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FIVE
Mason called Mario on his cell phone on the way home from the market: "Are you still at school? I want to have dinner on the beach at sunset."
"I'm just on my way through hellacious traffic, you know how it is at this hour. I made the mistake of trying to get over to PCH from Santa Monica Boulevard."
"OK, no hurry love, I am not home yet myself, but I will have it ready by the time you get here."
"Mason, what's up? It seems you might have something on your mind?"
"Yes, actually, just unfinished business for the wedding arrangements, that's all."
"OK Babe, see you soon."
Mason hurried home and began throwing together a light supper of gazpacho he had purchased at their favorite deli, some lobster bruschetta, a bottle of white and a mixed baby field greens salad. He decided to forego the tiramisu, since it was the middle of the week. He had to try to remind himself to get back to his regular routine at the gym soon, or maybe right after the wedding.
When Mario arrived, they kissed and Mason was ready to push him out the door to the beach, picnic basket in hand. Mario carried the wine and the glasses, while Mason struggled with the dishes and silver and food. Settled on the beach after their first sip of wine, Mario looked directly at Mason and asked "What's on your mind?"
Mason swallowed the wine, and then looking off into the setting sun across the brilliant Pacific aflame with the waning light, he began. "A long time ago, too long ago to remember, I became accustomed to taking care of everyone else around me and forgot how to take care of myself."
Mario interrupted him: "You look like you have taken pretty good care of yourself as far as I can see."
"What I mean is, I have always put other people- parents, family, lovers, clients- far ahead of myself in some sort of mistaken belief I had some type of duty to others, and that in fact it would be some kind of mechanism to make me happy if everyone else around me was happy. I even did that in my career, and so I suppose I could have been a bureau chief or something much higher than I was if I had elbowed my way to the top instead of being a pussy."
"Mason, I cannot name any names, but I am absolutely certain there is no one in the media industry who would dare to call you a pussy."
"Well, my point is really not about my career it is about my personal relationships. Bob was really a master manipulator, and I did not tell you much about him the other night when you asked, because I had to sort out my feelings first. It makes me ashamed to say this, but I was relieved when he died. That is a horrible thing to say, but I had become so accustomed to his manipulations, and of course his thousands of affairs, that I was wallowing in self-pity and just wanted to escape him. He graciously granted my wish by dying."
"Darling, I have no idea what to say about that, except that I am sorry, deeply sorry, that you ever had to suffer that way. But I can say that I have never been so ready to fall in love in my life, and in my definition of falling in love, I mean I want to grow old with you and be nothing but dedicated to your happiness for the rest of my life." He kissed Mason passionately.
"Thanks, you are very sweet. I want nothing more than to figure out how to be happy with you and with my life and just be content, I guess `content' is the right word; am I making any sense?"
"Of course, but what you are inferring but not saying is you are still not over the hurt. I cannot replace Bob Timmons or Ross James or any of the others, all I can be is myself and give myself completely and freely to you."
They ate slowly, enjoying the warmth of the sand and the glow of the sun finally reaching the purple horizon, and finished the wine. Gathering their dinner items into the picnic basket, they held hands walking back up to the house; Mason reflected on the house itself and what it meant.
"You would not know this but I bought this house after Bob passed as a way to escape him and the memories and the career and the big city."
"You did a lousy job escaping the big city, it is just down the road" Mario laughed.
"Yes, but this is really my refuge, my hide-away, a gift to myself. And now it is my gift to you. I signed papers today to transfer half of everything to you."
"You did what? I am shocked."
"Darling, Mario, please hear me clearly: I love you and what you have done for me and what we have yet to accomplish together, so if this is going to be a complete partnership, then whatever I have is yours."
They kissed again, awkwardly, holding all the dinner items and stumbling up the steps to the house. It was a gentle and satisfying kiss, and a gentle and satisfying night, as they stayed on the patio watching the Pacific until it was dark enough to see the distant lights of passing ships. They slept deeply, holding each other, and at breakfast both remarked they had slept soundly without dreaming.
