Robby was not given any physical task concerning the wedding preparations EXCEPT to build the arch and some unique lighting fixtures for the reception. I know when to harp on things and when not to; it is a talent a wife acquires over time. Robby knew all along that he had these items to build for Caitlin's big day but just kept saying, "You don't have to worry about it...I will get it done." Hmmm...as the time drew nearer and nearer, I would mention the projects every now and then. However, at the one week mark, I began to get worried. I cautiously brought the subject up one last time at which his reply was, "Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow?" (sigh...) He did, however, assure me that I could just put my worries to rest; everything would be done and in place the day before the wedding.
In the meantime, Caitlin was also worried about the completion of these projects, but was so busy packing that she didn't have much time to dwell on the matter. She had decided to pack all of her things for us to take with us to Kentucky and store in a building, so when she and Kevin got ready to move after their honeymoon, they would already be halfway there. This was an enormous task that had my house upside down for most of the week. She would work a while and then take a break as I could hear her mumbling something about "Moving sucks!" I couldn't disagree; I hate the entire moving process, myself.
I was aware that the boxes were beginning to stack up, although I continued to walk from room to room with apparent blinders on. Perhaps if I didn't stop long enough to look at everything, it wouldn't be real. I suppose Robby felt the same way until the night before he had to help her put all of the boxes in the U-Haul.
I walked into the room to find Caitlin sitting in her daddy's lap with him rocking her. There were tears in his eyes as the realization finally hit him; this WAS going to happen, his little girl was going to be moving thousands of miles from home in only a week's time. I knew this too, but I am that sort of person who gets through the event ok and then falls apart later when everything is quiet and still. Nothing would truly hit me until after Caitlin pulled out of my driveway, newly married, headed to Ohio for 5 years. I had stuck that into one of the back corners of my mind, where I intended to keep it for a couple more weeks. Robby, however, had allowed those thoughts to enter his mind and now I could see how difficult the wedding week and day was going to be for him. I thought about that arch and those light fixtures and suddenly it dawned on me...perhaps he thinks, "If I don't build it, maybe she won't go"! Oh, he knew deep down that she would be going with or without having those items at her wedding, but putting off actually building them far in advance meant that he didn't have to think about it with every stroke of his hammer. I got it now; this wasn't mere procrastination; it was self-preservation. He was saving himself from the reality of what was about to take place very soon.
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