The Most Memorable Day of Your Life

I sat watching my Dad straighten his tie in the mirror. 'I could still go with him,' I thought. 'I could throw on my best outfit and tie my hair up neatly.' But I didn't know those people very well, so I stayed put. 1

I heard Mam come up the stairs and come into the room.2

'Are you staying for the reception?' she asked.3

'Yeah, I suppose it's only polite, isn't it?' Dad replied, taking one last glance at himself in the mirror. 'I don't know what time I'll be home.'4

'Knowing you, you could be all night,' laughed Mam. It was true. When my dad gets together with his siblings for any occasion, he says he doesn't enjoy himself but it's clear he does. They laugh about the old days when they were kids. They have such funny stories, as there was seven of them so they got up to all sorts of mischief around Dublin.5

'See you later, Ray,' he said as he walked out the door. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and he returned it. Then he left; he was already late for his niece's wedding.6

He drove to the church in the Glen of the Downs and looked for a parking space behind it. Checking his watch, he realized he was almost 15 minutes late. He walked quickly through the car park and rounded the corner, heading for the church door. But what he saw as he turned the corner made him stop in his tracks.7

An ambulance outside the church. Two paramedics on the ground, leaning over somebody. The bride's father, Peter. He lay there as they tried to resuscitate him, his lips blue. The bride was crying, her mascara running, ruining her make-up. The bride's mother stood beside her, cursing herself for making him come. 8

'He should be in hospital, I shouldn't have let him come,' she whispered through her tears. My uncles consoled her. 9

The ambulance men had finally brought Peter back. Two of my uncles volunteered to accompany with him to the hospital. His wife, Stella, was torn between going with him and staying for her daughter's wedding. Finally, she decided to stay. Stella and the bride, Susan, were brought to a tea room in the church where they could calm down and prepare to restart the ceremony as my dad went to ask what had happened.10

Peter had emphysema and was connected to oxegen 24 hours a day. He was allowed out of hospital to attend his only daughter's wedding. He was brought in a special wheelchair which accommodated his oxegen. Being her father, he was to hand her over to her new husband. But Peter was a proud man and didn't want to do it in a wheelchair. He thought he would be fine just walking her up the aisle, at least, to hand her over. But as he reached the top, he suddenly turned quite pale. Several of my uncles jumped up quickly to catch him before he fell. As they called for an ambulance, they placed him in his wheelchair, where he just lay slumped over. 11

At the reception, Stella and Susan left to visit Peter in Beaumont Hospital, Susan still in her wedding dress. When they arrived, Peter was sitting up in bed, fully conscious. They were told by nurses that he had had a heart attack, and had a 1 in 3 chance of having another one. This time, it could be worse. 12

Stella and Susan, with the consent of Peter made the decision that, should another heart attack occur, he would not be resuscitated. 13

Peter called Susan's husband and apologised for ruining his day.14

Peter stayed in hospital for approximately a month and a half. On August 18th at 5:40am, Stella was called by the hospital and told to get to Peter, quickly. At 6:10am, Peter Kenny passed away in the presence of his wife. He was buried on 21st August 2009.