The Wedding Gift - Chapter 7 - Conor

I left the party pissed off. First off, there was this older guy who kept on flirting with Hannah. His breath stunk of vodka even before the staff put it on the tables. That was Paulina’s creepy uncle, as I later found out. Every family has their own creepy uncle, apparently.

I’m not an impulsive or overly jealous person, so I ignored him when he kept on complimenting Hannah’s appearance or asking her to dance with him at least a dozen times. Even though she often refused and didn’t seem to be comfortable with the nagging attention this guy gave her, he wasn’t ready to give up.

He crossed the line when he touched Hannah’s ass after she finally agreed to dance with him. I noticed it because I paid close attention to his every move whenever he was near her. I don’t think it was an accident. He deliberately grabbed my girlfriend’s butt and didn’t feel like he’d done anything wrong.

Hannah broke free from his embrace as I came up to him and told him a thing or two. I admit that punching him did cross my mind, but thinking about doing something and actually doing it are two entirely different things. The situation did make me frustrated, but it wasn’t difficult to keep my temper in check. I am able to control myself. Besides, it was Hannah’s friend’s wedding, so I didn’t want her to be ashamed of me.

Then, three already slightly drunk guys—most probably around sixteen, if not less—kept calling me McGregor, asking for an autograph, or bragging about what they would do to me in the Octagon. I usually don’t mind being compared to one of the greatest UFC fighters of our time. I was born in Dublin too, so to foreigners I may sound exactly like him. My accent is not as thick as it used to be, though. I’m an English teacher, and I've learned to adjust my speaking so my less advanced students can understand me as well. And, like McGregor, I did actually take martial arts classes for a while. Except that I have never fought competitively, and I’m no celebrity.

The three guys were somewhat annoying but also harmless at the same time. At that point, I had already drunk a few bottles of beer but was still far from feeling light-headed or sick. One time, I even started laughing at their clumsy attempts at shadowboxing near the staircase. They were all so focused on beating the shit out of their invisible opponents that it looked truly hilarious.

One of the few things that gets to me is when someone is mocking my accent. I don’t know why, but it gets on my nerves pretty quickly. The guys mocked me a few times, repeating my words in a way that made them think they sounded like I do. But again, I just told them to leave me alone and go bother someone else.

With every hour, I felt less and less excited about the party. I could usually be found sitting at the table with a beer bottle, as I didn’t know almost anybody there. And not that many people spoke English, to be honest. I didn’t want Hannah to worry, and suggest that we leave earlier and go upstairs to our hotel room because I knew how much she wanted to stay. After she moved to Dublin, she didn’t get to see her Polish friends as often, so this was a perfect opportunity to hang out with all of them in one place.

Finally, there was one guy who really made me lose it. Ironically, it was one of the two most important people at this wedding. I couldn’t control myself any longer. I really tried to be invisible. I was determined not to make a big deal of what was happening to me that night, but bottling it all up only made things worse. I punched Harrison a few times and instantly knew what I had done was wrong. But what he did was way worse. I still think he deserved every one of these punches. Although I’m not particularly proud of myself. Maybe a little.

Taking me for a thief and making a scene in front of at least fifty people, especially at his own wedding, surrounded by friends and family, was way over the line. I’ve never stolen a thing in my entire life. I’ve never done anything illegal. Heck, I’ve never even gotten a speeding ticket. I’ve worked hard for every penny I earned, and I won’t let anyone smear my name.

Good thing Harrison didn’t know about Paulina and me, or one of us could really end up in the hospital.

I wish I had met Paulina sooner. She’s so mature and funny at the same time. But sometimes we happen to meet certain people when it’s too late. Paulina is married now, and I have to respect her decision. Hannah is great, too. I mean, she’s beautiful and smart—a little unstable at times.  But to be honest, I wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship with her. I would definitely consider one, though, if I were with Paulina.

When I woke up the day after the wedding, Hannah had already left. She also left me a text message saying that she was going to take all her things from my apartment and move countries, so I shouldn’t bother trying to reach out to her.