"Are all of the arrangements for the wedding complete? Do you need me to do anything?"
"I need you to give me the formal names of your parents in order to make reservations at the hotel for them, and for whoever is travelling with them from your family.
"Well, there are a few people coming from Europe in addition to my parents and my sister and brother. My aunt and her mother are coming from Italy, and my uncle from Spain. Why don't you let me make those arrangements? I can do it online."
"Good idea, thanks lover." They kissed and Mario left for the law school. Mason realized he had a million things jetting around in his mind and needed to get a list to make sure he was organized for the next week and all of their activities. They had decided to forego the tradition of formal wear for the wedding, choosing matching linen suits and dark blue shirts and pale blue ties. They instructed their guests to wear California business casual; the reception and party would take place in the house immediately following the ceremony on the beach.
Mason called the caterer to make sure the chairs would be delivered and set up on time one hour before the ceremony, and that the caterer's helpers would inspect the kitchen a day before the wedding in order to iron out any last-minute needs for serving guests. Then he called the bakery to check the time for delivery of the wedding cake, and then the deli to check the time the cases of wine and champagne would be delivered. Finally, he called the housekeeping service to make sure they would be attending to all of the cleaning and furniture re-arranging two days ahead in order to be out of the way of all of the caterers and deliveries. It seemed everything was ready.
Mason took a break and made himself a simple sandwich and took it to the patio with a bottle of sparkling water; he stretched out on the chaise lounge and realized this was where Ross had fucked TMGM. He wondered if TMGM was going to be attending the wedding; he had not noticed an RSVP card among the recent mail. He let his mind wander in order to get some relief from the wedding business and soon fell asleep.
He awoke when his cell phone began buzzing; it was his sister calling from Idaho Falls. "Mason darling, you realize I have to make three stops on this god-forsaken trip just to get to LA?" She sounded very upset.
"Madge, what are you talking about?"
"I leave Idaho Falls at the ungodly hour of 7 AM, fly to Salt Lake City, then to Phoenix, and then to LA."
"Madge, that's two stops."
"I would appreciate being on a non-stop."
"I am sorry darling sister, but there is no such thing. To fly from Idaho Falls to anywhere, you have to make connections. But it's not too late; maybe if you fly from Idaho Falls to Boise or to Portland, you can cut down the number of stops. Let me check and I will call you back."
"And Mason, another thing, why do you have me staying in a hotel? Are you ashamed of me? Why can't I stay in your house, is that because I am just an old Idaho farm wife with no manners?"
"Madge, please, you know none of those things are true; listen, the house is going to be buzzing with caterers and workers and deliveries and will make you crazy with the noise and bustle, so please be a good girl and enjoy the most expensive hotel on the coast. I am sure you will love it. And, your son will be in the room immediately next to you, so you will have his support as well. There is a limo that will pick you up at the airport and take you directly to the hotel, or anywhere else you need to go for that matter. Please do not worry about a thing. And you must be here! You are my only remaining family."
"I know darling, it may be just as well."
"Madge, what do you mean?"
"Mason, you know how it broke our mother's heart when you announced you were gay."
"Madge, I never made any such announcement; she just put two and two together and figured it out on her own, and then one day she phoned me and asked me and I could not really lie to her."
"And this new little boy you are marrying, I am sure he is just out to get your money?"
"Madge, I love you but you clearly need to get out of Idaho Falls more often, you are hallucinating about things. No, Mario is not out to get my money, I don't have any and he has known me for more than two years, so there is nothing to worry about, and his family is very well to do in Argentina."
"Well I just worry about you Mason. All those years on the east coast and I think it changed you."
"Yes it did, thank god; I am no longer the little Idaho farm boy."
"Hmph" she grunted.
