Chapter 374: Howard's Wedding
As Ron had predicted, Howard indeed lacked the courage to shoot himself in the foot, and Sheldon's emotional barriers were unexpectedly strong, forcing Mrs. Mary to wait a while longer for grandchildren.
"Ron, I don't care about Sheldon anymore. Actually, I've given up on the possibility of him having children. It's a miracle he even has a girlfriend. But Ron, you still have a chance. Ron, when are you planning to marry that sweet girl from the Tuohy family?"
Mrs. Mary's sudden question left Ron speechless. What could he say? He couldn't very well admit that he thought she was great but that he was having too much fun playing the field and rarely made time for actual dates, could he?
Collins had even worked hard to get into UCLA to be closer to Ron, but they only managed to see each other about once a month on average.
Each time, Ron used work as an excuse, but the girl never seemed to mind, which was starting to make Ron feel guilty about keeping things so casual.
"Don't rush these things, Mom. When the time is right, everything will fall into place. Trust that the Lord will arrange everything, Amen." Ron tore a piece of paper and crumpled it near the receiver, making a rustling sound. "My signal is breaking up right now. I'll call you back when I get a better connection."
"Okay, wish Howard a blessed marriage for me. I'll keep him in my prayers."
"Will do." Ron hurriedly hung up the phone, letting out a sigh of relief. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Mrs. Mary was becoming increasingly difficult to dodge.
"Ron, you need to stand in line with Sheldon." Rajesh positioned Ron next to Sheldon, looked around the now completely transformed apartment building rooftop again, and nodded in satisfaction.
This was his masterpiece. Because the rocket was going to launch Howard into space the day after tomorrow, and Bernadette wanted to marry Howard before he left Earth, there wasn't enough time to plan a traditional wedding.
So he came up with a brilliant idea: to hold the wedding on the rooftop of the apartment building at exactly 11:24 AM, just as Google Earth satellites were passing overhead. This way, their wedding would be captured as an image on Google's satellite map—a romantic gesture befitting an astrophysicist.
Howard's friends would serve as their witnesses, attending this unique ceremony. Even the notoriously critical Sheldon couldn't help but praise the concept!
"Okay, the ceremony begins now!" Rajesh, acting as wedding coordinator, gave the signal: "Penny, music!"
Bernadette, accompanied by her father, walked gracefully to the strains of Pachelbel's Canon in D. Her father, as they walked, couldn't help but mutter, "Your mother-in-law has more facial hair than I do."
"We'll talk about that later," Bernadette said, pinching her father's arm.
Bernadette's father rolled his eyes and placed her hand in Howard's: "She's all yours, kid~"
"What do you mean 'she's all yours'? I'm not a piece of luggage!" Bernadette glared at her father with an adorably fierce look.
The old man could only kiss Bernadette on the forehead, stepping back while continuing his commentary: "As if this string bean could even catch a football~"
Ron's face turned red from suppressing his laughter.
Of everyone present, besides Bernadette's father, probably only he and Penny could actually catch a football, right? The other four scientists were all more physically challenged than the last.
But then again, within these four seemingly unimpressive bodies lay intellects powerful enough to propel humanity into the next era. While Ron occasionally teased them about their physical limitations, he held a deep respect for their minds.
This was Ron's wedding speech for Howard:
"First, Mrs. Mary from Texas asked me to convey her greetings and best wishes for your marriage," Ron said, pulling out his note card, glancing at it, and then putting it back in his pocket. He felt he no longer needed it.
"Howard, although you always envy my rugged good looks and impressive height—well, forgive my little bit of vanity here—" Ron smiled, looking directly into Howard's eyes.
"But I want to tell you that there are plenty of guys like me everywhere, and I shouldn't be someone you envy. What you don't realize is that people like you are actually the ones I envy."
"Many years from now, perhaps an even more handsome or taller guy will come along. People will celebrate him and forget all about the Ron before him. But what people will never forget are those pioneers who, with their brilliance and dedication, crossed one technological frontier after another, leading human civilization from the Stone Age to an ever brighter future."
"Howard, Bernadette, you are such people. May your love inspire even greater breakthroughs, whether that breakthrough is a new life or some world-changing technology. Thank you, pioneers."
It must be said that after the previous speeches about love and romance, Ron's speech immediately elevated the significance of the wedding considerably, naturally provoking some objections.
"Hey!" Sheldon protested, "Ron, isn't your speech a bit much? I thought you were going to say these things when I win the Nobel Prize."
"Shut it!" Ron glared at his brother. "The pioneers I'm talking about include you, and everyone here except Penny."
"Everyone?!" Sheldon's eyes widened in surprise, as if he couldn't believe Ron would compare him to the ordinary people around him.
But Ron's gaze grew sharper, and Sheldon, weighing Ron's fists against his own physical resilience, wisely shut up.
"Alright, my turn," Sheldon pouted, pulling out his note card. Just as he was about to speak, Ron shot him a laser-like glare: "No Klingon!"
"Fine, I'll speak in English, but don't blame me if the speech loses its impact." Sheldon picked up the card and read: "I've never understood why someone would spend their entire life searching for another human to spend their life with…"
Sheldon's words, like his personality, were peculiar. Ron shook his head; expecting Sheldon to suddenly become emotionally intelligent was unrealistic.
Next came the exchange of rings and vows. Ron watched the two kissing beneath the heart-shaped balloon arch, and a pang of something—longing? envy?—involuntarily rose within him. Startled, he quickly shook his head and sent Gisele a text message: "Want to hang out tonight?"
(End of Chapter)
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