If Anyone Here Knows Of Any Reason…

by Jeff Baker

The grass was green there and the sunlight glinted off the river as Craig and Kent held hands and listened to the Minister’s words.

“Do you Kent Alexander MacDowell take Craig to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

Craig grinned at the man he loved and tightened the grip on his hand.

Kent took a deep breath and said “I’m not sure.”

Craig didn’t believe what he was hearing. “Not sure?” he asked in a strained voice.

“No, I’m…I’m not.” Kent said, still holding Craig’s hand.

“Why?” Craig breathed, his legs feeling limp underneath him.

“It’s not you,” Kent said shaking his head. “Not you. It’s…well, everything.”

“Um…could you wait here a minute or two,” Craig said to the Minister. “Be right back,” he said to the small knot of guests as he and Kent walked a few yards away.

“What’s going on?” Craig asked when they were out of earshot. “What do you mean it’s everything?”

“Everything,” Kent said. “I was listening to the news in the car on the way over here. It’s all going to hell in a handbasket. The economy is shaky. The government is a mess. We’re probably going to war with Iran or Iraq or Denmark. They’re going after the ‘T’ in LGBT and we’re all next. It’s just…well…”

“You feel hopeless.” Craig said.

“Yeah.” Kent said. “I know we’ll be happy. I know we are happy but I don’t want us to be ripped apart if the court decides…”

“Honey, listen to me,” Craig said, putting his hands on Kent’s shoulders and looking in his eyes. “Nobody’s going to do that. Not to us.” He took a deep breath. “And even with they mess up the laws and take our rights away from us we will still be together. Like the ceremony says, ‘let no man put asunder.’”

“Yeah.” Kent said.

“You’ve been doomscrolling too much. We all have,” Craig said. “But people are standing up against all this crap. You saw the pics from New York City? People protesting weekly even in ice and snow and subzero temperatures. So every little bit helps, I mean this is for us but also for everybody else out there. And it’s a slap in the face to all the homophobes who are against us.”

“Yeah. It is.” Kent said. “I guess I’ve just been worrying a lot lately.”

“We all have,” Craig said pulling Kent close and holding him. They stood there together for a moment, feeling the breeze and hearing the river.

Kent started to laugh.

“Hey, remember that first Thanksgiving I took you over to Mom and Dad’s? And my Uncle told that story about how my Dad had snuck out of the dinner the night before his and Mom’s wedding and walked back to the motel because he was scared and didn’t know if he could be a good husband?”

“I remember,” Craig said grinning. He had only met Kent’s parents a couple of months earlier.

“Maybe that’s what happened to me?” Kent said.

“Yeah, making it official is a big step.” Craig said. “For both of us.”

“But I’m ready,” Kent said taking a deep breath.

“So am I.” Craig said.

They kissed and hand-in-hand walked back to their friends and family and the Minister and to the place where they would stand and say “I Do.”

—end—

TOPICAL NOTE: I wrote this just a few days before all hell started breaking loose again. I make no claims to being a prophet—-jeff