Everything Changes

miss anything.”
    “Mom’s here?”
    “With Dad.”
    “Is he behaving?”
    “He hasn’t been asked to leave yet.”
    “Well, thank God for small favors,” Matt says, eyeing the dance floor. “Is that Hope dancing?”
    “Yep.”
    “Who’s the guy grabbing her ass?”
    “That’s her father.”
    “Yikes,” he snickers.
    “So it’s not just me?”
    He shrugs. “What do we know about fathers, right?”

    Later, the band falls silent and the singer speaks into the mike. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please? The father of the bride would like to offer a toast in honor of Hope and Zack.”
    Applause all around as Jack steps up to the makeshift bandstand, glass in hand, and the grand foyer fills as everyone surges forward from the ancillary rooms to hear what he has to say. “Where’s Viv?” he asks into the microphone. A small commotion ensues as Vivian is coaxed to join him on the stairs.
    “Good evening, everyone. On behalf of Viv and myself, I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight. It means a lot to us to be able to celebrate this occasion with you.” His voice is calm and assured, the voice of a man accustomed to commanding the attention of large groups. “Hope,” he says, turning to look at us. “It seems like only yesterday that you were this little, chubby baby, crawling around the apartment with that ratty teddy bear you took everywhere with you. You were always so precocious, such a determined little girl. I remember the first time I brought you with me to the office. . . .”
    Jack tells his stories slowly, with great detail, and the crowd listens with rapt attention, laughing at all the right spots, while, beside me, Hope beams with pleasure. I’m so engrossed in his toast that I fail to see Norm slowly maneuvering his way through the crowd until he’s made it to the side of the stairs and is whispering something into the bandleader’s ear, and by then it’s too late. Jack ends his toast, glass raised. “May you both enjoy a long and happy life together, filled with love and joy, and success in all of your endeavors.” The crowd applauds as Jack sips regally from his drink, and it’s at that point that Norm steps up to the bandstand, still clapping, smiling out at the crowd. Jack seems surprised, but he shakes Norm’s outstretched hand and yields his position as Norm moves in front of the mike.
    “Thank you, Jack,” he says, addressing the crowd. “For those beautiful words, and for this beautiful celebration. You too, Vivian. You folks certainly know how to throw a party.” He claps and nods to the crowd, encouraging them to join him in a round of applause, which, when it finally does come, is delayed and disjointed.
    “Holy fuck,” Matt says incredulously.
    “What’s he doing?” I hiss through my smile to Lela.
    “He’s being Norm,” she says mutely, looking pale and resigned.
    “Can you stop him?”
    “When could I ever stop him?”
    “Why?” Hope says, alarmed. “What’s he going to do?”
    “God only knows.”
    “But it won’t end well,” Matt says.
    “Just keep an eye on the nearest exit,” Lela advises from between clenched teeth.
    “The majority of people in this room are friends of the Seacords,” Norm is saying. “So I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of you, on behalf of the King family, for welcoming our Zack into your midst.” He pauses to wipe the sweat off his brow with a napkin, leaving a trail of white particles stuck to his forehead. “You know,” he continues, “Zack and Hope are in love, and that’s wonderful. That’s a little miracle right there. It’s the God in your blood, the angel in your soul. But love is just the beginning. It takes so much more than that to make a marriage work. Just ask my ex-wives, God bless them.” He guffaws loudly at his own joke, his laughs reverberating against the silence, while Lela looks ready to dissolve into a puddle of her own embarrassment. “Any moron can get married. Look at me. I did it a few times.”
    The crowd laughs uncertainly, and I wonder what a few times means. Were there others we never heard about?
    “Jesus Christ,” Matt says. “He’s got a boner.”
    “Oh, shit. You’re right.”
    “But seriously,” Norm says. “Zack and Hope, I point this out only to serve as a reminder to you. I am suggesting that love isn’t the destination. It’s just the beginning of a long and sometimes perilous journey, and you must never forget,