Between all of Maggie’s teaching friends and Uncle Paul’s students and friends, along with each of their families, Hannah’s Home was packed with people for their wedding. It was a gorgeous Labor Day weekend and the ceremony was held by the lake, with the bride and groom taking their vows on the dock, under a traditional Jewish canopy called a Chupah.
Hannah’s Home had twenty-two survivors in residence at the time and Maggie invited them all to the join in their celebration. Shauna, Jenny, Gabriel, Shelley, Tyler, and the Sisters were also in attendance. The dancing started outside, in a sectioned off area of the parking lot and later moved inside to the auditorium as night came on and dinner was served. After the traditional first dance of the bride and groom the floor opened up to a series of Horas, Jewish dances consisting of long chains of people dancing in concentric circles, with the bride and groom and their parents and siblings holding the center space.
When normal dancing resumed, Jenny dominated the dance floor, this time with Sifu Zhang. I didn’t know that he had it in him and apparently Uncle Paul didn’t either, as he was starring, opened mouthed, at his mentor’s grace and style on the dance floor.
Mom spent much of the night being fussed over by family members who hadn’t seen her since before the kidnapping. The news of her pregnancy only intensified these interactions and several times I saw mom and dad head over to the tables set aside for the survivors in order to escape from all the attention. The dance floor could have been another island of seclusion for them, only dad wasn’t big on dancing. Although, if the music was slow enough, he’d be happy to hold mom in his arms and sway back and forth, box-step or move around in circles. Dad wasn’t light on his feet.
For my part, I mostly spent the night dancing with Mark. Sure, I spent some time making nice with the family and listened to inane chatter like, “Look how grown up you are! I haven’t seen you since you were...” and “He’s a very good looking boy. Is there another wedding coming up?”, but mostly I danced. It was a rare night off and I had no responsibilities and no cares. I was celebrating my Uncle’s good fortune in meeting such a wonderful person and that was all. I didn’t scan a single person and I didn’t think about anything medical related.
“I haven’t seen you this relaxed and happy since Comic-Con. Whatever you’re working on, I think you should take breaks from it more often.” Mark was whispering into my ear during a slow song, “Careless Whisper” by Wham.
“Maybe I should. What did you have in mind?”
“How about an all-expense paid tour of all McKenzie Resources US operations?”
“That’s just more work. I thought you wanted me to relax.”
“I need to work. You don’t. You can spend your days however you want and your evenings in my arms.”
“That last part sounds tempting. How long is the trip?”
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“A month, but if you don’t come with me, I’ll come back every other weekend to see you.”
“I’ll split the difference with you. Send me the itinerary and maybe I’ll join you for a few legs of the trip, depending on which cities you’ll be near. That way I can work on a few of my projects and rack up some consulting fees from Jake. My virtual reality company will need another infusion of cash in the future and I shouldn’t wait until the last minute to start earning it.”
“Funny you should mention that. Jake was hoping you’d look into a few properties for him. Also, he asked me to let you know that the next part of the dinosaur payment will be coming in next month. That might ease some of your immediate cash issues.”
“Oh God. I forgot all about my payments for the dinosaur. This is great news. Does that mean that it’s almost ready for display?”
“From my understanding, that’s still awhile away. It just means that the university had reached another milestone in the excavation and have to make another payment according to the contract. The skeleton is fully intact and they’re taking their time. It really is a rare find and they’re making sure that they don’t mess it up. Zach was in heaven though. Jake arranged for him to spend two weeks this past summer at the dig site.”
“He must have been a terror, running around and getting his nose into everything.”
“Not at all. Jake made sure of that. Told him that the first time he misbehaved would he his last time at the site. They had him working with some of the grad students to keep him busy and interested.”
During the next slow song, this time Runaway Train by Soul Asylum, I brought up something that had been bothering me for awhile.
“Mark, there are some things about me that I don’t talk about. Secrets that I keep to myself. We’re getting closer to each other and I don’t want it to become a barrier between us. I’m also not ready to discuss those secrets with you. I might never be.”
“I know, Abby. I’m ok with it, mostly. It’s hard not knowing, because I can’t help you. You keep starting to say certain things and stop yourself. Sometimes I want to tell you to just say what you were going to say. I don’t because I figure that you’ll tell me when you’re ready to. It all just adds to the mystery of Abby. That said, I really would like to know what you’re working on.”
“I can tell you that, if you agree to Swami rules.”
“You tell me, but you won’t tell me how you’re doing it? I can live with that.”
“You’re pretty smart for a new college graduate.”
“Hey, we can’t all find million-dollar gemstones and live the dream. Some of us need to learn our chosen profession and work for a living.”
“Shows what you know. I’m studying to become a doctor.”
Mark stops dancing and looks at me with a level of seriousness and intensity that I usually only see in him when he’s talking about geology or mining. “Are you being serious or are you setting me up for a punchline?”
“100% serious. I am doing it my own way though.”
Mark grabs me in a big hug and twirls me around. I notice that he has gotten stronger over the past year.
“That’s wonderful Abby! It’s been eating me alive that you weren’t pushing yourself to achieve your full potential. Don’t get me wrong. The foundation is amazing. It’s just that I know that you can do so much more.”
“Don’t knock the foundation. There’s a lot more to the foundation than what you see now. I just need a little more time. And why didn’t you say anything, if you were so worried?”
“Abby, you can’t talk someone into wanting more for themselves. You can try to guide them to it, but they need to find their own way to it, if they ever can.”
What struck me as amazing about Mark was that he didn’t challenge me about becoming a doctor. He was content to know that I had a purpose, a goal, and that I was pursuing it, no matter how. He only cared about me and that I was fulfilled. Damn. One more reason to be thankful that I dragged his cute butt out of that burning house.