The wind had calmed. The waves still pounded on the shore. The almost-full moon over our shoulders made the bay glow silver. It felt surreal.
“Hello, Mr. Barnes-Bennett,” Andy said.
“Hello, Dr. B.arnes-Bennett.” The name on our mailbox back home was now official, at least by Massachusetts standards.
I had suggested making our name Bennett-Barnes but gave Andy the final decision. He’d chosen to reverse the order: “Beauty before the beast.” He would pay for that one!
We slipped away from the party. The night was warm, the atmosphere magical. Mikey and John had arranged for the chairs from the ceremony to be replaced with a tent, but the night was so warm we pulled the air mattress out beneath the open sky. We stood in the moonlight in our tuxes, facing one another, hands joined.
“I can’
