“Oh, and speaking about vows”, Dustin continued, a bit less confident. "I was wondering... Would you like to be my best man?"
"Your what?" Robin asked.
"My best man, at the wedding."
"You know, the groom's friend who accompanies him to the ceremony, leads the toast and gives a speech while drunk that totally ruins the wedding."
"You want me to ruin your wedding, but why?" Robin laughed nervously.
"Forget it, just kidding".
"Good, because I don't want to ruin your special day, Judith wouldn't forgive me. Besides, I've never been drunk."
"Really? That's unusual for a guy your age. Don't tell me, alcohol is forbidden in 5024".
"Not really, only for Time Travelers".
"I see, well that's good to know."
"Anyway, listen, the best man at the wedding is a tradition. It's usually the groom's best friend, or some relative close to him. In my case you're my best friend, if not the only one, so you're the right person," Dustin concluded.
"And what does a best man do, besides drinking and ruining the celebration?".
"Oh, you won't have to do anything, just stand by my side during the ceremony, and say that speech during the toast."
"The toast part sounds simple. The speech... I don't know. Public speaking isn't my thing, not to mention I've never been to a wedding, except my own here in Aurora, but I didn't have a toast, much less a best man."
"Don't worry, it's not that complicated. It will be a small ceremony, with just family and a few close friends."
"Well then, I'll gladly be your best man. Although, like I said, I have no experience at all with weddings. Oasis Landing 2054 has no such thing, you know."
"What, no weddings in the future?"
"There is marriage, but no wedding celebrations. At least not like they have here."
"Are you saying there's no ceremony, no vows, no rings, no best man, not even a cake?"
"Oh, there's definitely cake, but there's no ceremony with all that romantic side, it's just paperwork, you know, like signing any contract. You ask for a permit from the Council, if they give it to you, you sign a temporary marriage certificate, which you can renew every so often. The marriage lasts as long as the couple wants it to, if it doesn't work out, they file for a separation and they go their own ways."
"Just like that? No lawyer, no court, no fighting for children's custody?"
"Nope. All those those terms are stated in an agreement you sign as well when you get married ".
"Wow, that's kind of cold... And very civil, I guess."
"Yeah, it is", Robin sighed.
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