told my concern to Greg. He ensured me that everything will be all right. He told me not to worry about it too much because the wedding was in February which was months away. I thanked him for giving me insurance to help my mind stop worrying about being in the wedding.

A few days after Annie called, Greg started thinking about being part of the wedding party. He told me that he was thinking about what he would have to do a speech about her and what he has done for her. I told him not to sweat about it. I reminded him that he did not have to worry about writing a speech for the reception until the new year in January. Greg looked relieved after I told him.

The concept of being part of Annie's wedding party is stressing both Greg and I out. I have not felt like this since arriving in Canada when everything was new for me. Greg felt the same way. He told me that he has not felt like this since returning home from the war when he did not know what to expect of how his family would treat him after sustaining the traumatic brain injury while in a dog fight against the Germans during the Battle of Britain. We remind one another that stressing over the wedding would make it difficult for us to concentrate on the positives.

A few days later, the telephone rang. Greg answered it. It was Annie giving Greg More information about what her preferences are about what colour she wants us to wear. She also told him that their parents know exactly what look she wants. He did tell her that he was going to call their parents to arrange a shopping trip to buy outfits for the wedding. I could hear her from the telephone. She sounded pleased that Greg thought of that because I heard her say that was a great idea. He told her that it was better to have their parents help because he had no clue about what to wear to a wedding. Greg thanked her for the telephone call. He then told her that he loved her and hung up the telephone.