Mason began thinking about making dinner for Mario and decided to run out to their favorite sushi bar and pick up something for the two of them. While there, he reminded Yoshio Sato, the manager, to just come and enjoy the party and not to worry about any catering arrangements, they had that covered, and then he went next door to the tapas restaurant and reminded Jerry Ride, the manager, and the waiters and the bartender to be on time for the wedding. He was feeling pretty good about everything so far and seemed to be day dreaming when he pulled his car back onto Pacific Coast Highway to head home with the sushi.
He did not see the SUV barreling toward him at a speed much higher than the legal limit; the next thing he knew, he was waking up in the emergency room of the hospital feeling very drowsy and confused. Mario was standing next to him weeping silently.
"Mario, what is happening?"
"Oh my god, darling you scared me so badly. Mike from the restaurant called me and told me what happened, they all saw it from the parking lot, and I am so glad they were there to help. I have no idea what would have happened to you if they had not been there."
"So, tell me what happened."
Mario explained the accident, and how the emergency responders had been very quick to get Mason out of the mess and off to the hospital. The SUV driver had been trying to manage a cell phone call while driving south on PCH at a high speed and did not see Mason pull onto the highway and hit him across the front half of his car.
"Where is the Ferrari?" Mason asked.
"Bad news, love, it is probably going to be totaled, but let's worry about that tomorrow. Right now let's worry about getting you better and getting you home to rest up for the wedding."
Mason had surgery for a fractured left leg; he was at home in a cast in five days. Mario called a professional nursing service to stay with Mason every day while Mario was finishing his classes and final exams at the law school. With the wedding looming, Mario was suddenly feeling inundated with responsibilities.
The first issue was changing the site for the wedding ceremony; Mason could not easily walk to the beach, so they decided to have the ceremony on the back lawn. Arranging the chairs to face the Pacific, Mason would have to move only about ten yards from the house in the wheelchair.
The second issue was moving furniture in the house to accommodate Mason's wheelchair; the house was going to be crowded enough for the reception without the additional burden of a wheelchair. Clearly, any guests whom they had contemplated housing for the weekend would have to be transferred to a hotel instead. Mario began making a flurry of phone calls to put everything in motion. In the middle of all of the bustle and worry, he had completely forgotten the Ferrari.
Mario awoke in the middle of the night out of a bad dream about car crashes, and realized he had to take care of the Ferrari. As early as possible the next day he made the phone calls and arranged to have the replacement delivered in time for the ceremony. Luckily Mason's car was a recent California model, and not an exotic or classic collector model, and a replacement could be found in Beverly Hills. He also realized he had not called Madge, Mason's sister, or her son to inform them of the accident.
He struggled to decide which would be the best idea, to call them now or to simply wait for the wedding. He made both calls by mid-morning. Mario was sweating to try to recall any details he had missed or forgotten and realized he had made the flight arrangements for his family to LA but had not yet confirmed hotel arrangements. He was in full panic when the reservations desk at the St Regis answered. He was much calmer when he hung up, confirming that indeed five rooms had been set aside for his family.
Mason had been home from the hospital only three days when guests began arriving from abroad; Ross was first to show up and of course was deeply concerned with Mason's accident and offered to help the nursing staff as much as possible.
Mario's family began arriving the next day, with his mother and father and sister flying in from Buenos Aires on a non-stop to LAX. His brother came in on a later flight, having been in São Paolo on business. Mario's aunt and great-aunt from Italy arrived early the next morning, and his uncle from Spain came in that morning as well. All of them were housed at the St Regis and took the remainder of the day off to rest up from their flights.
Mason had arranged a light supper at the house, catered by the tapas restaurant, and the family all arrived with gifts and kisses and hugs and questions. Mason was nervous, of course, but did not show it; Mario was even more nervous and did show it.
