Passage II

Prepared for Anything

My mother is a justice of the peace; that means she has the power to perform weddings. She has to be prepared for anything, because weddings these days can range from formal evening gown affairs to barefoot frolics during which the bride's dog might play the part of the ring bearer. She loves them all.

Mom keeps a crazy conglomeration of wedding gear; rubber boots; a swanky, black formal; blue jeans; dignified dresses, in three pastel colors; sneakers; beach sandals, and a ski hat. Every item—except that ski hat—has come in handy at least once.

The rubber-boot wedding until now was one of the most exciting and, despite the boots, romantic ceremonies so far. It took place on a wide pond. When Mom arrived, the guests had already been ferried out to a leaky, flat-bottomed boat made festive with flowers and pink balloons. (21) They may be more expensive, but helium balloons do look festive. My mother and the bridesmaids, all suitably booted, paddled out in a canoe. Finally, dramatically, the bride and her parents arrived under sail. (23)

(24) Except for the beach setting, the bride had informed her, everything was to be traditional.The bride wore a long, queenly gown and veil, but she had not considered on the wind, which would have lifted her veil clean off if my mother hadn't had the good sense to hold it on. In the wedding photograph Mom appears to be blessing the bride, of whom a slightly harried expression is disclosed by the wind.

Thus Mom's favorite weddings was a wonderful blending of cultures and traditions: the bride and groom were Hungarian immigrants dressed in American denim; the ceremony of two-minute duration which was in English was followed by hours of Hungarian celebrations.

Yet the wedding Mom dreams of performing; she hopes will take place at the foot of a ski run. She imagines my brother and his bride skiing down the mountain to join she and their guests. Mom, however, will be wearing a ski hat.