His World was On Fire

"Parker, will you please come with me?"

"......Is this a joke?" He was staggered by her question.

Holly thought she'd better come clean with him. "Actually, Parker, I want you to come with me because there is someone, I want you to meet." She continued hastily when he didn't immediately disconnect the call. "She is a good person, who's had a tough time. She's a lot like you, and, well, it's really time for you to get back into the world..."

"Wow! I must be pathetic; my ex-wife is trying to fix me up on dates? Seriously, Holly?"

"Please, honey. Her name's Aurora. She's a co-worker I've gotten to know, and I think she would be good for you. You guys would be good for each other. Please?" Holly braced herself for the verbal assault she was 90% sure was forthcoming. Parker was mute for an uncomfortable period.

Just as Holly was about to ask if he was still there, she heard.

"Okay, sounds good." He sighed. "Give me the particulars."

Though shocked by his acquiescence, Holly immediately started in on her prepared sales pitch extolling the virtues of Aurora but was quickly interrupted, and uncharacteristically, left speechless.

"I meant about the event, Holly. You know. Time, place, dress code, menu, etc. All those sorts of things."

Are you kidding me? This actually worked? Holly was extremely pleased but stunned at how quickly it all came together.

Four years later:

It was a beautiful late summer afternoon wedding. Because of his long tenure with the brewing company, Parker received permission to have his and Aurora's nuptials performed on the Coors company grounds. The non-denominational service was to be performed adjacent to the tree-lined Clear Creek near the private bridge that spanned it. The trees were still green but dulled a little because of the ongoing drought. If the wind was right, he would be able to enjoy the unmistakable odor of the hops in the brewing process. His second favorite fragrance in the world. He wasn't sure exactly when it happened, but he had started enjoying his job again. He had recently turned down another promotion so he could keep doing the work he loved.

Parker and Aurora were conflicted and thought of waiting for the fall so they could have their nuptials with the brilliantly colored fall foliage as a backdrop, but their impatience and desire to get on with their life won the battle.

It was a relatively small and informal affair. There were less than seventy-five people present.

A retired judge friend of Aurora's family was presiding. He wanted to begin the ceremony, but he was delaying until the guests had settled. There was a lot of murmuring and tittering, which was unusual in his past experience.

The Maid of Honor took charge. "Excuse me, Judge. I think I can handle this," and she turned to address the crowd.

"Ahem, excuse me, folks. PLEASE!" The crowd silenced themselves. As Holly surveyed the guests, she saw that some were smirking, others confused, and a few who already understood the circumstances were waiting patiently for the ceremony to begin.

Holly gave a little laugh, then spoke. "If you think the fact that the groom's ex-wife is giving away the bride, the groom's best man is my father, the bride and groom's children are all involved, not to mention the woman trying to hide under her chair is my mother, is weird," she pointed in her direction in the front row. Then you have to attend the reception later in the Vista at the Applewood Country Club! I'm sure after a few drinks from the hosted bar, it will move from weird to, 'When are the cops coming?'" The throng erupted into laughter. Holly turned back and signaled for the judge to continue.

As she did so, Aurora's parents across the aisle glanced quickly at each other with bemusement. Her father just shook his head and muttered with sarcasm. "This should be good," to his wife and partner of nearly fifty years.

"Relax, dear. It's going to be fine." She patted his leg familiarly and smiled to no one but herself. She gazed towards her daughter as she delicately wiped away tears of gratitude with a handkerchief. She always wondered if her daughter and grandchildren would get a second chance. Yes, it was going to be fine now.

Holly was wrong. The police weren't needed at the reception. It was a wonderful and raucous celebration of the start of a new life...for everyone. Even the uninitiated, having been brought up to speed, felt the happiness and hopefulness that weddings, when done properly, could engender.

As the celebration was winding down, a few guests had already departed. It was a very contented Parker Firestone-Breckinridge, who stood alone on the patio deck. He stared wondrously at the expansive view of the Table Top Mountains in the distance. For the first time in a long time, his life felt complete. Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed what he assumed was his new bride approaching him. He got a whiff of a familiar perfume as she put her arm around him, which startled him back to consciousness.

"Hey, Honey," she whispered to him. "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, hey, Holly..." Parker was surprised. "I don't know. Nothing much, or maybe everything in my life that led me to this point in time." He knew Holly would appreciate his humor.

"Wow, Honey, that's pretty deep for a mechanic." She teased him back. They both stood quietly for a few minutes before Holly broke the silence.

"Honey, do you think we made a mistake in ever having married in the first place?"

