Laurel Mountain

Sandy, how long have David and Becca been married?

2007.

When is their anniversary?

September 2nd – Labor Day – how could you forget?

What do you mean, how could I forget?  You forgot their anniversary, didn’t you?

You’re right – I did.  Their second one, I think.  David will never let me live that down.

Their wedding was so great.

Yes – it was beautiful, but I never thought it would be.

Why?

Linda, don’t you remember when you and I and Fred and Bob drove from Providence to Northampton to see the place where they’d decided to have their wedding?

Yes - what was it called?

Laurel  Mountain.

Didn’t you think it was called something else in the beginning?

Oh, right.  Becca was telling me about it - trying to describe what it was, and it sounded like she was saying it was an “autistic center.”  I kept thinking, well, I know they’re both psychologists, but I really don’t understand why they want to have their wedding at an autistic center. Are they going to do therapy in between the dancing and eating?

So what WAS she saying?

It was an “artistic center.”

Oh, that’s so funny.  How did they come up with that place?

Becca’s parents knew about it –it was near their house - and I think her father had gone to talk to Fabio, the director.  
 
Well, it was really in the middle of nowhere.

I know, Linda.  Remember the directions we were following - turn right when you see the building with the cow on the roof –

Yes, and then we drove forever on that bumpy dirt road, up the hill, and we finally got to the top, and saw this strange man in front of a kind of shack, and we asked him how to get to Laurel Mountain.

Yes, because we didn’t think we were in the right place.

And then when he said, “This IS Laurel Mountain,” I couldn’t believe it.

I know.  I must have stood there for twenty minutes with my mouth hanging open, thinking, what do you mean this is Laurel Mountain, there isn’t anything here.

No, and there were no beautiful mountain views like we thought there’d be – it wasn’t a pretty place.

It wasn’t a place – it was just a field!

With some trees –

That were all bare – no leaves –

There wasn’t much grass and the ground wasn’t level - it was hilly and rocky.

Linda, all I could think about was Mom trying to walk on that ground without falling and complaining how dangerous it was.

And all I could picture was 300 people sitting on the grass –

And going into the woods to pee –

Because there were no bathrooms.

Well, there was that one building – a dance studio that Fabio took us into, where we had to take our shoes off.

That was strange, Sandy.

Fabio was strange.

He was from another planet.

I couldn’t get past those orange shoes he was wearing.

Crocs?

I guess so.  I had never seen those before.

Thank God Fred and Bob were there - I think they knew to ask some questions.

Yeah, like was there another place to hold a wedding nearby!  I could not figure out why David and Becca wanted to have their wedding there.

Where would Becca walk down the aisle?

And what about dancing, and food, and where would people sit?

Sit?  What about electricity?

Electricity? What if it rained?

Everyone would be sitting in the mud with ponchos over their heads eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and singing “kumbaya.”

Well at least I felt better after I saw the place where I was having the rehearsal dinner.

That was pretty - but the caterers were very weird.

Far too many piercings and tattoos for me.

And the food that they served us for the tasting menu was strange.

Yeah, I wasn’t thrilled, not that it mattered in the end.

Why?

Because they went out of business three weeks before the wedding!

Oh I remember that.

I was a little stressed out.

I know – I could hear you screaming in Providence.

Actually I was really glad, because Becca found me a much better caterer.

Portobello - their food was very good.

They really saved the day – they even managed to get the kosher vegan gluten free meal for Becca’s uncle.

The rehearsal dinner was great and the wedding was even better.  The trees were in full bloom, the grass had grown in, the tent was perfect, the band was wonderful, and even the porta potties were nice.

I know - It was fabulous – and I think everyone had a good time.

 I guess Fabio came through in the end.

Fabio wasn’t there – his wife managed everything.

Where was he?

I don’t know – I think he went back to his original planet.

So David and Becca actually did a good job of choosing the location and planning everything.

They  did - I have to admit Laurel Mountain  worked out very well.

Do you think Katy would want her wedding there?

NO WAY!!!!!

Biographical Note: Sandy Lichtenstein grew up in Providence, Rhode Island with her twin sister Linda, and her older sister, Joan. They were always told that their girdles should be tight, and their Bermuda shorts loose.  “Decent” meant that you were dressed appropriately, dogs were pets that other families had, your teachers were never wrong, the solution to all your problems was fresh air and exercise, and you always had to wear socks with your sneakers because Calvin Coolidge’s son died of an infected blister from going sockless while playing tennis.  This piece is part of a book Sandy is writing with Linda, about growing up as a twin. It is a series of conversations exploring their memories of shared experiences, like their double wedding, (but not their husbands), that are sometimes the same and other times very different. See Author Index Prose L-Z for more of Sandy's stories.