Reception

Yesterday I attended a wedding reception.  This was my first in probably a dozen years, since my younger son's wedding.  So much different; so much the same.

Mind you, I didn't merely attend this reception.  I was asked to be there as the security officer for the establishment.  Okay, those of you who know me personally, go ahead and laugh heartily now.  It has been twenty years since I was part of the security company contracted to handle crowd-control for rock concerts at the Universal Amphitheatre in Hollywood.  And my job then was hiring and managing capable younger people to be on the theater floor.  Some of you are aware that my physique is non-threatening.  Although I'm not the proverbial 90-lb weakling, I'm still your basic weakling.  The something over 200 pound frame today makes me less laughable as a possible security type, but then there's that little thing of the bad back.  Twice in the last week I have had to cancel golf outings due to a temporary inability to walk well or stand up straight.  A cane was needed to assist in walking just last Tuesday.  Yesterday morning the cane was a strong consideration once again, but through enough moving around to handle the duties of holding an open house, the body began to respond favorably.  By 2:00 in the afternoon when the reception began, I was at least able to fake looking strong and agile.

Currently I am sporting a substantial white beard as well.  That gives me a little more presence or air of gruffness when seen in the general crowd of young people attending a party.  Plus, I knew I could call upon my acting experience to pull off the cold stare of unemotional authority and possible hidden powers - something like the Australian lizard that can make itself bigger and more menacing in the eyes of potential enemies.  So I wasn't afraid to accept the request of a local lady who asked me to fill in.  She was running short of friends to call upon when the man who agreed to do the job had bailed.  Then there was the fact that the assignment was nominal in responsibility, merely a requirement on paper for insurance purposes as stated by the management of our HOA.  The party was in the clubhouse of our senior community.

Fortunately, as expected, no one got too seriously out of line.  Especially was I pleased that all of the larger females were well-behaved.  Wow!  Is it my imagination or have more of today's youth become heavy-weights?  Perhaps there were always that many large ladies around and I simply avoided noticing, but it's tough to see how I could have missed the obvious.  Yesterday's bride, a lovely girl with a most pleasant disposition and fetching smile, was probably within twenty pounds of my own weight, while standing quite a lot shorter.  One female member of the crowd appeared to be about my height (not quite six feet) and probably out-weighed me by a few.  All-in-all, I would guess that around 20% of the ladies present would have presented a real challenge for me (with the help of two other men of my size) to physically restrain or to assist to a waiting van if too much alcohol or party attitude were to take over.  But then, I wasn't there really to be a bouncer or even crowd-control; my stated position was that of a general eye on the premises, inside and out, and having enough sense to call for help if anything really crazy happened.

Nothing did, other than one small altercation in the parking lot that ended when I was able to assist his girlfriend (or at least, a friend who was a girl) to convince the inebriated fellow to come back inside and dance.

Speaking of dancing - have you watched that activity of today?  As one fellow who showed up late to assist in clean-up, another of my contemporaries in the senior group, said to me, "We really danced back in our day!  I don't know what they call this stuff they do nowadays."  Can't say I agreed with that criticism; I typically enjoy the modern gyrations when my back will allow it.  This fellow and I observed there together for a while as the party wound down.  Nothing left but the die-hards and by this time, fairly sloshed partiers trying to wish the bride and groom well by strange movements and maudlin shows of affection when they had the chance to drape themselves over one or the other.  What amazed me most though was this and that variation on the dirty dancing theme.  One couple appeared to be joined, albeit still clothed, in some kind of sexual embrace.  And they seemed to stay in the same position through at least two long music numbers, always locked in the same languid swaying, expressing a far-away look of ecstatic pleasure each time I glanced back at them.  Her bottom was firmly pressed against his crotch and he held her tightly against himself with his hands in a location I never touched on a female body until sometime after my own wedding.  Trying to recall my own youthful days, I was sure that had I been so fortunate and so bold as to engage in that sort of dancing, my underwear would have certainly been quite warm and sticky after the first few seconds.  Perhaps this young man's were as well, and he simply had the audacity to go on reveling in the clothed coitus for many long and satisfying minutes.

As my fellow senior friend pointed out, and I had been aware for two hours or more, one of the smaller ladies in the group was extremely fond of grinding her body against others.  And all those others were female, insofar as I had noticed.  This girl, in a little black dress, often moved in such ways, sliding down the thigh and over the knee of one of the several taller girls she seemed to attack with gusto, that the form of her entire pubic area and pantyhose clad ass cheeks came into view of any who cared to notice.  I noticed a good bit.  Sure I'm now in my late sixties but my eyes still enjoy and memory still serves very well.  Combine that with an almost universal desire shared by males to watch females together in actual or perceived sexual situations, and I wouldn't have been completely surprised to find my underwear a bit sticky last night.  Just observing.  Good party!

Bride and groom seemed to have a great send-off for their new marriage, and I was glad to see such open expressions of happiness.  This part of the traditional wedding reception was pretty much the same as these events have always been.  Friends show up, laugh, shout, applaud, drink, dance and make all kinds of almost inarticulate overtures of toasts and good wishes - and then two people feel married more completely.  I'm sure the party continued long into the night following the formal party at this venue where the DJ was paid for a five-hour stint and stayed on another half hour for free to be good to the newlyweds and to their host, my friend the grandmother of the bride. 

It would be nice to see more of this kind of happy partying here in our community.  Sure beats memorials and the other less festive uses of our community clubhouse.  I'll probably accept requests in the future to be on security detail, even if it means walking in with a cane.  As long as my heart, my back and my underwear can take it.