In the end, it's only business

It was a beautiful Friday August afternoon, and the streets of Pasadena were filled with a pleasant stillness among the usual sound of cars strolling by. Suddenly, behind the wooden doors of a Catholic church, the muffled sound of a wedding march broke the pleasant silence. Lila had just walked down the aisle, newly wed with her new husband and the people were already whispering among themselves, "how do we get to the reception room?" They seemed rather apprehensive about it, and with sound reason since a good portion of them had skipped lunch on that day and were starving. It barely felt like dinner time on such a bright afternoon.

"Good Lord, it is almost 7:00 PM," Rachel exclaimed. "Have you gotten the directions yet, Paul?"

"No. We'll just follow dad."

But dad was too busy still counting the money left in the gift box. There were close to 120 guests, and thankfully no children. Rachel made her way to the church entrance where dad was still counting the checks. Being at a cousin's wedding ceremony has its perks. You get to sit in the front seats while not necessarily bound to being someone's bride's maid and having to spend a shitload of money on an event you care little about, especially if it's someone's second marriage.