Lip and Annie Ch. 10

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It was about four in the afternoon on Friday when Annie received a call from Robert. She was at the pool again, and he told her he would put on the swimsuit he had purchased the day she got hers and would join her at the pool.

"I guess you must have been knocked out of the tournament, Robert." Annie was looking a little sad as he pulled up a chaise beside her.

Robert gave her a chuckle before saying, "I sure was, Annie. I'm just amazed that I made it as far as I did." He pulled a piece of paper out of his wallet that he had set on the table beside them. He passed it to Annie with a smile on his face.

Annie unfolded it before exclaiming, "Oh wow, Robert! You won over $16,000? How did you manage that?"

"I was somewhere in the 200-300 range of finishers, I think. I wasn't really paying that much attention once they told me they had a check for me. Especially once I saw how much it was. I figured I was in the money, but I didn't think I was there long enough to make this much. It's not bad for a free entry, anyway."

There wasn't much time to discuss what they could do with his winnings, as there were a lot of things to do if they were going to be getting married in the morning.

They were able to arrange to have the ceremony rescheduled for 2 p.m., a time that seemed more traditional. All of their guests were arriving early in the evening, the latest being his sister and Mike. They decided to reserve a table for all of them to have a late supper. The rooms they had reserved for their guests were all within a floor of theirs, so coordinating everything once everyone arrived at the airport was simple.

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The ten of them were seated in a small private dining room, one that was meant for occasions such as this. Robert had finally had the chance to meet Dr. Maier, who was a 50-ish short blonde woman with a very good sense of humor away from her office. Her husband was a little more reserved, but very likable. They were a diverse group that got along as though they had known each other for years.

Patty really took to Annie, just as Robert expected she would. There were tears shed on both sides when they met. In fact there were tears of happiness apparent in almost all of their eyes at one time or another, with the exception of Franz Maier, the doctor's husband.

At the end of the meal Patty stood and said, "I would like to make a toast to my brother and his wonderful fiancée, Annie. The two of you have made me so very happy to be able to make this toast to you now. I just wish our parents could be here now to share the joy."

The toasts came one after the other, as each of them found a cause to celebrate. Robert took the last one and stood to say, "I would like to propose a toast to Annie's parents. They have raised the most wonderful daughter. Thank you both for letting me make her my wife."

Robert almost expected his soon-to-be father-in-law to make some joke, but Angus was far from in a joke cracking mood. There were tears in his eyes as he got up from the table to embrace Robert and say, "Welcome to our family, Robert. You're the son we never had."

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The entire group got together again for a pre-wedding brunch, a relaxed affair for everyone but the nervous bride and groom. Annie was able to count on the other women for help with her case of anxiety, as all of them left after the meal to help her get ready. Poor Robert was left to the not so tender mercies of the other men who kidded him repeatedly until it was time to go to the chapel.

With Fred and Dr. Maier as their attendants, at just after 2:10 p.m. the simple ceremony arrived at its climax. In front of their eight guests and the white-haired minister who performed the service there was this simple exchange:

"I do," said Robert, in perfect tone.

"I do," repeated Annie, her smile providing reinforcement.

After a brief consultation with his new bride Robert announced that they had decided to use some of Robert's winnings to treat their wedding guests to supper and one of the popular shows Vegas is known for. The supper was made all the more memorable when Fred and Sherry announced before the meal that he had proposed just after the wedding and Sherry had accepted. They were tentatively agreed on having their wedding the following June.

Robert and Annie stayed on in Vegas for several more days, time spent sightseeing and behaving like newlyweds while their guests all returned home on flights leaving Sunday evening.

Epilogue

During the course of the next five years Robert quickly made a permanent move from Thunder Bay to Duluth. Once he got his green card he was able to fully establish his business in Minnesota. He still had customers in Canada, but in his line of work it was easy to look after them from nearly any location.

The website started by Yvette, Denise, Tiffany and Blanche still existed, but it had undergone several more changes over the years. Yvette, Denise and Tiffany had been replaced by Nicole, Eden, Laura and Anthony. The four new owners of the site kept the original format, but all of them had supplied their own unique material for its content. The site no longer supplied much of Robert's total income, but he kept it for old time's sake.

Annie was working part time, filling in on occasional shifts when they could arrange that Robert would be able to spend time at home while she was away.

This arrangement was necessary because neither of them wanted daycare for their three children. The twin girls, Greta Louise and Patricia Ann, had just turned four, and their little brother Robert Angus was almost two.

Their doting grandparents as well as their Aunt Patty and Uncle Mike made regular trips to Duluth to visit with the children, and their parents.

Robert and Annie both realized that while they had met across a poker table, their loving relationship was no gamble.

The End.