I am so excited we are finally getting married tomorrow. Tonight, we planned to have a small dinner with Lizzie's parents, Hope, and Duke. Then I am sleeping at our house and Lizzie at her parent's house, so we wouldn't see each other on the day. Earlier this morning, I dropped off my grumpy and decaffeinated Lizzie at Hope’s so they could do some pre-wedding girl stuff. Then I dashed downtown and bought her and her mom gifts to give to them later tonight. I wanted to give Lizzie a keepsake which could be passed on to our little girl on her wedding day. Checking the time on my phone, I realized I needed to get my ass to the airport to pick up Duke. Dashing through traffic, I pulled up to the curb in our little red Mini Cooper and saw the over six foot tall burly biker dude's expression change. His hardened face was priceless. I couldn't hide the smile on my face as he tried to figure out how he would fold himself into our little car. I stopped as he opened the door, threw in his duffel bag and crouched down to look me in the eye.
"Kid, I can’t believe you still have this tiny clown car and you are going to make me fit into this tin can again."
I couldn't hold in the laugh as I rested my head on the steering wheel trying to avoid looking him in the eye. He’d had the same response to our car on his past visit. The tap on the window from the airport traffic cop let me know we needed to get moving. The growl from Duke kept us from getting a ticket.
"Well, old man, I am not sure. Just put one foot in and see if you can fold up the rest of your old carcass. I don't seem to have a problem."
He laughed and slowly lowered himself into our little car. Once he got himself settled, his hulking size took up most of the inside of the vehicle. We drove off toward the city with a slight lean on Duke's side of the car. I wished I could take a picture without fear of a beating.
"Good to see you, kid. Are you ready to get hitched?" Hearing his whiskey-soaked voice was the comfort I needed to ease my nerves.
"Yep, now that you're here. I'm all set." We sped toward our house to get him settled before the meal tonight. I was excited for Duke to see Lizzie again. His approval and love were more important than I'd ever confess to him. Trying to calm down, I peppered him with loads of questions about the bar and our friends. Before I realized it, we'd pulled up in front of the house.
“Home sweet home.”
"Glad you found a home now, kid. I wasn’t sure you would find one."
"Yep, this is home. Come on, old man, let's get you settled."
I needed to get out of that small car with all the big emotions I was feeling.
I left him in the living room while I put his stuff in the guest room.
“Want to watch the Giants game?”
“Kid, I thought you’d never ask.” We plopped down on the sofa, had several beers, talked about the new manager at the bar and waited for Lizzie to get back. Having Duke here felt right, it felt like home.