"Wow! "That's a tough one for me to answer, Holly. Believe it or not, I actually thought about it a lot after we divorced. I don't think just because we ended up divorced, you can necessarily call it a mistake. When we married, I really felt as if you were the one love of my life. I know we didn't start out that way. But, we grew together though. Over time I came to believe, that you never felt the same about me." Holly blushed and nodded her head involuntarily. But, by the time Craig was born, I was in love with you forever. Looking back, maybe it was just the pheromones?" They both laughed a little. "I didn't think much beyond that.

"If you think about it. If we hadn't, we certainly would have still shared Craig. But, Dillon and Erie would never have existed. And, they're terrific people. I can't call that a mistake." They looked at each other and smiled as only proud parents can do.

"Really though, what I've been thinking about most recently, is if we hadn't gotten married or you didn't do what you did, I never would have met Aurora. When you cheated, I wanted to hate you so badly, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Then later, after you introduced Aurora and me, that's when I realized that despite everything else, if you hadn't been the person, you were, both good and bad, you wouldn't have thought to even introduce us?

"I guess things happen for a reason. I don't know. I guess I'm rambling a bit. I'm not used to all this self-analysis. How about you? What do you think?"

"No, in retrospect, I suppose not. Honestly, what I think about more often is what happened after you told me how random the events were that caused you to discover my cheating." She sighed. "So now I think, what if those completely random happenstances hadn't occurred, would we still be married? Would either of us be truly happy? Would we have fallen apart anyway at some point?" Holly hesitated before continuing. "Or, would I have finally gotten up the courage to do what I should have done in the first place? I guess we'll never know." She hesitated to think some more. "The trouble I have is the randomness of everything. Maybe that's why I love my work? It's so much more predictable."

Parker considered the impact of what she said but didn't have a response. Holly changed the subject because this conversation was becoming morose. "You turned down another promotion, didn't you?"

Parker laughed. "I did. Aurora and me, we're just starting out, and...well I didn't want to..."

Holly laughed sardonically. "Yeah, Aurora gave me the same reason, when she turned down the promotion I wanted her to take." Parker just smiled at her. Holly smiled back and shook her head. "You two are quite the pair.

"Parker, Honey. I wanted to ask you if it would be all right if I took the kids to Europe with me next spring? I'm going to be spending about eight weeks there on a new healthcare research cooperative, and..."

"Of course, Holly, but by next Spring, even Erie will be an adult. You don't need my permission..."

"I know that, Sweetie. But I want your approval anyway. It's important to me."

Parker, surprised by her response, turned to Holly and asked her a question he had wanted to ask since they divorced. "Holly, are you happy? I mean, really happy?" He searched her eyes for any clue.

His ex-wife gave a deep sigh. "I am, Parker. I truly and finally am. You might not understand it, because what makes me happy is different than how you define yours, but I assure you, I am." She needed to know something else. "Have I been a good mom, Parker, have I?" She was wrestling with the question her mother had asked her so long ago.

"Holly, you were always a good mom, and after our split, you became an even better one."

She nodded her head in gratitude and began to tear up again. Parker, seeing her tears brought Holly into a once familiar hug. "Thank you, Parker. That means a lot to me, Sweetie."

She changed topics again. "I guess now that you're married, I have to quit calling you that...don't I?" she asked somewhat ruefully.

Parker started to respond, but another voice cut him off. This time, it was his new bride's. Neither of them had noticed her approach.

"Holly, you can call him whatever you like for as long as you like." Aurora quickly hugged her which brought even more tears to Holly's eyes. It was an odd, but not uncomfortable picture that the three of them presented. Holly and Parker had their arms casually draped around one another, as did Holly and Aurora on the other side.

"Holly, I will never be able to express my thanks for what you've done for me, and Parker. You're a special person. We both wish you the best. If you ever need anything from us, we will be there for you." She then grabbed Parker's hand.

"Come on, Lover. I want one more dance with my man before they shut us down. Knowing you, Mr. two left feet, this will be the last chance I ever get to dance with you!" They started back inside, pressed together, laughing and holding tightly to one another.

Holly's gaze followed them as they strolled away. In all their years together, Parker had never looked at her the way he was looking at Aurora right now. His eyes unquestionably sustained both longing and adoration as he tried to lose himself in Aurora.

She felt a pang in her heart. Was it regret? No. Maybe envy? She couldn't quite define it. She smiled to herself as it hit her. Well, I guess Mom was right, no one gets everything. And there is always a price to be paid. Holly's thoughts immediately transitioned to her current opportunities at work.

Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed.

Albert Einstein?