And Sophie, standing in a yellow dress with tears already running down her cheeks.
At the end of the aisle stood Mark.
He wore a dark gray suit.
His hair was neatly combed.
His hands were clasped nervously in front of him.
When he saw me, his entire face changed.
He looked at me the way he’d looked at me on our wedding day.
As though I were the only person in the world.
He started
crying before I took my first step.
Then the music began.
“At Last.”
Just like our original wedding.
Sophie took my arm.
“Ready, Mom?”
I laughed nervously.
“Not even a little.”
“Me neither.”
We walked together toward the water.
At the end of the aisle, she placed my hand in Mark’s.
He held it tightly.
“Hi, Lee.”
“Hi.”
He stared at my dress.
“You look…”
His voice failed.
I smiled.
“Sophie chose it.”
He laughed softly.
“Remind me to thank her.”
“I will.”
And we both understood the deeper meaning of those words.
—
Pastor Jim spoke for a few minutes.
Then he turned toward Mark.
“I understand you’ve written something you’d like to say.”
Mark reached into his jacket and removed several folded pages.
They were covered with his familiar handwriting.
His hands shook as he unfolded them.
He studied the words.
Then looked at me.
Slowly, he folded the
pages again.
And placed them back in his pocket.
“I wrote everything down,” he began.
“Because I was afraid I’d forget.”
His voice trembled.
“But standing here looking at you, I think I can say what matters.”
He took my hands.
“Twenty-six years ago, I told a girl I’d known for eight days that I was going to marry her.”
Several guests laughed.
“She told me I was crazy.”
He smiled.
“She was right. I was crazy about her.”
He looked into my eyes.
“And I still am.”
Then his expression grew serious.
“Lee, my doctors have told me there may come a day when I don’t remember this lake.”
His voice cracked.
“Or this dock.”
He looked briefly toward Sophie.
“Maybe even our daughter’s name.”
I felt tears sliding down my cheeks.
“And someday, I might forget your name.”
He swallowed.
“So I can’t promise you that I’ll always
remember.”
He drew a shaking breath.
“But I can promise you something else.”
He reached into his pocket and removed a small velvet box.