The dinner party was interrupted by two deliveries at the front door: TMGM was ringing the bell and looking very nervous and awkward. Mario embraced him and invited him in and soon TMGM and Ross were walking toward the beach to talk privately. As soon as they were out the door, another caller showed up with two large gift baskets containing wine, champagne, fruit, flowers, and cheeses. The delivery woman said one was from the woman who had hit Mason's car and the other from the local Malibu art gallery. Mason and Mario looked at each other and said "Well this might be TMGM's RSVP card?"
Mario's father asked "Who is TMGM?" in perfect English, with a romantic Argentine accent.
Mason replied "The Most Gorgeous Man in the world", with a laugh, and explained how Ross and TMGM had met, although he did not add any of the rest of the story.
"What is his name?" asked Mario's father.
"Joaquin Antonio Mendez de Concordia."
"Oh my God", he responded.
"Is there a problem?" Mason asked.
"Only that he is the son of a Supreme Court Justice in Spain. I know him and his family."
"Wow" both Mario and Mason breathed out at the same time.
Mario Alfonso Giuseppe Ramon Garza de Galicia chuckled; "Perhaps you should have done your homework?"
"Father, it seems in California a new world order has been adopted, people care more about relationships than about family history or family ties. It is less trouble that way."
Mario's father laughed again; "I am aware of the California lifestyle, of course, and although I have no problem with it, unfortunately I live and work in a world that is still very much based in the Old World order, where meritocracy is the main operating system, whether we like it or not. As long as I am a servant of the people, I must walk a tight-rope between what I may believe and what the reality of the culture is and what that culture expects."
Mason laughed; "Of course, and we respect that, and we just want to be sure that while you are our guests here you are very comfortable, happy, and respected and taken care of to the best of our abilities."
At that moment Mario's mother walked into the room and heard just the last snippet of conversation; "What were you saying about respect?" she asked.
Mario Sr introduced his wife again, probably for the third time, and before Mason could explain what they had been discussing, her husband said "We just want to be sure that we have done all that we can to be sure Mason and Mario have a beautiful week with the graduation and the wedding" and winked at his son.
"Mama, please do not worry about a thing, if you need anything please be sure to ask, Mason and I will kill ourselves if you are not completely happy."
"Well, that is certainly drastic" she said, and smiled.
"Mama, I mean it, if you need anything at all, please be sure to ask us. Mason's best friend Ross is here to help and he speaks Spanish so you may rely upon him as well if I am not around."
"I think it is the two Italian aunts that we need to watch out for" Mario's mother suggested. "They have a certain way of doing things and a certain expectation of how things should be, so please be watchful for them." Mario's mother was deadly serious.
"That's true" Mario's father agreed, continuing "So if there is any tiramisu or latté available, that might help them feel better." They all laughed.
At that moment Ross and TMGM returned to the house, and Mason brightened up and announced "Well, looks like it is time to serve the tiramisu!"
Mario ran to the kitchen to begin serving the dessert, and made a pot of decaf, and soon the house was filled with laughter again. The two aunts from Italy loved the tiramisu, everyone enjoyed the coffee, and Mario the younger announced "Everyone, the seats for the law school graduation tomorrow are all reserved, so you will hand your ticket to an usher who will take you to your seats."
Louisa Lombardi Garza de Galicia translated the announcement into Italian for the two aunts, and the uncle from Spain was about to ask a question when the door bell rang for the third time. Stuart Taylor Warden was smiling broadly; "Is my favorite uncle here?" he asked.
Mason laughed out loud and shouted "Stu get in here and meet everyone!"
Stuart was Madge's only son; he would become the only surviving family member after Madge and Mason. He had graduated three years before from USC law, and was excited to get into a conversation with Mario as soon as they could politely excuse themselves from the crowd. His mother was not going to be present for Mario's graduation, but would show up two days later for the wedding. Stuart would also be acting as Mason's best man; Mario's best man would be his older brother Alfonso.
