The day after Arthur’s obituary ran in the paper, Holman returned to Tuttle with the proof he needed to expose TransVirginia Shipping Company’s illegal dumping practices. In fact, he said that by his second day at sea he’d witnessed enough to prove the allegations, but was stuck on the ship for the rest of the weeklong voyage.
On his first day back in the office, I filled him in on everything that had happened since he left town. He was proud of my work on the Davenport story, which he showed by saying simply, “I told you so.” Then without further comment he said, “Aunt Beast looks thin.” He pursed his lips as he watched her swim around the bowl. “Are you sure you followed my instructions?”
“Yes, Holman.”
“Hmm.” He put his bug eye right up to the side of the glass. “Her scales aren’t as vibrant as usual either. I’m giving you a C– on fish feeding.”
I rolled my eyes. “But what do I get on reporting?”
He blinked. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, if I get a C– as a fish feeder, what grade do I get as a reporter?”
“Reporters don’t get grades, Riley.” He looked confused. “We aren’t in school.”
“Yeah, but if fish feeders—” I stopped myself. It was good to have Holman back, and I didn’t want to argue with him.
Jay and I had mutually agreed that it would be a bad idea for him to come to the wedding as my date—why make a difficult situation even worse—so Holman had been kind enough to be my plus one. And even though he’d been regaling everyone we talked to with stories of his maritime adventures (which mostly included the irony of how many frozen fish sticks the crew ate), I was grateful not to be there alone. Romance was in the air and Holman, bless his heart, provided the perfect antidote.
The wedding ceremony took place on the Davenport estate’s massive stone patio, and the reception extended down the steps to the back lawn. Tables with white cloths and lavish flower arrangements surrounded a parquet dance floor covered by crisscrossing strings of twinkle lights. It felt like dancing under the stars. It was a beautiful event, down to the last detail, and I was in awe of Tabitha’s ability to pull it off given the events of the past two weeks.
The toasts were in full swing, and we’d just suffered through a multi-stanza poem by all nine bridesmaids, who each recited one verse and passed the mic down the line. (I never knew you could rhyme so many words with amazing.)
When it was the Best Man’s turn, David Davenport, looking back to health and extraordinarily handsome in his jet-black tuxedo, told a charming story about how Thad had come home from his first date with Tabitha three years ago and said, “Tonight I think I met the girl I’m going to marry.” When David asked how he knew, Thad said, “She told me so.” Everyone laughed, and Tabitha’s cheeks turned a deep pink, which made her look even more beautiful.
Then David paused, his tone turning serious. “We all know that these past couple of weeks have been hard for our family. We lost our father, many of you lost your doctor, and many more still, your friend. Arthur wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination—he probably worked too much, drank too much, expected too much from the people closest to him—but he was a good doctor, a good friend, and a good father. He loved Thad and me, and our mom, God rest her soul.” He paused, looking out over the crowd, whose faces had all turned serious too. I saw him share a look with Thad from across the lawn, a shared understanding of a common loss.
David went on. “And he didn’t deserve what happened to him. But if there’s one thing Dad believed down to his very soul, it’s that this life doesn’t owe you anything, so we will try to focus on the good he did while he was in this world rather than the injustice of how he left it.” The crowd was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. None of us were sure where exactly David was going with this toast.
“So, in that spirit, I’d like to share something from Dad’s obituary that I think lends itself particularly well to this moment. Tuttle’s newest intrepid obituary writer, Riley Ellison, who is here tonight, uncovered this quote that Dad said at a 2014 awards banquet.” David’s eyes found mine and he gave me a little wink. “He was being honored with an award for excellence in healthcare, as voted on by his patients. Those of you who knew him know my dad didn’t miss an opportunity to grab the spotlight, so as he looked out into the crowd of his former patients who’d turned up for the reception, he said, ‘All you ladies out there remember that I was the only man who ever truly found his way into your heart.’”
That broke the tension and everyone laughed, including David, who wiped at the corner of his eye before continuing.
“I wanted to share that story not only because Dad found his way into the hearts of so many, both literally and figuratively, but I know if he were here right now, he’d be so gratified to see that my big brother Thad was lucky enough to have found his way into Tabitha’s heart, and her into his. He’d be so proud of you both, and I am too.” Then he raised his glass and said, “To the happy couple!”
We all clinked glasses and drank to Thad and Tabitha, the music came back up, and the party continued. A few minutes later, a breathless Ridley walked over and plonked herself down at the
