“Yes,” he said. “I can do that.” The wedding planning moved fast, the way everything moved with Diane — decisive, efficient, expensive. The venue, the guest list, the catering, all of it decided quickly. She wanted cash gifts rather than a registry. We’re starting fresh, she said. More flexible that way. Ray stretched to cover the costs, moved savings around, made it work.
Sixty two thousand dollars, all told. He wrote every check without resentment because this was what showing up looked like and he had promised to show up. He walked her down the aisle on a Saturday in June.