He got up and turned the TV on. The wedding music soared forth.

"See," Sister said. "There I come down the aisle. That dress looks good, doesn't it? Those damn pantyhose are already making me walk funny, though. Can you tell it?" I assured her that you couldn't.

The camera panned across the aisle and there was Meg Bryan sitting by herself on the groom's side. She was clutching a navy-blue purse, and her legs were crossed neatly at the ankles. She was also smiling. At Henry? This time I reached over and pushed Stop.

"Did you call Henry?" I asked Sister.

"I haven't yet. I will in the morning."

"She's one of his few relatives."

"I told you I'd call him." Sister reached her hand toward the TV. "Can I turn this back on?"

I shook my head. "It makes me sad."

But Fred surprised me. "Let's see it," he said. "It's a celebration of life."

Celebration of life? This remark was so unlike him, Mary Alice cut her eyes around at me.

"Turn it on," I said.

And soon we were caught up in the celebration. There we were, madly chewing, and the camera moving to show the groom and best man swallowing. There were the bridesmaids, Marilyn, tall and dignified, and Haley, flushed, lovely, smiling at someone at the altar. And then the bride in the wonderful white dress.

"The ENT!" Fred exclaimed, pointing toward Philip Nachman. "Look, he and Haley are giving each other the eye."

And there we were exiting the church, talking to Bonnie Blue, entering The Club, watching Henry and Debbie dance with the twins. Watching Haley dance with Philip. "Look at that!" from Fred.

Once again we sat on the terrace with Meg Bryan and ate and talked and smiled at the camera. I found myself smiling back at the TV images. And when the helicopter lifted off, I clapped as I had at The Club.

"Thank-you," I told Fred as the helicopter faded in the distance and the screen went dark. "I'm glad we saw it."

He smiled.

Mary Alice blew her nose loudly into a Kleenex. "That was very nice. Do you want to see it again?"

"No," Fred and I said together.

"Well, I brought you a copy. You can look at it anytime." She ejected the tape. "I've got some videos of the babies. You want to see them?"

Fred begged off with work to do; I claimed fatigue,

utter exhaustion. Which was true. But I would watch them later, would look forward to watching them later, which was also true. I think I'm as crazy about those two-year-old twins as Sister is.

"Come over in the morning," Sister said as she was leaving. "Trinity Buckalew said she would be getting into town about eleven and asked if I would meet her somewhere and help her find her way around. I told her just to come to the house."

"What do you need me for?"