MAY 2020 | COBB LIFE 23
was smitten and this was real.
Spoiler alert: it was.
Reggie eventually proposed, she said yes, and the wedding
planning started. The Church, rehearsal dinner and reception
venues were reserved. Flowers were picked out and cakes
were tasted to find the right morsel of sweetness to cap off
their big day. And, of course, they both made sure the wine
would be flowing.
As the day inched nearer, so did COVID-19. At first, it was
a murmur. Cases were being reported up north, but the South
was still in the clear. Addison and many of her bridesmaids
are in the education field, so they were gearing up for Spring
Break, followed by wedding week. Then the murmur turned
into a rumble. Schools in the 901 and other areas, including
Atlanta, were being closed for an extended Spring Break.
Okay, this is just a precaution. Get in the schools, get some
deep cleaning done and monitor the situation. The wedding
can still proceed and then most everyone will be back at work
the next week.
Finally, the rumble turned into an outright roar. Schools
closed indefinitely. People got sent home to work remotely.
Gatherings of no more than 50 people were recommended
anywhere. The next day, that number was no more than 10.
Cases of COVID-19 started popping up in Tennessee,
Georgia and surrounding states. Then the dam broke and the
pandemic swept across the US.
Reggie and Addison tried to make it work. They went over
every scenario in their heads. But they finally had to face the
reality of this crazy time and sent out the text and e-mail no
one in their position ever wants to send:
“The wedding is postponed.”
Addison always told Reggie she wanted a marriage more
than a wedding. A wedding is a day. A marriage is a lifetime.
They would remain engaged and find a time later this year to
get married. Reggie agreed they would have the ceremony
later this year, but remained adamant:
“I’m marrying you March 21!”
There is an exchange between Dr. Strange, Peter Quill and
Tony Stark in “Avengers: Infinity War” that goes something
like this:
Dr. Strange: “I went forward in time to view alternate
futures. To see all the possible outcomes…”
Peter Quill: “How many did you see?”
Dr. Strange: “Fourteen million, six hundred and five.”
Tony Stark: “How many did we win?”
Dr. Strange: “One.”
Reggie and Addison found the one outcome. It was not the
ideal dream wedding they desired, but it was the outcome
that would let them proceed with a ceremony so they could
move on to the marriage. Addison hung up her dress and
Reggie returned his tux. Addison chose a white, shortsleeved,
tea-length dress with a scoop neck and Reggie a
black tailored suit. They met their immediate family at the
church in Marietta where the ceremony was originally going
to take place. The total number of people in the sanctuary
(family, bride, groom, photographer and pastor) roughly
equated to 10. There was no fancy dress, no tuxedo, no
bridesmaids, no groomsmen, no extended family and no
friends physically present on March 21. But there was God.