KERRI'S WAR (Volume 3 of The King Trilogy)

EPILOGUE 2

Port Carling, Muskoka, Saturday, July 27, 2002. 4:00 P.M.

The weather was perfect for a summer wedding. It was as if God had decreed that two very special lovers deserved nothing but perfection.

The RMS, (Royal Mail Ship), Segwin, the oldest steam-powered vessel in North America, glided to a stop inside the larger of two Port Carling locks. The lift bridge above the locks was up and traffic halted. The stately old white and green ship stood three stories above the water line, its single red, silver and black smoke stack, even higher. The vessel boasted a length of 125 feet and a 21 foot beam. A boisterous and well dressed crowd of one hundred people waited on the concrete dock near the lock master's house.

The upper lock gate astern of the Segwin closed, the ship's bell rang, and the crowd began to file on board. When all passengers were aboard, the paddle blocking the underground culvert was removed, allowing the water inside the lock chamber to escape downstream, and the Segwin to descend seven feet, the difference in elevation between Lake Rosseau and Lake Muskoka. The downstream lock gate was opened, allowing the Segwin to continue its journey down the Indian River, into Lake Muskoka, and on to Azimuth Island. The passengers, all carrying engraved invitations to attend the wedding of Kerri King to Stephen Monteith, were treated to an open bar and mountains of finger food to help them endure the thirty minute voyage.

The ceremony was scheduled to commence at 6:30 P.M. The guest list included: Tom MacDonald, Steve's best man, and his wife, Barbara; Ian and Michael Monteith, Steve's brothers; Peter Mitchell and Monty Kaplan, Steve's fraternity brothers and ushers; Barbara Harmon, Kerri's mother, and her husband, David, all the way from Salt Spring Island, British Columbia; Andrea Dennis, Kerri's dear friend, from Glen Cove, Long Island; Marsha Cooper, Kerri's attorney, who saved her from personal bankruptcy and made her a fortune when she sold her Enerco Stock; Cathy Simmonds, Kerri's friend and a broadcaster with WKTV in Manhattan; Cathy Towers, Kerri's step-sister, and her radiologist husband, from Ottawa, Ontario; Kevin King, Kerri's step-brother, together with his lovely brunette girlfriend, both enjoying a summer break from Harvard Business School.

Laughing and joking with one another, the passengers disembarked at the massive dock in a sheltered cove near the south shore of Azimuth Island. Mike and Karen King, the host and hostess, were there to greet them. Mike wore a tuxedo and Karen a black ankle length skirt and cream colored blouse. Both, in bare feet, stood beside a yellow sign with large black letters, "BARE FEET ALLOWED." Beside Mike and Karen stood a bag-piper in full Scottish regalia and playing "Mull of Kintyre." When everyone was ashore, the Segwin left and the piper led them to the cottage, a rambling three-story, white framed structure at the height of the island. There, they had an hour and a half to freshen up, get to know each other, and drink champagne, or some other poison of their choice.

At precisely 6:15 P.M., Mike stepped to the front door and rang a large brass bell, terminating most of the conversations. "Could I have your attention, please?" he shouted with a huge smile. "Karen and I invite all of you to proceed to the gazebo." He pointed south. "It's that way. I strongly recommend that you you fill up your glass before you leave."

Following Mike's request, the guests left the cottage and made their way across the well manicured lawn and down the gentle slope to a rocky promontory forming the southern shore of the ten acre island. Perched atop the promontory was a large octagonal gazebo, sporting a fresh coat of white paint. The view, arguably one of the best in Muskoka, featured an unobstructed five mile vista of blue Lake Muskoka water. Instead of chairs, totally impractical on the rough terrain, Mike had arranged for a local carpenter to construct two large bleachers, each opposing the other and forming an aisle between. Karen had arranged that all of the seats be well padded for the comfort of the guests. Occupying the gazebo was an Irish trio, two males and one female. One male played a fiddle, the other, a guitar. The female played Uillean flute, pipes, and whistles. As the guests took their seats, they played, "Haste to the Wedding."