The Tales of a Professional Hockey Player

Chapter 19: Wedding

(Above is the inspiration I had for the wedding reception.) 

~Ben~

The wedding reception is held across the street from where the ceremony was. In front of the church, there is a beautiful meadow from where you can see the harbor. It's a wonderful place to hold a summer wedding with the flowers blooming and the clear blue sky. Twinkle lights attached together with a thin rope form a sort of tent right in the middle of the meadow under which hold a huge chandelier. Right under the chandelier is the dance floor. Tables are disposed around the dance floor to form a square. The honor table is a little further away and angled for the newlyweds to see every guest. The tables are decorated with daisies, Josephine's favorite flower. Everything looks great, like it comes from a picture on Pinterest which it probably does. Even if I don't know Josephine that well, I can imagine her scrolling through the website looking for the perfect wedding inspiration photo very clearly.

The ceremony was nice, a little long though, but I hear wedding ceremonies are usually that way. Eleanor walked down the aisle first with Will's friend and best man, Louis. The other bridesmaids followed all wearing the same ugly dress as Eleanor who, in my opinion, was the only one it looked great on and then Josephine appeared. The classic wedding song started playing and she made her way down the aisle with her father. The ceremony started, and, when the pastor asked to bring the rings, it was Ophelia and me's big moment. Eleanor had practiced it with her during the rehearsal and she did great. She didn't struggle walking down the aisle holding her mother's hand to deliver the rings at all, but today was something else. I don't know if she was tired or if the many people staring at her made her self-conscious, but she stopped right in the middle of the aisle and sat down. It was like her feet had stopped working and her legs had turned to jelly. I tried to get her back up, feelings my cheeks heat up, but she just dropped back down, so I ended up picking her up. I heard people laughing, and, thankfully, Josephine had a fond smile on her face showing she wasn't mad.

"Don't worry, that's what happens when you try to involve a one-year-old in your wedding," she whispered in my ear as I handed the rings to the pastor. After that, I took my place in the second row with Eleanor's parents. Apart from that, everything went great. Olive came to pick up Ophelia after the ceremony so Eleanor and I could enjoy the reception. It'll be Eleanor's first night away from our daughter since we're spending the night at a nearby hotel. The church they chose is a little too far from our houses to allow us to go back home after the reception.

"You look even more ridiculous than I remember," Olive said laughing as I helped her put all the stuff in her car. She's right, I do look foolish with the daisy attached to the left side of my suit, but I don't mind wearing this ugly suit if it means I'll spend the evening alone with Eleanor. Alone meaning with no children, of course. 

That was it. I walked across the street to the meadow where I found everyone a drink in one hand and a petit-four in the other. I opted for skipping the two to save myself for dinner which is supposed to be great. I spotted Eleanor talking to her grand-mother, Agnes, and joined her. I found out that Eleanor didn't tell her family that we broke up. It became clear that she kept it a secret when her grand-mother asked us when we would be getting married. I let Eleanor answer, but couldn't ignore the quickening of my heartbeat when she said: "Not now, grandma." That could mean that she could still be opened to the idea. "Don't get your hopes up, Ben," I repeat to myself the words my mother told me a few days ago. She's right, I know she's right, but I just can't help it when I see the light in her eyes when she talks to me sometimes. It's as if nothing had changed.

I take my place at the end of the honor table when they call time for dinner. Eleanor is between her father and me. The food is amazing, but it was to be expected. One of Josephine's relatives is a known chef who owns one of the best restaurants in Vancouver and he offered to cater the reception. We had to choose between beef and fish which were both delicious. I had the beef and Eleanor had the fish and we tasted the other's food, like we always did. Every time we went to a restaurant together, she always ended up regretting her choice when she saw my plate, so we always shared both dishes. Stephanie gave her daughter an angry look when she saw her picking a piece of the meat in my plate, but Eleanor ignored it. Eleanor is supposed to deliver her speech before dessert, but it's clear that she dreads the moment. She seems tense throughout dinner and I think I can feel her leg shaking beside mine. When the servers clear our plates, every head at the honor table turns in her direction. She gives them a small nervous smile before looking at me. I know what she wants me to do. Knowing her fear of talking in public, I told her I would get everyone's attention for her before her speech, so I grab my spoon and tap on my wine glass a few times. As I proceed, I can hear every conversation stopping, making the meadow completely silent. I see Eleanor get up from the corner of my eye, so I stop knocking on the glass.