It was nearly midnight when the crowd had left, the house was quiet and dark, and Mario and Mason were in bed. Mario was cautious to make sure Mason was comfortable, and that he could sleep without any pain. As they were falling asleep, Mason asked Mario what he had discussed with Stuart.
"He knows a large number of attorneys in town and wanted to volunteer to help me in a job search; as a clerk for the Federal District judge, he has a lot of influence."
"That's wonderful; I am delighted he offered to help you. Do you know where you want to start your legal career?"
"Well you know I have always been interested in equality issues and racial justice, maybe a firm that works in that area?"
"Sounds interesting, what about salaries in that arena of the law?"
"Oh baby, you know I have no interest in a salary, I am going to give my legal skills to the poor for free, work just pro bono!"
"You're kidding."
"Yes, I am kidding, of course I need to make at least enough to pay for the commute to the office, living way out here on the edge of the continental shelf as we are and the thirteen hours it takes to get back and forth to the city. And I do not expect you to have to pay a penny for my work, so please just relax and we can work this out."
"So did Stuart recommend a firm?"
"Yes, three in fact, one in Santa Monica, one in the downtown financial district, and one in Torrance."
"Well Santa Monica is closest."
"It will all depend on how the chemistry works between me and the partners, so let's just relax, have a wonderful week, and then after the interviews are set up we can decide what the next road is going to be."
"I love you."
Mario sat up in bed. "You do? I think this is the first time you have said that to me."
Mason repeated it: "I love you."
Mario sighed; "I love you too, baby, and I can tell you that I honestly thought I would never find you. Thank god I did." He bent over his lover, took his limp cock in his mouth and slowly worked an explosive orgasm out of Mason.
Over coffee the next morning, Mason said "I can't remember sleeping that well in weeks." They both smiled broadly, and Mario said "Well we better get ready for our guests. We have to be at the law school graduation ceremony by noon, and with traffic we need to get an early start."
No sooner had he spoken than the door bell rang, and Stuart was standing there smiling with Mario's two siblings in tow, and a limo was pulling into the drive with Mario's extended family. Within an hour, everyone had been sated with coffee, juice, beignets, fruit and cold ham. Two more limos pulled into the drive, and soon Mason and his lover were in one with Stuart, the second one had Mario's family, and the third had the two aunts and the uncle.
After the graduation ceremony, the law school had prepared a late lunch for all of the graduates and their families in the faculty senate lounge, and it was nearly dark when the little procession made its way back to Malibu. The first limo pulled into the drive and the guests were greeted by Ross and TMGM, who had prepared a light supper of champagne, croissants filled with chicken salad, along with fruit and tabbouleh, and Irish coffee. Over supper, Mason called out to TMGM and asked "What do we call you now?"
"Well, I am becoming accustomed to `Joaquin', so I suppose we can continue using that if you don't mind?" They all laughed. He continued "And I almost forgot, I have a wedding gift for you and Mario, it is in the back of my LR-4, just let me go get it." When he returned, burdened by a large package, he set it on the nearest sofa and asked Mario and Mason to open it.
Joaquin explained "It is a pencil sketch study for Picasso's famous painting `Guernica', incomplete of course, but still unique and extremely valuable because of course it is, well, Picasso. There are several other pencil sketches by him of the same painting, all of them unique and different; perhaps there are only three not in museums."
Mason and Mario both gasped, and just at that moment Mario's father approached and said to Joaquin "An excellent choice, I am sure your father would be very proud of you and your work."
Joaquin stared at Mario's father, and then finally began to ask "And may I ask sir..." but was interrupted by the senior Mario who explained "Your father and I roomed together in law school. We still correspond regularly." There were gasps and laughter around the room and Mario's father grasped TMGM and hugged him tightly.
"So there are going to be two lawyers in your family?" Joaquin asked his father's friend.
"Well yes and no, Alfonso is also an attorney, and works throughout South America for an American firm, in corporate finance and securities. We were hoping to urge our son to join the family in practicing law in Argentina."
