Here Comes the Groom

Today I had to attend a Bridal Shower for my cousin's fiancee. I have to be completely honest, I was less than thrilled about attending. I have met the girl once, and since she entered the picture as his significant other, my cousin stopped attending church, and I haven't seen either one of them for the better part of a year. The women of the church decided out of kindness, really to my aunt, that they should throw a shower. I arrived with my grandmother and another aunt, a little before two, the time it was to start, and we waited, and waited. At 2:15 my aunt finally arrived looking very flustered. She stood to the side and talked to two people for 5 minutes before coming forward and announcing to the group of twenty women gathered that the bride would NOT be coming. In lieu of her presence, for an apparent "claimed" ailment, my male cousin would be arriving in her stead. He arrived a half hour late. While there were few games planned, I thought it would be fun to tell him we were going to be creating bridal gowns out of toilet paper, and since the bride was absent he would have to stand in for her. He actually took the news quite well, and was willing to do his part to make the shower a success. He was so amiable we decided to spare him. I had the honor of sitting next to my aunt, and was able to ask about the bride's alleged affliction. Something about my aunt's speech made me seriously doubt that my aunt believed the reason of absence. My aunt, was not ungracious enough to call her daughter-in-law to be a liar, but apparently this type of thing occurs often, whenever my aunt plans or is part of an event, the bride tends to beg off and produces a reason not to come. Naturally, my aunt is beginning to have doubts about the validity of these excuses. At any rate, it made for a fast shower once things got under way. Guys don't typically ooh and aah over Corningware and Pyrex. He did his part, thanked people appropriately, and was overall a good sport. I will be interested to see who actually writes the thank you notes. I am betting he does.