After we said goodbye to Evin and Laura, Matt and I explored the hotel a bit. One of the great things about the hotel is that it has a large collection of art, most of which is glass. From where we sat in the bar, we could see that there were at least two upper levels with art displays, so we ventured up to take a look.
We had decided not to change out of our wedding clothes just yet. I figured that if I was only allowed to wear my wedding dress for one day, I was going to make it last! Especially since, aside from Amy’s wedding, it was the only time I had ever worn a formal gown. So as we walked around the hotel,we were well aware that we stood out in the crowd, even among the many people parading about in formal attire for the holiday balls happening that night.
We enjoyed looking at and talking about the art on the first and second stories, and we were just about finished with the third storey, when a married couple came storming out of the nearby hallway.
“You guys haven’t consummated it yet? Come on!” shouted the man. “I saw you walking around here earlier. Get a room!”
The woman giggled stupidly.
Matt and I were both taken aback, but ready to dismiss the man’s drunken exclamations as nothing more than the blabber of an overgrown frat boy. We ignored them and continued to look at the last piece of art while they lumbered by. To our dismay, however, they took a seat on a nearby bench, where they continued to speak loudly.
“You have to do it now, because in eleven years you’ll be like us and you’ll never want to do it.” Turning to his wife, he said, “I bet they think it’s going to be all kisses and cuddles forever. I bet they think–HAHAHA!–I bet they think they’re going to stay so in love! But after eleven years they’ll be just like us. Hahaha!”
Matt and I just sighed and stood for a while longer, trying our best to ignore them. Not wanting to pass by them, we turned and walked around the corner into the hallway, where we found some elevators. While waiting for the elevator to reach our floor, we heard someone running toward the hallway. Who do you think would appear, but the drunk man’s giggly wife. She stood in the hallway and glanced at us, smiling like a schoolgirl who thinks she’s getting away with mischief. We entered our elevator and, much to our chagrin, she followed. Her husband lagged behind, and when he finally stumbled into the elevator, she had the gall to turn to us and ask, “So how’s your night going?”
Matt muttered “Fine,” as he pressed the 25 button and I tried to avoid all acknowledgment of their existence. Luckily, it didn’t take very long to get to the 18th floor, where we shoved them out of the elevator, pressed the button to close the doors, and continued on our way to the top. Ok, so we didn’t actually shove them. But we should have.
Our wedding day hecklers were just giving voice to the messages that our society sends us about marriage today. It’s a sad but true fact that most marriages today are pretty miserable, and misery loves company. But just because that may be our hecklers’ fate, doesn’t mean it has to be ours. We’re entering into our marriage with the knowledge that it will not be easy, and the willingness to do what it takes to make our marriage the best that it can be.
I can guarantee you, in eleven years we will not be drunk, sitting on a bench in a hotel heckling some bride and groom. We’ll be in our own hotel room with a “Do Not Disturb” tag on the door handle.