Mario the younger looked at his father with patience and love and frustration; "Father, you know..."
"Yes, I know and we are all very proud of you and we are delighted to have such a wonderful son-in-law as Mason. And of course we wish you both great happiness." Alfonso and Louisa Marie, Mario's sister, gathered around them and all hugged Mason and Mario.
"OK, folks, although it is wonderful to have all of you here, and we truly appreciate all you have done for us, tomorrow is the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, so we better get to bed soon" Mason announced.
The party reluctantly began to drift away, and soon the house was quiet again, except for Ross and Joaquin who were in the guest room noisily celebrating their reunion. Mason chuckled as he and Mario were undressing in their master suite, "Almost makes you horny doesn't it?"
"What do you mean `almost'?" Mario asked and turned and showed Mason his stiff cock. Mason had difficulty maneuvering to get into a convenient position to suck his lover, but they soon found a way to 69 with Mason lying on the bed on his back and Mario kneeling over him, stuffing his Argentine meat into Mason's eager mouth.
Making coffee the next morning when Mason wheeled into the kitchen, Ross said "Well you two were certainly enjoying each other last night!"
"Us? What do you mean? Your loud moaning is what inspired us!"
They both laughed and hugged and kissed as old lovers should and do, and Ross fixed a perfect cup of coffee for his oldest and best friend. "You know something, darling, I was not sure I would ever see you this happy again after Bob and after you moved away from the world to the edge of the Pacific. I am very happy for you."
They saluted each other with their coffee cups, and smiled, and Mason felt a small tear forming at the edge of his eye.
At noon Sister Thet, the Buddhist minister, arrived for the rehearsal, and the crowded great room and patio were overflowing with family and friends. The four gay surfers from across the highway were on hand to help, and eagerly drinking as many mimosas as they were serving. After the sloppy run-through of the wedding ceremony, Mason was eager to get to the sofa and relax. Two surfers approached him at nearly the same moment and each held out a mimosa to him, and he laughed.
"Have not seen you guys in a while" Mason grinned. They both laughed and the goofy red-haired one said "Yeah dude, we were waiting for your next fuck party". His friend shushed him, and while Mason laughed, he worried that the wrong ears may have heard the curse word. "Well, talk to my husband and see what he may have planned." The two surfers grinned at each other and went to find Mario.
At 5 PM the catering company arrived and began setting up for the morning ceremony, and soon the back lawn was filled with chairs, a canopy, a red carpet, a bar, and a long buffet serving table. By 7 PM, the staff from the tapas restaurant had also arrived to check and see if anything was needed for the party the next day, and by 9 the family had all gone home and left the partying to the nine men, all veterans of the previous fuck party plus two from the catering company.
The surfers got their wish early; Mason was dismayed that he could not participate as fully as before, due to his broken leg, but just past midnight everyone had been fully fucked. Mason was exhausted when he fell into bed and was instantly asleep next to Mario.
At dawn, Mason awoke to find the space next to him empty; he struggled to sit upright and find out where Mario had gone. Mason was able to get into the wheelchair and out to the patio and saw Mario walking along the beach. Mario waved when he saw Mason and began sprinting up the beach toward the house. He was a little winded when he reached the wheelchair and was smiling broadly. "I had hoped I would not wake you, but I could not sleep so I decided to get up and go running on the beach for a minute. How did you sleep my love?"
"I slept fine, dreaming of you as usual."
"Ah, that's sweet. Are you ready to get married today?"
"Only if you are."
"I have been ready for years, so let's do it!" Mario laughed and sprinted away toward the house to shower and shave and begin the preparations for the ceremony.
Family and guests began trickling in two hours before the wedding, along with various delivery companies bringing gifts from friends far away; flowers, wine, and objects' d'art were among the deliveries. Madge was delivered by Stuart, and the limo drivers brought the family members from Europe and South America. Just before starting time, the Deputy Attorney General for the State of California arrived, as did the retired mayor of Los Angeles and the son and granddaughter of a former President. Mason's old boss from the magazine, now the bureau chief for Washington, DC was the last to arrive, preceded by the Dean of the law school.
