It was a warm day and I looked forward to checking into my hotel room and relaxing a little bit before the reception. With a few hours to kill, I briefly changed my clothes and grabbed some snacks out of a vending machine. I did not have to go far for ice though, since the machine was right outside my hotel room door. I realized my hotel room smelled akin to a funeral home, because of an air refreshener atop the air conditioning vent that smelled -- reeked -- of decaying flowers.

         I had a short walk to the reception hall, which was on the same premises as my hotel. I sat with some people that worked for Dissenter's law firm and watched the reception hall personnel set up for the reception. There was an open bar for beer and wine, and mixed drinks for a fee. Someone from the table grabbed a small plate of appetizers and passed it around. Salad and our dinner followed. When we completed our fine meal, our attention was directed to the wedding party table for some speeches.

         One of the speeches was a quiz of sorts, in which we were asked how well we knew the groom. The stories included Dissenter going head-to-head with school administration over a school body policy decision, Dissenter lecturing a law professor out of his own class, and Dissenter pulling over a speeding cop. We also heard a few stories of Dissenter's kindness and generosity, balancing out his cunning nature that most know all-too-well.