Both men were silent a long time, pondering. Finally, Lorne got to his feet, and reaching for his coat, muttered, ‘Let’s go oil the gears at the Black Bull. Bring Connie. It sometimes takes an intuitive woman to notice that a thinking man’s fly is open.’
Checking his own dutifully and zipping it up, Ken followed.
The double wedding, though a frugal affair (by choice), was nevertheless a happy occasion. The young men were suitably awed by their radiant young brides and by the anticipated mysteries of life, and their young women had formed a close and supportive bond that was a great relief to the boys’ parents. Both girls were trying not to think about their respective wedding nights, a prospect they greeted with as much wide-eyed apprehension as timid curiosity, but both were looking forward to having their own home.
This latter was the reason for the frugal nature of their wedding: their parents, Monica’s being the only exception (for which she was kindly admonished over having expressed guilt), had helped purchase a modest house for both couples to live in; a wise move as it would give the young women a much-needed leg-up in coping with being copper’s wives, and it would take the strain off the young people’s getting themselves established.