Chapter 5 - The Reception
Moments Hills Golf Club is where the reception was being held. Moments Hills main claims to fame were it held the Doggie Invitational, a top ten amateur golf championship, frequent US Women's Open qualifying tournaments, President Wanna HardOn and his wife had lunch there, and one of the early golf pros died under mysterious circumstances and his death was never solved. It was a beautiful facility and we were fortunate to hold our reception there.
Our guests had a choice of three different items, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Blackened Grouper and Prime Rib. At the head table, in addition to Tan and myself, were our parents, and Tiffany and Geoff. The remainder of the groomsmen and bridesmaids were at two wing tables.
It appeared Donna was getting along well with the person she'd been paired with and I could see she wouldn't go without company tonight. Yvonne seemed to like hers as well. Tiffany wasn't all that enamored with Geoff. I wasn't surprised. There had always been something off with Geoff, something oily or slimy about him I couldn't explain. I tolerated him for Tan's sake, but I would never have chosen him for a friend. It was hard to see what Tan saw in him, but they got along well. It turned out Tammie's partner was married. His wife hadn't come to the wedding. I was sure Tammie would never mess with a married guy, so she would be looking for a different partner tonight.
The first hour was spent in serving and eating the food. I was relaxing a little after the traumatic events of my wedding. I was frequently kissing Tan and fairly often I would find my hand on his leg, stroking it and when I removed it, would lightly run my hand up to his crotch and feel the length of him and I'd feel him stir at my touch, and shiver slightly.
Eventually, it was time for the speeches. My Dad went first.
"Hello honoured guests. We're so happy you could join us on this joyful occasion. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Brenda's father. Not the real one; unhappily he never entered the picture and never realized how much he missed by not being a part of Brenda's life. I've known Brenda now since she was three years old. I've seen how she's grown and matured as a woman, and I couldn't be prouder of what she's become. I do know Tan is getting a gem of great value.
"I don't know Tan all that well. I've met him only a few times due to the distance between our residences. He seems like a nice young man to me, but the absolute best and greatest thing to be said about him is how much Brenda loves him. She always had good taste in boyfriends, and seeing Tan is the one who captured her heart, speaks volumes about his character and the high regard in which he should be held. Every father finds it hard to give up the care of his little girl to another man, but I believe I'm surrendering Brenda to a man who will look after her and care for her as I would.
"My fondest wish for the two of them is this: Your love for each other will so deepen and grow that as you look through all the years of your life and love together in the twilight of your years, you will look back on this day, your wedding day, as the day you loved each other the least. May God Bless your Union."
We all drank a sip of champagne. I put my hand on his arm and said, "Thank you, Daddy."
Geoff stood up, clapping his hands. "Well said. Very well said. A big round of applause for Mr. Grant, Brenda's father." Why did everything Geoff say sound insincere. I don't know why I didn't like him. "Hi there. My name is Geoff. I've known Tan since he was a little kid. Our fathers were friends before us. For those of you who don't know Tan, he had a bit of a reputation, and not necessarily the good kind. Tan was like a sailboat, going wherever the wind took him. He left a lot of broken hearts in his wake. Then one day, he met Brenda and it was as if someone threw the anchor overboard and his sailing days were over. Other women no longer interested Tan. He found his soulmate. That is not how it seemed to Brenda. Tan's reputation had preceded him. Brenda did not want to be another of Tan's conquests. She refused to go out with him the first seven times he asked."
I thought it was five or six, but maybe seven was right. I know I fought hard to refuse him. I grabbed Tan's hand and held it.
"Tan was not to be denied, however. He knew he'd found the woman of his dreams, so he persisted, confident he'd finally win her heart. And here we are today, enjoying the celebration of their union. I too have a word of advice for the happy couple. Now, I don't know how many of you know this, but Tan works out religiously, labouring to keep himself in shape, including a lot of weight lifting so he looks good and feels good. But I say to Tan that marriage is like weight lifting. You put in a lot of hard work to win the girl of your dreams, just as you did to get the body you have today, but if you don't exercise the same muscles you used to win the girl, they become flabby and start to go to pot, just like failing to work out. She expects you to stay on top of your game, to put in the work to keep her, like you put in the work to win her. You can't slack off just because you married her. Marriages fall apart by failing to exercise your love every day. Don't fail in your exercise routine, good buddy, or your marriage muscles will get flabby. Work them out every day." He lifted his glass. "Here's to rock hard muscles."
He gave a little thrust of his hips to insinuate what muscles he was expecting Tan to exercise. It got a laugh. It was funny, I admit it. But he'd taken something that was sincere and honest and turned it into a fucking joke or a joke about fucking. Either way, it could have been nice but he added that extra piece of slime I always anticipated from Geoff.
After the noise died down, Tan stood up and there was a lot clapping and with calls for "Speech, speech." Tan settled them down with one hand. He still held my hand with his left.
"Ssshhh. Hold it down now. I have something to say, so please hold it down." He looked at me, staring into my brown eyes with his black ones. "I met the girl of my dreams when I met Brenda. Apparently, she didn't feel the same to start. I had to work my ass off to get her to go out with me. It was a total shock to my system. Women practically fell into my arms before Brenda, but not my little heart breaker. She wanted a good man, not some degenerate libertine, so I had to convince her I was not the same person who marched through the women of Atlanta like Sherman did through the city. I had to tame my wild ways to be worthy of the person she was. It was hard. I admit it was hard. But she showed me what goodness was; every day. Even after agreeing to be my wife, she remained chaste, determined to come to me pure on her wedding night. I don't know how she did it. It was hard as hell for me, but I know she comes to me tonight untouched, wanting only me to know the touch of her lips, the beating of her heart, and the purity of her soul. Thank you, Brenda, for making me wait."
As he spoke, I started to cry, knowing my lips had touched another man, my soul besmirched, my heart tawdry and torn. I'd wanted to save myself for only Tan, but another had me first and I could never remove the stain he'd left on me. Why did Tan have to talk about me in this way after what happened right before the wedding. He was stabbing a dagger in my heart, though he did not know and it wasn't his fault. The only good thing; it was finally over and I never had to worry again. Tan would have all the rest of me. I would make up for what I'd done. I would love him with all my heart and soul and give him my body without reservation.
Tan sat down and I hugged and kissed him, desperately. I was filled with love and admiration for his waiting for me. I only wished I was as pure as he thought I was.