“To my son and his new wife. May you be blessed with children and lifelong happiness.” Agreement rings out from upward of thirty guests, gold-rimmed glasses raised and clinking. We all sit in padded teak chairs in varying shades of brown, from light to dark. Gilded net overlays a white tablecloth, and bronze rims the flatware. The tent shielding us from the sun has pale yellow, camel, and umber material draped and gathered overhead at angles. Candlelight flickers inside glass votives despite the two o’clock hour. My best friend, Mitch, smiles in a tight-lipped way at his new wife, Ella, reminding me how uncomfortable he is with attention. It’s part of the reason why I’m surprised to be here at all. The other part is because I’d assumed he’d wait. But Abel had been putting a lot of pressure on him to get married. Probably more than I realized. I understood parental pressure and expectation better than anyone. After lunch, guests filter into the large backyard.
