A Man Named Dave

refused to attend, even after I begged him to be my best man. Out of frustration, I blurted into the phone, “For God’s sake, I’m begging you, stand with me. Please?” I groveled.
    David and I had known each other for over ten years, and he was one of the first friends I ever had. He gave a deep sigh. “I know a lot’s happening really fast, but I saw this coming. Did you know that Patsy practically bragged to my girlfriend that she’d do anything she could to marry you?”
    I brushed David off. “Come on, man, you took it the wrong way. She meant it … in, ah, a romantic way.”
    David replied, “Get with it, man. I’m not downing Pats, but it’s not like you’ve been ‘out there’ when it comes to dating. I know and respect what you’re trying to do with your life, but man, what’s it gonna be like for the kid with the two of you going at it all the time? You know what it’s like. My old man was the same way. What then?” After a few seconds of silence he went on, “I’m sorry, man, I can’t back your play on this. I love you bro, but –”
    “Hey man,” I jumped in, “I, ah, I understand.” Thinking quickly, I tried one last time. “I know you two don’t get along that well, but Patsy’s really a great lady, a class act –”
    “Yo, man, hold up. Don’t even go there with that one!” David interrupted. “Are you even listening to yourself? You two are as different as oil and water. Again, I’m not downing Patsy, but I know how this whole thing’s gonna end.”
    Patsy, who I discovered had been straining to listen in, snatched the phone from my hand. “We don’t need you or want you at our wedding. So … fuck off!”
     
    David’s and Lisa’s warnings still rang in my ears as Patsy strolled down the aisle at the wedding. I gazed left, at the groom’s side of the church. Besides Alice’s daughter, Mary, and son-in-law, Del, and a handful of others, my side was virtually empty. Patsy’s side spilled over with friends, relatives, and nearly every member of the town, who beamed as Patsy made her way to the minister. At least one friend from my days in foster care, J. D. Thorn, stood with me as my best man. I was so nervous during the exchange of the vows, I dropped Patsy’s ring. Later at the reception, one of Patsy’s brothers smiled widely as he slapped me on the back, announcing to the world, “You’s family now!”
     
    Within a short time Patsy and I were fortunate enough to move into military base housing. Before I set off for another extended overseas assignment, the two of us set our ground rules. She surprised me by adamantly stating she had given up smoking and drinking, and from that moment on, Patsy claimed, she’d do whatever she could to make things right for our baby. “I married you, David. I can imagine what you think of me, but I married you for life. I wanna do right for our baby. Both of us had sucky childhoods, so let’s do right with our own. But know this, I do love you, David. It’s not the baby. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were the one for me. No more fighting, partying, running around. It’s over.”
    I was relieved that Patsy had become serious about being a parent. At times when things were good between us I knew she loved me, but now as her husband, my sole concern was to ensure that I did anything I could for our child. “I wanna make sure our baby isn’t treated like we were. I just want to do what’s right.”
    Hugging me, she cried, “I love you, David.”
    I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before replying for the first time, “I … I love you, too.”
    “Thank you, David, thank you,” Patsy whispered. “You’ll see, the baby’s gonna make everything different. Everything’s gonna be fine, you’ll see.”
    When not flying overseas, I dedicated every moment to redoing our house. I spent hours rearranging furniture, placing trinkets just the right way to capture as much light as possible. I wanted our home to be open and warm. I felt proud when I purchased a lawnmower and other garden tools. I’d wake up just after sunrise on Saturday mornings to spend the better part of the day mowing, raking, trimming, and watering or planting flowers to beautify our yard. I thought of myself as a husband providing for his family. I did my best to think ahead, trying to take care of every need to alleviate any friction between Patsy and me. Once all the bills were taken care of, I made certain Patsy received the bulk of our remaining funds. With each passing day my initial fears began to