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Darrin opened the invitation and read it. A distant cousin's daughter was getting married and he had been invited to attend. He was a bit perplexed, as he really didn't know them very well, even though they were cousins. The bride was from his Mother's side of the family and it had been at least ten years since he had seen her. As he recalled, she was a very pretty little girl and he expected, correctly, that she had grown into a lovely and equally pretty young woman. Looking at his calendar, Darrin saw that he would be within fifty miles of the wedding site on the Friday before the wedding. 'Why not,' he thought it might be fun meeting some family members he hadn't seen for several years. He called his secretary to come in. "Mary, make me some travel reservations at Youngstown, Ohio, for the weekend, arriving Friday evening," he said with a smile. Mary smiled and nodded as she left to take care of the travel arrangements.
Following a harrowing business week in Cleveland, Darrin climbed into the rented Town Car and drove off toward Youngstown, a short sixty miles away. An hour later Darrin pulled into the drive of the Marriott Hotel to check in. His room was elegant, but not too ostentatious, a large bedroom, a Jacuzzi, a large TV and a small refreshments fridge. Pouring a whiskey and water, with a couple of ice cubes, he sipped it and sat down to relax. He pulled out a city map and set about to find the route to the church and reception site. He had grown up in Youngstown and he noted that though much had changed, the city was not too different from when he lived there. He decided to have dinner by himself, watch TV for a while then go to bed and sleep in.
Waking late, Darrin had room service deliver breakfast, showered and dressed appropriately for the occasion. The church was packed with guests and he sat quietly in the rear. Looking about, he casts his eyes on several of the female guests, dressed up in their finest clothes. Darrin's eyes locked on to a very lovely young woman with red hair and a knockout body. He watched her and her husband as they selected their seats across the aisle from him. Both of them were dressed very well and they interacted as a very happily married couple. After the ceremony, Darrin ended up behind them in the receiving line and the woman's perfume tantalized him as he inhaled it. The couple actively participated in the rice throwing and Darrin enjoyed watching her breasts as they swayed and jiggled each time she threw rice at the bride and groom.
At the reception, Darren was seated with family members that he hadn't seen in years and he thoroughly enjoyed himself reliving some of his youth. After a wonderful dinner and all of the traditional wedding routine, he settled in the bar of the country club where the reception was held. He drank sparingly and enjoyed watching the guests dancing, especially the women and older teenage girls. Finally, he spied the couple he had seen in the church. They were sitting across the way near the bar and he had a grand view of the woman. The couple rose to dance several times and she moved graciously as she glided through the various dances. He admitted to himself that her husband was also a fine dancer, better than himself, and the two of them were drawing a crowd among the guests as they danced.
Darrin turned to the bar, ordered another whiskey and stared at the golf photos behind the bar. A voice behind him asked casually, "Do you play golf?" a man asked. Darrin turned to see the husband of the red head ordering drinks. He was startled to see him, but quickly regained his composure and smiled. "Yes, on occasion, when time permits," he replied.
"Me too," the man said, "I never get the time to play as often as I would like." He picked up the freshly poured drinks and turned to leave, but turned back toward Darrin. "I've not seen you before at our home town activities, are you from out of town?" he asked.
"Yes, I am. I am a cousin of the bride, but I've been gone from Youngstown for several years. I received the invitation and decided to come see what has changed. I'm sure you know the drill."
The man laughed nodded and they introduced themselves. "I'm Scott Ashley," he said, " and lovely creature over there is my wife, Beth." Asking Darrin if he was alone, he invited him to join him and his wife at their table. Darrin readily accepted and followed him to the table where they sat down with the wife between them. "Darling," Scott said, "this is Darrin Hall and he is from out of town and alone. I thought we could show him some hospitality. Darrin, this is my wife Beth." Darrin and Beth exchanged greetings and they began to talk about some current events, work and other benign topics. Darrin found both of them warm and friendly and enjoyed their company. The three of them talked, drank and occasionally danced. Beth was very light on her feet and Darrin enjoyed watching her move to the rhythm of the soft rock music.
