June 12, 1966

Edward's alarm clock went off far too early in the morning for his taste. After his graduation from the University of Wisconsin two weeks earlier, Edward thought that he would get a bit of a break from having to wake up early, but the wedding and his new job had interfered with that. Edward's life was about to begin: today, he was marrying his high school sweetheart, and after the honeymoon, he would start working for New Crest Bank Corporation. Today, Edward Morrison would become a real adult.

He climbed out of bed, put on his glasses, and went into the bathroom to comb his hair, nearly tripping over his own feet on the way there. When he got there, he started getting ready for the wedding, even though it wasn't until the afternoon. A few of Edward's friends from college were coming over in a few hours, and he wanted to look at least presentable for them.

Edward was one of the first out of his group of friends to get married, but he didn't mind that. He and Lorraine had been dating since high school, and Edward knew that he couldn't love another girl more. She was the one for him, and even if other people didn't quite understand what they saw in each other, Lorraine and Edward knew that they loved each other. That was enough for them.

Edward changed into a tuxedo and adjusted his glasses one more time before the groomsmen showed up around noon. It was bad enough that he could barely see without them, but if he had to wear his glasses during the ceremony, he would at least make sure that they looked okay. Edward was about to leave with his friends when someone suddenly knocked on the door.

Edward opened the door and was surprised by who he saw there. "James?" he said. "I thought that you said that you had a business meeting."

"The meeting got canceled, so I decided to come here instead to see you," James said. "I still can't believe that you and Lorraine took this long to get married."

"You're being a hypocrite, James," Edward said. "You're still not married yet."

James laughed and said, "I know. I'm just teasing you, Edward. I'm just so happy for you. You and Lorraine will make a great couple."

"Thank you," Edward said.

"I still remember when you first called me to tell me about her," James said. "You were so excited that you'd finally gotten a girl to go out with you." James and Edward both laughed, remembering the moment. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you that I was coming," James said. "Can I still attend the wedding?"

"Of course," Edward said. He felt bad that he hadn't known that James was coming. If he had, he might have made him a groomsman.

"Great," James said.

"Are you ready to go, Edward?" one of the other groomsmen asked.

"I think so," Edward said. All of them drove to spot on the lakeshore where the wedding would take place. Plenty of chairs were set up for Edward and Lorraine's friends and family, and Edward's parents were sitting in the front row, waiting for the ceremony to start.

Edward took a deep breath, hoping that everything would go just like it had in the wedding rehearsal. He looked toward the lake and watched the waves crash into the shore. If nothing else, he was glad that he and Lorraine had decided to get married by the lake. He couldn't imagine such a momentous event happening anywhere else. This was where everything else important in Edward's life so far had happened - why couldn't he get married here too?

A few of Lorraine's friends had decided to form a string quartet, and they started to play as Lorraine walked down the aisle. Her white dress perfectly complemented her brown skin, and Edward smiled as he watched her approach. Lorraine's father had abandoned the family when she was young, so her mother was walking her down the aisle. Edward's parents had initially objected, but there was no better solution, so in the end, they agreed to it. They had initially objected to Edward and Lorraine's relationship too, but they had thankfully changed their minds after they actually met Lorraine.

Edward kept his balance using his cane, and when Lorraine finally approached him, he grinned. She was a beautiful bride, and soon, the two of them would be together for the rest of their lives.

The rest of the ceremony was a blur. It seemed like no time at all before Edward kissed the bride, and the ceremony was over. Edward held Lorraine's hand as a few white clouds floated over the water of Clearwater Lake. The lake was beautiful that day - it seemed almost absurdly still without any boats sailing. Most of the people in the yacht club who would normally be sailing were at the wedding. The lake was peaceful, just the way that Edward liked it.

The wedding photographer took far too many pictures of Edward, Lorraine, and their families for his taste. The whole affair felt like a waste of time, but Edward knew that he and Lorraine could get some time alone together after all of this was over.

Just as the appetizers arrived, it began to rain. "At least it didn't rain during the ceremony," Lorraine said, attempting to use her veil as an umbrella as the rain poured down.

All of the guests moved into Edwards' parents' house. Their home was nowhere close to being large enough to fit everyone, but they tried anyways. Lorraine stayed close to Edward, helping him get into the kitchen. However, Edward never really got to eat. He ended up talking to every single one of his relatives and introducing all of them to Lorraine. His grandparents had come all the way from New York, and one of his cousins had flown in from London. Edward needed to talk to them, even if there were plenty of things that he would rather be doing.

