Ed

Today is a wonderful day: my dear friend, Ed, is getting married.

This has been a long time coming, and his engagement holds an even more special meaning for me. You see, Ed and I used to live together. We were roommates at the Winnipeg Baha'i Centre, caretakers, if you will, for over two years. During that time, a number of older friends kept approaching each of us, single guys that we were, and wanted to know when we were going to get married.

There were many evenings, alone in the Centre, over a cup of tea, that we would talk about this. "Why", we asked each other, "are they so concerned about this?" It wasn't like we were their children, or anything. Why were some of the friends so concerned about us getting married?

It bothered us.

It bothered us a lot.

We knew they loved us, and they were concerned about our happiness, but didn't they know that we needed to take the time to find the right partner? Time was not of the essence. Quality was.

But, you know, the more they asked, the more it bothered us.

Finally, one night at a Feast, Ed and I were talking just outside the main hallway when one of the elders in the community came up to us. With a hand on each of our shoulders, he said, with his thick Persian accent, "Ven are you two going to get married?"

I don't know what came over me. I still can't believe I did it, but I said, "I don't know." I then turned to my friend, Ed, and said, "Hey, Ed, will you marry me?"

Without even a pause, Ed replied, "No Mead, I won't. You're just not my type."

I turned back to the older man and said, "See, I tried."

With wide eyes, a slightly gaping mouth, and not a sound, he turned and walked downstairs. Ed and I were left there in silent giggles.

And you know, I was never asked again when I was going to get married.

Another moment in my life in which Ed played an important role was when Marielle and I got engaged. As you know, Marielle had asked me not to tell anyone, so I didn't.

The evening that I had permission to tell people was a Feast night. Naturally, one of the first people I told was my dear friend, Ed. And Ed, in his own inimicable way, asked me if he could tell some other people.

"Sure, why not?"

So Ed immediately stood up on a chair (it was the social portion of the Feast) and yelled, "Hey, everybody, can I have your attention?" When the room got quiet and everyone turned to him, he shouted, "Mead and Marielle are getting married."

Now it is my turn.

It is with great joy that I get to tell people all over the world that my good friend, Ed, is getting married to Nicole.

(I always wondered how I would get even for his standing on the chair. Now I know.)