Last
week I googled "the responsibilities of a best man."
It
was in preparation for my debut in the role at my brother's wedding
later on this year. A lot of it seemed straight forward enough but no
matter which site you looked on, they did all emphasise one common
theme. The need to be always on hand and available to the groom in
your responsibility as best man.
My
first test of this was to come sooner than I had expected.
At
my brother's stag do last weekend in Marbella I knew a lot of the
guests. In fact I knew them all quite well, but they didn't all know
each other. I imagine this is one of the main purposes of stag do's.
For the wedding guests to get to know each other before the wedding.
Try
as I might inevitably this ended up in people breaking up into
smaller groups as the day went on. Personally I had no problem with
that. But it did leave me in a precarious situation. I was caught
between several groups. For the most part everyone got on but it did
throw up one interesting conundrum for myself.
At
8pm on Saturday I was starting to get hungry. One of the groups I was
with offered me to come get food and I didn't need a second
invitation.
After
a nice meal I'm walking down the road on the way back to the hotel
and who do I bump into only the groom himself.
Unbeknownst
to me he had actually gone back to bed for the afternoon and was now
ready for dinner.
"You
coming for food?"
Without
a moment's hesitating I agreed.
People
talk about moments of fight of flight in life but this was really
only a moment of one option and that was to fly. What am I gonna do,
say I just went for dinner with all the others without you?
I
could probably eat another starter anyway.
Walking
down the road a stark realisation hit me. We would almost invariably
completely definitely end up back where I was.
Not
more than ten minutes after I left the restaurant I was walking back
into it.
"Back
again?" The waiter quizzed jokingly having just served me no
more than ten minutes previously.
To
be honest it wasn't a massive restaurant but I did think it was big
enough for him, especially with me being part a group of six, to have
forgotten me.
No
chance.
Taking
our seats at this point I was just going to fess up but then I
thought to myself "if I can eat the soup for starter surely I
can find it in myself to eat one more main course as well?"
I
owe it to the founders, hell the forefathers of hilarity to order the
main course as well.
It
was settled.
"Back
again?" The waiter repeats looking at me and me only as he comes
back over to take our order.
I
smile but again don't acknowledge it. At this stage I'm in it as much
for my own amusement now. No point walking straight back into a
restaurant and ordering a second meal without playing nonchalant
about it as well.
To
his utter disbelief he takes my order and then as soon as the pen
leaves his pad dashes straight back to the kitchen to tell everybody
what has just happened. Out of the corner of my eye I can see him
pointing, faces looking over counters and lots of people nodding
heads.
It's
at this point the manager comes over and asks me directly, smiling.
"Weren't
you just here?"
Captive
to my role, I shake my head sincerely. Dumbfound, she returns to the
rest of the waiting staff who are now all beginning to question their
sanities. A restaurant in disbelief.
I
got through the soup ok and although the lamb shank wasn't the best
of choices for a second main course in an hour given its size I did
manage to get through that as well without much plight.
For
the entire duration the waiter tried desperately for me to fold. Eye
contact, smiling, asking me if I was hungry today, but I gave him
nothing. We paid the bill took our stuff and left.
Few
steps down the road and I had forgot something and had to go back. Of
course I went back in and told the waiter what had happened.
To
this day I don't think I've ever seen relief like it.
"Thank
god. I thought I was losing my mind."
