Iowa Day 3 - The Big Day

Mom called my cell last night, but the phone was off and I didn't find out till this morning. I called her back, and still managed to maintain the vegetable equilibrium; I didn't spill the beans. I did tell her about the surprise tomorrow night, but as far as the trip goes, I just told her that we were away on a romantic getaway.

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After breakfast, we got dressed in our new suits (Gaby looked so sharp) and headed for downtown Des Moines. Going through the security check at the entrance to the courthouse, we were informed that we would not be allowed to take pictures inside the building. We were about 20 minutes early, so we sat outside Courtroom #404 admiring the decor that we couldn't photograph. At 12:15 sharp, we went inside. No one else was there. Four minutes later, I went back to see if anyone was back in the office behind the courtroom. A secretary said that Judge Hanson had stepped out, but he'd be right back.

When Judge Hanson returned, he immediately set about finding a couple of witnesses, which were his secretary and another from another office. We handed over the paperwork, and he asked Gabriel, "Do you want to marry him?" " Yes," and then to me: "Do you want to marry him?" "Yes." The witnesses signed the papers, and left. The judge asked, "Do you want the ceremony, or do you want me to just declare you married?"

Now, before the judge came in, Gaby had been so nervous he was afraid that he was going to forget his English. I assured him it would be very easy, but even I was surprised that it could be that easy. I looked to him to see what he wanted to do. Stammering just a little, he said, "Well, we bought rings." And suits. Don't forget the suits.

The judge said, "Okay. Let me get my notebook with the vows. I'll be right back." The vows were very traditional, except for the word "spouse" where "husband" and "wife" would normally be. I managed to get through them without completely choking up. Gaby stumbled over a couple of words ("...in sickness and in hell...") and giggled a bit. A kiss for luck and we were on our way.

The day was very overcast with a threat of rain, so the photos we took of the courthouse were all grey toned. It didn't match our mood at all. I got the hostess from a restaurant down the street to take a photo of the two of us with the courthouse in the background. We called my cousin Paul, and our friend Charla, and then wandered downtown till we got hungry. We had a delicious lunch at a restaurant that was very Spaghetti Warehouse-ish. The salad bar was an old truck. We took more pictures from the top of the parking garage (we love the fact that you can get on the roof of parking garages for better views,) and then went back to the hotel for a nap and...etc.

Since this was our last night in Des Moines, we decided that we should check out the clubs. There are only three gay clubs in Des Moines, one of which is closed on Tuesday. The other two are next door to each other on 5th Street in downtown East. Tiny places, but the crowd was pretty good. They had a drag show, which we are not into, and this one was badly performed anyway. No one said hello, or acknowledged our existence, even when I insinuated myself into the group watching the guys playing pool. Overall, it was a very bo-o-oring experience.

But just down the street we got some great photos of the Capitol building all lit up.