***
On Saturday night we all went out to dinner as planned. Erica and Lynn hit it off from the start. Erica wanted to know all about her and Lynn didn't seem to mind telling her. She told us about her family and growing up in Bonham, a small town northeast of Dallas near the Texas–Oklahoma border. She had only one sibling, an older sister who had just graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English. They were very close. Lynn's dad was a dentist and her mother, besides being a homemaker, was on the local school board.
It was a very impressive family resume. I was certainly convinced she would be a great catch, but I wondered if they would actually ever get married. Before I married my first wife, I had thought I was in love more than once. You just never knew about those things. As the girls talked, Matt and I kept busy dipping our bread into the olive oil the waitress had left for us. It was good and I kept telling myself to stop before I was too full to eat the entree.
"So, Rich tells me you're going to help Matt out in his new law practice," Erica said.
"Yes, I'm going to be his right-hand woman, so to speak."
"I was really surprised to hear you were going into bankruptcy law, Matt," Erica said.
"I'm surprised too, Mother. I never even considered it until Lynn pointed out to me how lucrative it could be if we handled it right."
"So, when will you start?" Erica asked.
"Well, that's a good question," Matt said. "But before we answer it there is something we need to tell you."
"What's that?" I asked.
"Well, Lynn and I are getting married."
A big smile came over Erica's face. "Oh my God. What a surprise."
"Yes, we're kind of in shock too, but now that we've found each other there's no reason to wait."
"Congratulations," I said. "I was worried this big lug would die a bachelor."
"Well, that's not going to happen now, Dad."
"Good."
"So, have you set a date?" Erica asked.
"Not exactly, but we're thinking the middle of June," Lynn said.
"That's not too far off. So, where will the wedding be?"
"We're not sure. All our friends are here," Matt said. "But Lynn's parents may want to have it there."
"Well, Bonham isn't too far away," Erica said. "If you have it there, it wouldn't be so bad. . . . This is so exciting! Have you told your parents, Lynn?"
"No, you're the first to know."
Plastic Gods, A Rich Coleman Novel Vol 2 Page 2