A TaleSpin Wedding
By Ted Bear
(1999)
Kit
took a nervous glance at the small clock on the nightstand while hastily
brushing off any lint or other imperfection on his new black tuxedo. He wanted to look perfect today, because
today… was the big day. He then looked
over at Baloo, who stood in front of his mirror, in a tux identical to Kit’s,
also making sure everything looked perfect.
The
boy was still a little in disbelief that a time like this had finally
come… When he had first come to live at
Higher for Hire, never did he even dream that something like this would ever
happen. Yet, here he was, all dressed
up, ready to go to the chapel… And the
expression on Baloo’s face--- Kit
couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen him like this. There was a glowing happiness on the gray
bear’s continence, almost trance-like. The pilot was usually so rugged, but Kit had to face it, at times like
this, his Papa Bear was a hopeless romantic. And if he was nervous, he was hiding it well.
Kit, on the other hand, had a stomach full of butterflies, and he
wasn’t even the one getting married! Although, he did have a very important role:
he could hardly believe it when they asked him, Kit Cloudkicker,
to be the best man. Him, the best
man! He felt so honored, and was so
proud he could burst… Both bears had
every right to be a little nervous; they both knew that when the sun set today,
neither one of them would ever be able to say that life would be exactly the
same anymore.
Baloo
locked eyes with the cub through the mirror, and gave him a soft wink. “You all set, kiddo?”
He asked, adjusting Kit’s collar and tie…
Kit
took a deep breath. “Sure
Baloo...” He said, closing his
eyes. He tried to imagine what the day
would be like… how beautiful Becky
would look in her wedding gown as she walked down the isle… and how cute Molly would look in her little
pink dress. And that was another
thing: Molly. Kit knew that after today, she’d have a great dad; if one thing
Kit learned, is that great dads didn’t have to have years experience in
fatherhood to be great. This was true
for him, and it would be with her, most certainly. “…I’m all set.” He looked
up at the gray bear with a reassuring smile.
“Good! We wouldn’t want the best man to
be late now,
would we?”
“I’m
a little more concerned about getting the groom
there on time. That’s my job!” Kit said, poking Baloo playfully in the
gut. Each time Kit heard the term ‘best man’, it made him feel
all the more proud… And there was no
way any groom was going to be late while he
was in charge of getting him there…
Baloo
chuckled. “So it is, kid. Okay, Li’l Britches, lead the way.” And off they went, a new chapter in their
lives to be begin. Wildcat went with
the two bears to the chapel.
***
During
the ceremony itself, Kit felt like he wanted nothing more than to stay lost in
the moment forever… It was almost
unreal, like a dream that he hated to awake from, where unknown anticipations
mixed with comforting surrender. Kit
looked around at the faces in the pews, and on the bride and groom
themselves. Nothing could describe the
scene, or how he felt as he took it all in… Then the realization hit him of why he was so awestruck--- because on
this day, at this moment, life was a
dream… and it was real.
As
the minister spoke, Kit continued to gaze at the bride and groom… Rebecca looked far more beautiful in her
gown than Kit could have imagined. He
took notice of Baloo’s reaction when he saw her as well; you could have knocked
the pilot over with a feather!
Kit
was there when the couple-to-be first met, but in all honesty, he never thought
this day would come back then… They had
more of a boss to employee relationship back then, but soon their feelings
evolved for one another, almost like they were destined to be together… Funny, Kit thought, how a boss falls in love
with an employee, and vice versa… Not
to mention how different these two were from each other! The bride, so refined and well mannered, and
the groom, so… well, opposite… And
these two were going to be man and wife? Kit chuckled lightly at the thought.
There was going to be some fun in store in the future…
He
had some doubts at first about the wedding, wondering where this would leave things,
but then he figured that it would be for the best, and besides, they looked so
damn happy together, how could he ever even think about not wanting this to
happen? And as long as they were all
happy, things were looking bright.
***
At
the end of the ceremony, it seemed to Kit that it had ended almost as soon as
it began… He was so enwrapped in the
moment that he had lost all sense of time.
A
limousine awaited outside the chapel to take the newlyweds away on their
honeymoon… Kit followed them out, along
with the procession of other friends and family. They both waved at the boy before getting in, and he waved back,
with a huge smile. Becky even blew him
a kiss, making him blush a little…
As
Kit watched the limo drive off into the distance, he couldn’t help but become a
little misty eyed, and even started to choke up a bit. A friend handed him a hanky.
“Thanks.” Kit said softly, “They sure look happy, don’t they? I mean, they’re really in love.”
“Yep, Li’l Britches, They sure do.” Baloo answered. “I tell ya, Wildcat’s one lucky guy.”
The End