Now we were over in Muncie, Indiana for Kelly and Larry’s wedding. And we’d met the whole family. Mr. O’Brian had apologized to me. One of Kelly’s brothers, Kevin, I couldn’t read. He was the strong silent type. Another brother, Jack, the priest, I think he tried to get me into a debate over religion, and I quickly quashed that. I hope. And her other brother, Connor had been hurt when the helicopter he was flying crashed. I think he’s lucky to be alive.

We’d spent the evening with Kelly’s family, and the four of us were now on the way back to the hotel. And I asked, “Amy, what were you and Kelly whispering about?”

“Nothing.”, Amy replied.

“Bet me! What was it?”

“She was telling me about you telling her about the fake wedding.”

“And?”

“She couldn’t believe that you did it.”

“You’ve got the album that I did. Show it to Kelly.”, Maria said.

“I know.”, Amy said. “I told her that we had pictures. And she said that she had to see them.”

“Okay.”, I said. “I’ve got no problems with her seeing the pictures. But it might be fun to go one step further.”

“One step further?”

“Uh huh. We still have the wedding dress and all the fixings.”

“You’d dress up like that again?”, Mark asked.

“In a heartbeat.”

“This I have to see.”

“Okay.”, Amy said. “This could be fun. We’ll have everyone over one day. I’ll show them the album, and then Tammy can make an entrance.”

“Count us in.”, Maria said. “If Tammy looks half as good as she did that day, Kelly will have a fit.”

“Sounds like a plan.”, I said. “And it’ll be fun. But we’ve got to keep it quiet so that Kelly and Larry won’t find out.”

As we stopped at the first traffic light in town, I looked at Amy, and asked, “Now, little girl, care to tell me why I got the look when I was talking to Connor?”

“I didn’t give you a look?”, Amy replied.

“Yes, you did when he and I were talking about the helicopter crash.”

“Oh, that look.”

“Yes, that look.”

“The last time that we were here when we said so long to Connor, I knew that you knew something was going to happen to him.”

“I guess I had a feeling that something might. At least it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”

“Ah.”, Maria said. “What are you two talking about?”

“Oh. Nothing.”, Amy replied.

“No. It’s something. Did Tom know that something was going to happen to Connor.”

I pulled into an almost empty parking lot, parked, and Amy, and I turned and looked at Maria and Mark. Then Amy said, “Guys, this goes no farther. Okay?”

“Sure.”, Mark said.

Amy looked at Maria, and said, “Maria, okay?”

“Yeah.”, Maria said.

“Tom can, with certain people, sense things about them. When we were with Connor just before he left for helicopter flight school, Tom sensed something. Tom wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew something was going to happen to Connor.”

“Can … Can he do it with everyone?”

“No. There’s no rhyme or reason as to who Tom can feel things from. Until Connor, it was just with people that he was close to.”

“Like with my Dad and Mary.”, I added.

“Your Dad and Mary.”, Maria asked. “What about your Dad?”

“Remember when he had brain surgery?”, Amy said.

“Yes.”

“Tom had a feeling that something was wrong. We asked some questions, and I knew he had to go to the E.R.”

“So, you two saved his life.”

“Probably.”

“What about Mary.”, Maria asked.

“He knew, before she did, that she was pregnant with twins and they we fraternal twins.”

“How!?”

“I don’t know how.”, I replied. “Except I was hugging her, and I felt three spirits, Mary’s which I’ve felt before, and two others. A male spirit and a female spirit.”

“You two scare me.”, Maria said.

“Scares you?”, I said. “You should be on this side. It scares me too. I see things, I feel things, I know things that I have no way of knowing, yet I know.”

“Tom, how can you do this?”, Mark asked. “No one should be able to do this.”

“I know that no one should be able to do it. And I wish I knew how I did it. It probably has to do with having two spirits. According to Naainish, our medicine man friend, I should only be able to do this with blood relatives, and Amy and her family. So why I felt something with Connor, I don’t know.”

“Maybe because you like him.”, Amy said.

“He is a nice guy. And do I like him.”

“Do you feel close to me?”, Maria asked.

“Of course.”, I said. “Very close. With everything that you had done for Amy and me before she left, while she was gone, and when she came back. You’re like a sister to me. And Mark, you’re like a brother and so is Larry.”

“But you’ve never felt anything with me?”, Maria asked.

“No. And I’ve never felt anything with Mark or Larry. And that’s maybe because there is nothing to feel.”

“Oh.”

“And that’s a good thing.”

“A good thing?”

“Yes. What I felt with Mary was very special. Maybe I’ll feel something when you’re pregnant. With my dad, it was critical that I sensed his brain aneurysm. And I hope I never feel that again with anyone.”

“Tom.”, Maria said. “You’ve told us a lot about yourself tonight. At first, I was shocked, but the more we talked, the more at ease I felt. It was like it was always part of you.

“You and Amy are very special to me, to us, and I couldn’t ask for better friends.”

