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"By the power vested upon me, now I pronounce you man and wife. Now you may kiss the bride."
Little Shep, our tiny little Shep who wanted a pet lion, leopard and cheetah for Christmas, who would order a glass of water in bar when thirsty as a toddler just became a husband.
Since I was the best man, I could not stand beside my wife. But from the corner of my eye, I could see that Jess was all teary and emotional.
Well, I'll let her have that. We were indeed worried about Shepherd. His relationships were rocky. So was everything else. He went to my alma mater, chose the same major that I did, because he wanted to be a civil engineer and have a successful career. But I knew what he wanted. He wanted to live my life in a different way. Clearly it wasn't a wise decision. It took him some time to realize.
But when he realized, things got better for him. He came back to LA, got hired by a construction firm and started finding balance in life again. Later he met Linda through some friends.
And now look at him, all flushed and giddy, with his newlywed wife in his arms. He looks happy.
He deserves to be happy.
I squeezed Jessie's hand when the ceremony was over. She was really concerned.
Now it's time for photo-session. Like Locke's wedding, Link still did not let Lando cover the event on his own. So, Lando brought two of the photographers who work for him.
Link Neal is a paranoid man.
But he doesn't look as paranoid right now. He's standing tall, leaning his left shoulder to one of the pillars, he's looking at me. And immediately made a face. As if no one was watching. Well, nobody was actually watching. Two middle aged man are hardly the center of attention during a wedding reception. Even if one of them is the 6'7" father of groom. So I made a face back. The boy who was taking our photo thought I was flexing my facial muscles for pose.
Good for him.
Like the responsible big brothers, Locke and Lincoln were taking care of everything around. From greeting the guest to constantly communicating with the wedding planners. Lily was among the bridesmaids, and her little daughter Lana was one of the flower girls. Pretty little child she is!
But I couldn't find my "pretty little child" anywhere. Haven't seen her since the "family photos" with groom's family was taken.
I'm a little too concerned about her because she is somewhat too quiet and calm for her age. And even though most people consider it as a "virtue", I can't. I know her. She holds a Pandora's box close to her all the time. I have witnessed what comes out when she opens it to people she trusts.
I am glad I'm among one of them. Even after being a reluctant dad for first seventeen years of her life.
Whoa!
When did I get this far! I was just walking around the venue and looking for Ada, now I'm in the parking area!
And there she was! Of course with her best friend.
Ada and Maya were so absorbed in whatever thing they were doing that they did not notice I was right behind them.
"Let me just give a little touch-up to the left. Just a little!"
"Fiiiiine. Just don't ruin it! It's not fully developed yet, don't trust the consistency too much. What the f! DAD!"
My little (?) one finally noticed my presence.
"I'm so glad I didn't get started! You startled me Ades!"
"It's his fault man!"
"What are you two exactly doing?"
"Glow in dark 3D painting on the newlywed's car." - Ada confessed, with a perfect McLaughlin shrug of course.
"And who else knows about it apart 3 of us?"
"The birds flying around, and a chipmunk. It left though."
I could literally see shimmers in her eyes. She was enjoying this little shenanigan. Well, I can't blame her for it. Didn't Link and I do the same to the Cole's wedding vehicle?
And Ada's eyes don't always gleam with excitement. They are rather calm most of the time. I can trade this for getting all the cars in the lot painted with this 3D hologram ink thing.
So I left them be.
To me, the best part of weddings are the meals. To my wife and younger son it is the dances.
And my younger son is the groom today. So dance is quite an important event.
Shep and Linda were dancing to almost all the songs played by the band. Then they took a break. And the dj was in charge.
The DJ was of course, Cole's youngest. Who has strong affinity for mid 2010's pop. The dance floor was clear, so I took Jessie to the floor. I knew she wanted to dance.
Link and Christy joined us in the next song.
Sometimes being too tall comes with cool conveniences. From the dance floor I could see Ada and Maya stacking the French dessert snacks like Oreo on plates. And trying to make each other's snack pile drop.
Unfazed by the surroundings, nothing can stop them from having fun and enjoying themselves.
Link caught my eyes and followed.
And he smiled.
The song speaks for us.
"We ain't ever getting older."
As long as we live, we will always be young and unfazed in Ada and Maya's spirit.