Edward and his new wife chatted through dinner, and he was only able to finish half of a slice of cake before he was interrupted again. This time, one of Lorraine's friends from the string quartet wanted to talk to them, so Edward listened as Lorraine introduced the two of them. There was too much noise in Edward's parents' house, so Edward didn't even catch her name before she walked away.

After dinner and dessert were over, Mom and Dad made space in the living room for a makeshift dance floor. The string quartet began to play again, and Edward and Lorraine danced to the music. Edward reluctantly put his cane aside, hoping that he wouldn't fall over. He nearly stepped on Lorraine's toes several times, but she didn't seem to care. "You're doing great, Edward," she whispered to him.

"I'm not," Edward insisted. "Why don't you just lead?"

Lorraine nodded and took the lead, and for a few moments, dancing was much easier for Edward. He could dance without worrying too much about falling over, and if he did lose his balance, he could simply lean on Lorraine. However, Edward was still glad when the dance was done. He stumbled out of the living room, grabbed his cane, and returned to watch his friends and relatives make fools out of themselves. Lorraine was out there dancing too, and she motioned for Edward to join her, but he shook her head. He had danced enough for one day, and now, he was happy just to watch.

As the night went on, the guests began to trickle out, and when the dance floor was nearly empty, Lorraine finally convinced Edward to dance again. "It's our wedding night," she insisted. "We should celebrate a little bit."

"There has to be a better way to celebrate," Edward grumbled, but he went onto the dance floor anyways, if only to please his wife. Lorraine loved dancing, and he would do anything to keep her happy. "I'm only staying for one song," he told Lorraine.

"That's okay," she said. "I just want to dance with my husband."

Edward smiled, and for one song, the couple danced together. After the dance, however, Edward wanted to do something else. The noise in the room was starting to give him a headache, even as the guests were starting to leave. "Why don't we go out to the lake?" he suggested.

"It's kind of late for that," Lorraine said.

"I've been sailing at night before," Edward said. "It's pretty fun."

"If you say so," Lorraine said, and she followed Edward out the door. On the way out, the two of them ran into James Stafford.

"Are you two leaving too?" he asked.

Edward nodded and said, "Lorraine and I are going sailing."

"That sounds amazing," James said.

"I'm sure that it will be," Edward said. "Thank you so much for coming, James."

"You're welcome," James said. "I'm just glad that you're finally happy, Edward."

James left, and Edward grinned, glad that he had found a wonderful woman like Lorraine. He could only hope that James would do the same someday. When they were young, they had always thought that James would get married first, but clearly, they were both wrong. Edward took Lorraine's hand, and they headed outside, where Edward's parents' boat was waiting next to the pier. Hopefully, they wouldn't mind if Edward borrowed it for a little while. Edward carefully set up the boat, and when he was done, he and Lorraine climbed into the boat.

Using the moonlight to guide him, Edward steered away from shore, and for a little while, it was like he and Lorraine were the only two people in the world. They were away from the noise of the house, and everything was right again. Now that Edward was on the water, he could relax. Sometimes, being on land just stressed him out too much, but sailing always solved that.

Lorraine shivered, and Edward handed her his jacket. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Lorraine said. "I was just a little cold, but I'm feeling better now. The moonlight on the lake is lovely."

Edward couldn't help but agree. The lake was beautiful tonight. "We should buy a house on Clearwater Lake," Edward suggested. "I heard that there was a house for sale on the other side of the lake."

"We don't have the money for that," Lorraine said.

"In a few months, we'll have the money for it," Edward said. "My new job pays pretty well."

"We can talk about it again later," Lorraine said. She turned around and looked at the house that Edward was referring to and said, "It is a lovely little place."

"I think so too," Edward said. "It has three bedrooms, so there's even room for a couple of kids."

"I'd love to have kids someday," Lorraine said.

"Me too," Edward said. He looked toward the house again - he loved the way that it looked in the moonlight. Maybe that house would be a part of his future too. So far, he loved the way that the rest of his life looked, living in Clearwater Lake with Lorraine by his side. Edward had lived his whole life in Clearwater Lake, and now, he would never have to leave. He realized now that he never wanted to leave his hometown - if he could, he would stay here for life.

The boat stopped for a moment as Lorraine and Edward reached a spot with no wind. The boat and the water were both completely motionless. "I love you, Edward," Lorraine said as she moved closer to him.

"I love you too," Edward said, leaning over to kiss her.

As far as Edward could tell, the future was going to be perfect.