“Tom, Tammy, Kai, or whoever you are.”, Mark said. “All of these things about you are unbelievable. And like Maria has said, and I don’t know why, but am at ease with it and you. I feel that you and Amy are both special people and great friends. And I hope it remains that way forever.”

“So do I, Mark.”, I said. “You and Maria are just the best.”

We finished our drive to the hotel. I was letting the valet park the car. And as we got out, Maria walked up to me and hugged me. And I returned the hug. As Maria and I hugged, I looked at Mark, and he smiled.

We said good night in the hallway in front of our rooms. And as I closed the door to our room, Amy turned, looked at me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me. Then she looked at me and said, “Tommy, you are a special friend. You are my best friend. And I love you so much.”

“No more than I love you.”, I replied. “I never want to be away from you ever again.”

“If I have my way, you never will be.”

Then as we were cuddling in bed, Amy asked, “Did you feel anything from Maria when you two hugged?”

“No.”, I replied. “I didn’t feel a thing.”

“That’s good. Isn’t it?”

“I would say yes. I expected to feel her spirit, but I didn’t. And not feeling her spirit doesn’t mean much.

“Good. I’d hate to see anything happen to Maria. What do you think not feeling her spirit means.”

“I’m not sure. Other than we’re not that close, like Mary and I are. Or there’s just nothing there that I need to feel.”

Then I was seduced.

Friday morning was not busy. We were able to sleep in, and it might be a good thing that we did because we could be up late tonight. Today, the bridal party was meeting at the church at four for the rehearsal. Then we were going to a rehearsal dinner, and after that, we were going to the church hall to decorate.

I’d talked to Larry a couple of months ago about a bachelor’s party, and he didn’t seem too keen on the idea. So I’d never planned anything, and not knowing anything about Muncie it would be hard to pull off, so I guess we weren’t having one. And I don’t think that Larry minded.

We knew the girls were going out. But what Kelly’s cousin Mary Beth has planned no one knew.

My parents showed up at about two in the afternoon with the’57 Chevy. So we were all set for tomorrow. At four, after they’d gotten settled in, they followed us over to the church to see where it was. And they didn’t stay. Both Larry’s parents and Kelly’s parents were there. We also met the rest of the bridal party, two of Kelly’s girlfriends from high school were the other two bride’s maids, Kelly’s two brothers, Kevin and Connor were two of the other groomsmen, and one of Kelly’s cousins, Matthew, was the other. Now I see why Larry may not have wanted a bachelor's party.

Kelly’s oldest brother, Father Jack, was performing the ceremony, so he was there. And so was Father John, who is the parish priest. There was also a young boy, and a young girl, who I figured were the ring bearer and the flower girl.

Since we didn’t know many of the people here, Amy, Maria, Mark, and I just stood together. Finally, Kelly and Larry walked over to us. After our usual greetings, Kelly said, “Tom, would you try and keep my dad and Larry’s dad apart.”

“Ah.”, I said. “Why me?”

“You’re a calming force.”

“If you say so. My dad may be better at doing that, he and Larry’s dad have been friends for a long time.”

“I mean today. Your dad isn’t here right now, and I’m worried about now, here at the church, and at the dinner tonight.”

“I’ll try.”

We did a quick run through of the ceremony. Which was boring, but I guess necessary. And I wasn’t happy with who Amy was paired with. It was Kelly’s cousin, Matthew. I saw him with Amy, and it was like he was trying to chat her up, and he was a little too hands on. And I think Amy was feeling that also.

I finally saw Amy point at him, and say something. And I could tell that she wasn't very nice as she told him. Then she pointed at me and said something. Matthew’s eyes got big. Then she just walked away from him and over to me. And I asked, “What did you say to him?”

“I told him that I was tired of him coming on to me. And that you were my husband and had a black belt in karate.”

“That appeared to get his attention.”

“It did. Matthew’s a real jerk.”

“Do you want me to say something to him?”

“No. Let’s see if what I said worked.”

I looked over and glared at him. He was looking at us, and he quickly looked away.

The dinner was a buffet at the hotel, and it was excellent. And Matthew kept his distance. We then headed back over to the church to decorate the hall for the reception. It was fun, and with everyone working it didn’t take long. Then the girls disappeared. I got a quick kiss from Amy as she was leaving. I guessed that they were off to the bachelorette party.

Connor asked me, “Why no bachelor’s party?”

“Larry didn’t want one.”, I said. “Besides I had no idea where to have one here.”

“You should have asked. I know all the good places.”

“Maybe next time.”

“Next time?”

“Yeah, when you get married.”

“That’ll be a long time from now.”

With a grin, I said, “You can never tell. I’ve seen you with some nice looking foxes.”

“Yeah. I know. But I’m nowhere close to settling down.”

“You just haven’t found the right girl yet.”

“When did you find Amy?”

“Back when we were both about thirteen.”

