Michelle and Abrar
On Saturday April 23rd my god-daughter Michelle is getting married. It seems centuries ago that I first saw Michelle and her tiny twin sister Melissa at the hospital in Hartford where their mom, my Filipina co-worker Rose, had given birth just hours before. I was one of the first visitors to the hospital nursery that day and the nurses assumed I was the father; they made quite a fuss over me - I even received a round of applause from the staff and visitors - til I convinced them all that I was merely the god-father.
The christening was a huge affair since each of the little twins had two sets of god-parents. So there were eight of us (plus their parents, of course) on the altar and at the party that followed, where the babies - now referred to as The Twinkies - were passed around between their parents, grand-parents, god-parents, aunties, cousins and friends.
For a couple of years god-parenting was part of my routine but as The Twinkies grew up we saw them less and less. Everyone was busy and they lived just far enough away to make frequent visiting something of a chore. Their mom took another job and left the Company where we had met and worked together; once the girls were in school their lives filled up with friends and activities and the god-parents drifted out of the picture.
So now Michelle is all grown up and about to become a bride. I would guess that it's been 20 years since I last saw her. So the wedding will also be a reunion. Let's see how many of the eight original god-parents show up.
This will be the first wedding I have attended since the mid-70s when my friends Helen and Larry got married in a tiny civil ceremony just a few close friends in attendance.
Since I'll be without the Internet for a few days (my friend Richard who I am staying with doesn't own a computer, amazingly enough) my blog will be dormant til Easter evening.