"Hi, I'm Eleanor, the groom's sister, but also the maid of honor, and I'd like to say a few words. Hum, I've known Josephine since I was about twelve. She was the first girl my brother brought home, and I remember feeling envious the first time I saw her. She was everything I wanted to be that I was not. She was, and still is, extremely beautiful, smart, talented, and passionate. But most of all, she had this great boyfriend who loved her, and, in my young mind, that was everything I could ever want. Of course, now, I know there is much more to want and need, but, Jo, you still have it all. And throughout all these years, after everything you two had to endure, you made it through, and that is the best proof of love there is. You two are made for each other, and you are so lucky that, after finding the other at such a young age, you have built such a beautiful little family. Will, Jo, I admire your strength, your determination, but mostly the love you hold for one another. I love you both dearly, congratulations."

Her voice started trembling around the fourth sentence. She looked down for the first time when she talked about what they had to endure, and kept her eyes down after that. I very well know what inspired that speech. She took everything we did, or I did, wrong, and transferred it to her brother's relationship. Everyone who know Will and Jo well, know that they didn't have to endure much. They never were in any major fight or struggled with distance or had to deal with other people meddling in their relationship. I'm not saying their relationship is perfect, none is, but they had it easy. Especially compared to Eleanor and me. Everyone applauds Eleanor and Will and Jo thank her for her kind words. I rub her shoulder when she sits back down, and she gives me a small smile.

After dessert, Eleanor gets up immediately. I lose her in the crowd for a few hours, the many people coming to talk to me about hockey delaying my search. She seemed upset after her speech, and Eleanor becomes unpredictable when she's upset, her impromptu trip back home when she found out about her pregnancy being proof of that, so I don't want to leave her alone for too long. I finally find her around eleven sitting at the bar, deep in conversation with the barman, a young man probably in his late twenties or early thirties.

"That's why I don't really like her, you know?" she slurs as I put my hand on her back. I sit next to her, only to notice the empty martini glass in front of her. Great, she's drunk. The poor barman only nods, looking in my direction.

"Hey El," I say, because my touch didn't seem to be enough to grab her attention. She turns towards me, suddenly a big smile on her face. That's something I didn't expect.

"Ben!" she practically shouts. I put my index finger on my lips, silently telling her to lower the volume. "This is Max, and he's great. He makes amazing martinis, and apparently his mojitos are to die for, right?" she asks, turning to him while nodding her head. "You have to try one, Ben. He'll have a mojito," she tells the barman who raises his eyebrows in my direction. I nod in Eleanor's direction, but mouth the word "virgin" at Max who gives me a thumbs up. One of us has to be able to walk the other back to the hotel.

"Let me try," she says, grabbing the drink from me the second it touches the surface of the bar. "It's not that strong" She gives her new best friend a questioning look. He raises his shoulders. That guy is not a talker, that's for sure. He hasn't said a word since I sat down. 

"It's probably because you've already had a lot to drink. I think it's actually quite strong," I tell her after taking a sip. I scrunch my face to support what I'm saying, and she seems to believe me.

"Oh my god, I love this song, Ben come dance with me!" I don't even recognize the song but follow her anyway.

I mostly watch her dance but move along with her when she grabs my hands. It's when her head lolls on my shoulder that I decide it's time to leave. Making her agree takes a bit of convincing, but she ends up following me when I tell her that we need to call Olive to check on Ophelia. She doesn't know I've been texting with her for most of the night to reassure both myself and Eleanor if she were to ask questions. The walk to the hotel is less horrible than I expected. Eleanor is still drunker than I've ever seen her, but, at least, she's able to walk straight. I tell myself not to get my hopes up for the seventeenth time tonight when she puts her head on my shoulder in the elevator, but I just can't believe the words anymore when she turns to face me after unlocking her room's door to pull me inside.