“So you’ve been together that long?”

“No, Amy’s family moved away at the beginning of high school, but we wrote to each other every week for four years.”

“You are kidding me?”

“No, then Amy insisted that she come back to town for college.”

“What college?”

“Ohio State.”

“Oh. You two were meant for each other.”

“That’s what everyone tells us. And you’ll find someone sooner than you think.

“Want to take a spin in the ‘57 Chevy?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”, Connor replied.

I told Larry and Mark what Connor and I were going to do, and that we’d be right back. Connor and I spent about twenty minutes trying out the Chevy. He was impressed.

And with the help of Kelly and Larry’s parents we finished decorating the hall, and then Larry, Mark, and I headed back to the hotel. We hung out in Larry’s room until about midnight, then Mark and I went to our rooms. When I opened the door, I heard the TV and saw Amy laying on the bed. I asked, “What are you doing here?”

“What a bummer.”, Amy said. “Mary Beth took us to a bar that had a private room. We played a couple of games, and Mary Beth and the other two girls started drinking. Then a stripper showed up.”

A stripper!?”

“Yeah. A stripper. He looked to be college-aged. And he put on quite a show for us. Mary Beth and the other two girls, who were drunk by now, got into it. Then he started putting moves on Kelly, and she wasn’t happy. And she let him know. Then he started on me, and I told him off.

“Mary Beth called both of us prudes. And she and Kelly got into it. And I thought it was going to come to blows. I got between them. Maria came over and took Kelly out of the room, and I put Mary Beth in her place. She backed away from me, tripped, and sat down hard on a chair, much to her embarrassment. The other girls laughed at her."

“You didn’t push her did you?”, I asked.

“No, I didn’t need to.”, Amy said. “She was drunk.”

“So you, Kelly, and Maria came back here?”

“We eventually came back here. Kelly was really upset, and it took Maria and me a long time to calm her down. Once she was calmed down, her concern was Mary Beth not showing up. I told her, to not worry about it. And if Mary Beth didn’t show up, we’d work it out together.”

“Why wouldn’t Mary Beth show up?”

“The last thing we heard out of Mary Beth was that she wasn’t going to be there tomorrow. And Kelly told her, and I quote, ‘Good. I didn’t want you in my wedding anyway!’

“Kelly had driven since she was going home and everyone else was coming back here. Maria and I drove Kelly home and told her mother what had happened, and she wasn’t happy. We again reassured Kelly, that if Mary Beth didn’t show up that we’d handle it. And Kelly’s brother, Kevin, drove us back here.”

“Wow!”, I said. “Not a good way to start a wedding. Was Kevin still his quiet self?”

“Yes.”, Amy said. “He hardly said a word all the way back here. I need to talk to Kelly about him.”

“Think I should go tell Larry what happened?”

“I don’t think that you need to. I’ll bet that he and Kelly are already on the phone talking about it.”

“He won’t be happy.”

“I’ll bet he won’t be.”

“So, what are they going to do if Mary Beth doesn’t show?”

“We thought about Tammy.”

“What!?”

“I’m kidding. But we did mention her.”

“I hope you were kidding. It would be hard being the best man and the maid of honor at the same time.”

“I think that Kelly will make the decision tomorrow.”

“Any idea who she’d pick?”

“It could be anyone of the bride’s maids or someone else.”

Amy and I got ready for bed, and just cuddled together and went to sleep.

The following morning Amy and I took separate showers. Unfortunately, there wasn’t room for both of us in the shower. Then before we met Larry, Maria, and Mark for breakfast, Amy redid my braid. When we saw Larry, he looked like he hadn’t had much sleep. And Amy asked, “Is Kelly okay?”

“Yeah.”, Larry replied. “I think so. We talked most of the night.

“Her mother is not at all happy with Mary Beth, and both Kelly and her mother hope that she doesn’t show up.”

“Any idea what she’s going to do?”

“No. We talked about it. But Kelly couldn’t decide last night. But you two came up more than the other two.”

“Us.”, Maria said. “Aren’t the other girls closer to her than Amy and me?”

“Not really.”, Larry said. “I think Kelly’s mother had something to do with the other two.”

“Oh. I think it should be Amy. She’s closer to Kelly than I am.

“Maria, honey.”, Amy said. “I wouldn’t want to be in Kelly’s shoes and try to choose between us. She loves us both the same.”

“I know. But she’s known you longer.”

“Let's wait and see what happens. Maybe Kelly won’t have to make the decision.”

I didn’t say anything, but thought, ‘I’ll be she does.

It wasn’t much later that Mark and I were dropping off Amy and Maria, along with their dresses, at a beauty shop to have their hair, makeup, and nails done. Kelly, her mom, and the other bride's maids would also be there, and they’d go from there to the church in a limousine. We wouldn’t see them again until the wedding.

Mark and I headed back to the hotel, to wait with Larry until we needed to put on our tuxedos and drive to the church.