friends in low places

So M. was in this wedding on Saturday. A good friend of his. And I'm very happy for them, etc., etc., but boy, I wasn't feeling very excited about attending. Especially if the significant other would be in rented tux, up in front of everyone, instead of next to me. Ugh.
I've hung out with his friends a number of times, but not much since the ... well, the engagement to another guy, the imagined conversations about what a, well, not very nice person I was to do this to M., etc. So I've been a little ginger about spending time with these folks. (I don't have certain evidence of these sentiments, I should stress.)
Also, uh -- they're not totally "my kind" of people. How's that for generosity on my part.
So, the day arrives. M. departs with friend; I am to follow an hour or two later. I get Lizzy down for nap; I take nice, long, leisurely shower, doing all the extras (shaving, whatever) that I often don't bother with because they take too much time. I step out on the bathmat to hear the ringing of the phone. It's M, frantic because ... wait for it ... HE FORGOT THE TUX. He wants me to leave immediately so I'll be able to get it to him in time for him to start ushering folks down the aisle. And the site is at least 45 minutes away, who knows where -- I have directions, but please! -- and, if you had forgotten, I'm wearing A TOWEL.
M. is unconcerned with my "you can't ask a woman to go to a formal occasion without primping!" plight, though, understandably. And so, about 10 minutes later, I rush out the door. Thank the Lord for sunglasses. We can look cool no matter how bare our eyelashes are.
In brief, I get the tux to M. in the nick of time. I manage to get myself pulled together, appearance-wise, at the wedding site. And, a lot of fun is had by all -- even me! At one point, M.'s brother (only sibling) comes up to me -- completely trashed, but still -- and drapes an arm around me and tells me a couple times that he loves me, and we're family, "no matter how much I might not like hearing that." It was about the most touching thing I'd heard in ... gosh, I don't know how long. I had good chats with a couple other of M's friends, too. I'll say this for them. The boyz know how to have a good time! Lotsa dancin', eatin', drinkin', stompin', and whatever else they could think of to do. Which, rumor has it, included some golf-cart stealin' and wheelin' ... thankfully, I had left by then.
Yeah, I left the wedding to make it home to my darling daughter, who, I was convinced, would never be able to survive an overnight without Mommy. She woke up at 4 a.m. or so, crying for grandma, since that's the last person she saw. I go in, all certain that Lizzy will shriek with delight upon seeing she gets Mommy! The grand prize! Not just grandma! She looks at me, says, "WHERE'S GRANDMA?!!" and starts REALLY wailing. Hm. Is there still a golf cart unspoken for?!?