Weddings, Crystals, and Stars Align

An interview with my cousin, Susan McGiver, and Susan’s father, Dave, as they are potential chaperones for my school trip next month – by Darla Williams.

Darla Williams: Thanks for agreeing to this interview and finally applying for passports. Your answers are so my friends and the trip coordinators get a more personal connection with you before we go.

Susan McGiver: We’ve applied but if and when we get passports is a variable. Going to Paris in a few weeks is not in my plan.

Darla: I’m using positive affirmation. I know neither of you ever go anywhere and at least we know you’re not trying to scam us for a free trip.

Dave McGiver: Darla, Darling, is this really a school requested interview or are you just having fun at our expense?

Darla: It’s both, Uncle Dave, okay? My first question is about how you two just attended a big formal wedding as escorts to primary players in the bridal party. This is the most exciting thing either of you have done my whole life. Yet, you didn’t know any of these people until three weeks ago.

Susan: Jake is a friend of the groom, and once we met Jake asked me to be his wedding date. Nothing unusual there. Dad escorting the mother-of-the-bride was a surprise.

Dave: Not really. Ruth is a friend of your grandmother and she’s been coming here for a dinner party each week for the past few months. It was two weeks to the event and Ruth realized she didn’t have a date yet and asked me to do the honors as her escort.

Darla: Then what was I hearing about the maid-of-honor?

Dave: That’s where the story gets fun, and her date was your uncle Adam.

Susan: Here’s what happened, Jake was going to escort the maid-of-honor even though she’s tiny and he’s six-four. They were boating with the bride and groom and had problems so needed a tow. Adam got that call and went to the rescue. That’s when the maid-of-honor met him. I took Adam out for dinner as thanks for fixing my car and the coincidence was the others had just met for dinner at the same time and place, like fate, and we made it a party of six. It was love-at-first-sight for me and Jake, which it was for Adam and the maid-of-honor though those two are still in denial. So when Ruth asked Dave to escort her two days later, and he said yes, she also invited Adam to the wedding so Dave would know someone at the party. As soon as the bride learned Adam was going to the wedding, she assigned him to be the maid-of-honor’s wedding date. That meant Jake was free to ask me. Of course I said yes.

Darla: Okay, now it makes more sense because Adam does all kinds of adventures all the time. But neither of you have dated anyone my whole life. What’s up with that?

Dave: It’s because our lives are interesting enough.

Darla: Uncle Dave, all you do is work on boats, and Susan you take pictures of them.

Susan: Darla, you just turned fourteen. Any adventures you’ve had so far are because your parents made them happen. You have a passport because they do.

Darla: And now both of you are dating these great people who travel the world and speak other languages. Will you two now leave the marina for at least a vacation someday?

Dave: I escorted Ruth to her daughter’s wedding. That doesn’t mean we are dating.

Darla: Why is that? Ruth is great and she speaks fluent French. Can you talk her into being a chaperone for my trip? Even if you aren’t dating? I could really use someone local to have French conversations with these next weeks.

Dave: Your grandma is the one to arrange future contact with Ruth. I’m sure she’d love to talk French with you, and she lives near your new house.

Darla: All right, I’ll talk to grandma. So Susan, how much longer will you be dating Jake? Mom said you never had a guy around longer than a month.

Susan: Then we’ve got at least another week together.