Chapter 15

July 11, 1992
Boston, Massachusetts

Dan slid the ring on Julie’s finger.

“I, Daniel Patrick O’Hara, take this woman, Julia Danes, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

He turned his head toward Julie then, and it was her turn.

Julie’s eyes never left Dan’s face as she made her vow.

“I, Julia Danes, take this man, Daniel Patrick O’Hara, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

They held hands tightly.

“In the eyes of God, and before this congregation,” intoned the minister, “with the power invested in me by the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you, Daniel and Julia O’Hara, man and wife.”

The bride and groom kissed for longer than they should have, while the little church exploded with clapping and cheers.

•

They had already bought a home and a sunset reception was held there. A dance floor was set up in the center of the rear lawn while a live trio played on the deck attached to the house. Patio tables with floral centerpieces surrounded the pool, and candles in lily pads floated on the surface of the water.

Julie’s parents were there and they seemed genuinely happy and proud. To her relief, they didn’t over-indulge. Dan’s Dad, a tenor, sang at every available opportunity, and Julie was forced to admit to herself– with not a little guilt about her own mother - that she simply adored her new Irish mother-in-law.

The rest of Dan’s extended clan attended as well: grandparents, in-laws, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews. It was a bit overwhelming for Julie, coming from a family of three, but she was sure she’d get them all sorted out…sooner or later.

The real treat was when Julie saw her friends from Solomon Chrysler…Milt and Miriam Solomon with Avram and Marc, Laura Bennett, Annie Tiegs, Joannie DeAngeles and Pete Soldano.

“You look beautiful, Julie,” said Pete. “We miss you at the store.”

“Oh, I miss you guys, too. But I’m really enjoying school; Dan was right about that.”

“I went to Boston College, Julie,” said Joan. “It’s a huge campus. Do you like it?”

“I do. I’m certainly getting plenty of exercise walking from class to class. “

“What’s your major?”

“Psychology. I’m not sure what I want to do with it, yet. Right now, I mostly use it to figure out Dan,” she said with a laugh.

“Oh, yeah, right,” said Dan. “She had my number the day she met me!”

Julie was glad they had a few days to recover before flying to the Caribbean. Still, she was excitedly looking forward to their honeymoon.

Castle Cay, their destination, was an outer island in the Abacos chain, a group of cays - or “keys”, as Marc pronounced it - in the Northeast Bahamas. The island was privately owned by the Solomon family, who had made the whole trip a fabulous wedding gift.

Marc had raved about Castle Cay:

“You’ll love it, Julie. It’s so beautiful! It’s wild and rugged on the Atlantic side and so lush and different where our house is, on the Caribbean side. That’s where our caretaker’s farm is, too. The water’s not deep at all there and it’s as clear as your swimming pool.

“And it’s completely private,” Marc added, winking. “There couldn’t be a better place for a honeymoon!”

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