Dr Thet began the ceremony by welcoming the guests: as the last strains of Pachelbel's D-minor `Canon' died away (the George Winston version) she announced "Good day, family and friends, I am pleased to have the responsibility of welcoming you to this joyous occasion, and the family of the Honorable Deputy Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Argentina, Señor Mario Alfonso Garza de Concordia and his lovely wife Señora Louisa Lombardi de Garza welcome you, as well as the family of Mason Sturdevant Taylor who also welcome you today."
A sudden hush fell over the crowd, as Stuart pushed his uncle's wheelchair down the red carpet toward the dais, followed by Mario and his brother Alfonso. They faced Dr Thet who read from her script: "Come and let us live happily ever after, I said, And live out our days In sun and moon and Shadow and rain And hand in hand. Can it be? You asked, Can we be Forever, For nothing is, And this flesh is not, And time is not. And before my tears began You said, But, we shall be What we shall be, And together, In sun and moon and Shadow and rain And hand in hand. For without this, Without you, There is no life, There is no love. And when there is no love, There is no water, There is no music, There is no food in the house, The bread has become sand, There is no color, No taste, And there is no sun, no moon, No shadow, no rain, And there are no hands to hold." 2
She then continued: "That is from Mason's favorite poet, and now please share this with our happy couple as well" and read from Walk Whitman's Leaves of Grass.
She turned to the two men facing her and said "In the traditions of the Old World, we give and we receive in marriage as if in a contract, but here we have today two lovers who have committed to each other far deeper than in any contract. We see with us today the many reasons, including family, friends, and loved ones, who have helped to make this moment possible with their love, encouragement, support, and sometimes criticism, but in all of this we see the love that God and the Universe envelopes each of us with and it reminds us of the ultimate purpose of life and love: to give and to share and to receive in happiness and joy."
"Mario, in love and compassion and companionship, do you wish to have this man, Mason, to be your husband for the remainder of your days?"
And Mario could barely speak, and merely whispered "Yes."
"And Mason, do you take the love and compassion of this man Mario to be your husband as well, and give as well as receive his love and compassion and companionship?"
"Yes."
"Then the State of California and the Universe join in conspiring to make your wishes be realized before God, and pronounce you husbands, to share the bounties and blessings and happiness that life has to give you."
The audience stood and clapped and cheered and whistled, and Mario's mother and sister both cried and the music began again with the love theme from Cavaleria Rusticana3, as Mario wheeled his new husband back down the red carpet toward the patio.
The champagne was immediately presented by the waiters, and the crowd gravitated toward the reception. It was well past midnight when the house was silent and dark, and both husbands were sleepily gazing at each other in bed.
"Love, did you hear what your father said to me tonight? He was amazing and said he could not have chosen a better son-in-law. I cried."
"Mason, you have told me many times already, but my father always surprises me, and I am so glad he said that because obviously it is true. My family loves you and I invited them to come and visit any time and they want us to come to Buenos Aires for Christmas."
"Wow that will be wonderful, are you going to be able to get time away from work?"
"I don't know yet, I am still interviewing of course but we shall see."
"What interviews do you have coming up?"
"Next week I am interviewing with the Federal District Court, where Stuart made introductions for me, and then I have a couple of interviews with the big top ten firms downtown, and then the small immigration firms that Stuart recommended, one in Torrance and one in Santa Monica."
"Remember day after tomorrow we have a date with Ross and Joaquin to go out on their boat?"
"Yes, I am going to be free; I don't have to start interviews until after we get back."
"It will be fun to run down to Catalina on a sailboat."
Mario was asleep as Mason made his final comment; it was well past dawn when the new husbands stirred.