An Old Friend: Version A Part 22

Lisa sighed happily as she surveyed herself in the mirror at her mum’s flat.  Her mother and bridesmaids Carol and Connie were helping her get ready.  Carol had been something of an expert with hairstyling, so she’d pinned Lisa’s hair up in a sleek up do, leaving a few tendrils down around her face.  Her mother and Connie helped fit her headpiece on. After her hair was styled and the headpiece was fitted, they stood back and looked at her.

“Oh, Lisa, you look like an angel!” Carol exclaimed. 

Lisa smiled and blushed a bit.  “Thank you, Carol.  I love what you’ve done with my hair,” she said a bit shyly. 

Carol smiled and stepped forward to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Think nothing of it, dear.” 

Connie smiled at Lisa.  “You do look absolutely beautiful, Lisa,” she said warmly.  “I do hope you and Mike have more luck than John and I.”  She turned her gaze downward.

Lisa looked at her sadly.  “I am so sorry about you and John,” she said softly.

Connie looked back up at her and gave her a quick little smile.  “That’s alright, darling.  I don’t want to lay this on you right before your wedding.  John and I will manage.” She walked up to Lisa and gave her a hug and a little kiss on the cheek.

Lisa smiled.  “Oh, I can’t wait until the wedding begins and I’ll get to see my wonderful Michael again.  How I wish I could see him now.  The last time I saw him in a suit was my graduation from Oxford and that was ages ago.”

“You know, dear, it’s bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding,” Lisa’s mother grinned.

Lisa sighed heavily.  “Yes, I know.  That’s the problem,” she put on a mock pout, causing Carol and Connie to giggle.

Carol stepped forward and reached for her purse.  She dug out a photo of herself and the Pythons at her wedding a few years earlier.  She handed it to Lisa. “This might not be the same, but it should give you a taste of what Mike looks like in a suit,” she winked.

Lisa looked down at the photo and a smile spread across her face.  It showed Carol in a lovely wedding dress, lying back in the laps of Terry Jones, Eric, Michael, Graham and John.  Jonesy was being funny and looked as if he pretended to be gnawing Carol’s foot off.  Lisa giggled. When her eyes reached Michael, though, she narrowed them thoughtfully.

“What’s wrong?” Carol asked.

“Is it me, or does Michael appear a bit frightened in this picture?”

Carol bent over and looked at the photo.  Michael was dressed very nicely in a black, pin-stripe suit and was well-groomed, but he had a look on his face which made him appear as if he were awkward or uncomfortable. Carol looked at it for a moment, then she broke out in a grin.  “Oh, that’s just Mike appearing as Mike,” she giggled.  “He must have been feeling incredibly shy that day.”

Lisa giggled a bit.  “Yes, perhaps.”  She wondered though if he’d felt bad, that there was something missing in his life, like he was still searching for the girl of his dreams.  After all, it had been about 3 years since they’d lost contact when that photo was taken.

She smiled and gave the photo back to Carol.  “Thanks very much for sharing this with me.”

Carol shook her head.  “Oh, no, please, it’s for you.”

“But it’s from your wedding, isn’t it?”

Carol held up her hands.  “Believe me, that’s the umpteenth copy of that picture.  I’ve got several more at home, so it’s yours.”

Lisa looked down again at the photo and back up at Carol.  “Thanks Carol.  I really appreciate this,” she smiled.

Carol smiled back at her before leaning forward and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “All the best to you and Mike,” she exclaimed.

Suddenly, the sound of a horn caught their attention.  Lisa’s mother peered out the window and saw a limousine parked out front to take them to the church. “Well, I believe our ride is here,” she grinned. “Come, ladies, we must go now.” 

With that, she, Lisa, Carol and Connie made their way out the door, down the stairs and outside to the limousine.

Michael looked nervously at his watch as he made his way down the road toward the barbershop.  Time was fleeting by, and Eric and Jonesy would be stopping over just before they’d head over to the church.  He wished he didn’t get such a late start this morning.

He smiled upon finding that the barbershop was open.  He parked out in front, slipped out of the car and made his way into the shop, whistling happily.

As he entered, he found there was no one there.  He breathed a sigh of relief, as this meant he’d get done quicker. 

A middle-aged man poked his head out from behind the front cash register. “Well, if it isn’t Mike Palin,” he grinned.

Michael giggled a bit.  “Hello, Nigel.”

Nigel came out from behind the counter and looked Michael up and down. “I see you’ve gotten rid of the sideburns,” he pointed out.  “Or did you have a slight shaving mishap?” He grinned.

Michael rolled his eyes.  “No.  This haircut was courtesy of our two hairdressers during the Grail filming.  According to Terry there were no mutton chop sideburns during the Middle Ages, so they had to be shaved off.”

Nigel nodded thoughtfully.  “Well...you could grow them back later, you know.”

Michael narrowed his eyes.  “No, it’s too much trouble I reckon.”

The barber laughed.  “Well.  I take it you’ve come here for something other than light banter?”

Michael laughed and nodded as Nigel led him to a seat and proceeded to drape a cloth over his shoulders. “Just a trim, Nigel.  My girl likes it long,” he grinned.

Just as he picked up his comb, he stopped and looked at Michael.  “Your girl, Mike?” he asked curiously.

Michael held up his hand and grinned apologetically.  “Yes, that’s right,” he nodded, smiling.  “I’m getting married today.”

Nigel furrowed his brow in confusion, then looked at Michael.  “Ohhh, why didn’t you tell me before you went up to Scotland?”

“Because I didn’t know I was getting married before I went up to Scotland,” Michael grinned.

The barber looked at him, confused.  “I’ll never understand you, Mike.”

Michael giggled.  With that, Nigel began to wet Michael’s hair and comb it through. 

“Remember, not too much off.  She likes it long, and if that doesn’t make you nervous I’ll be watching in the mirror the whole time,” Michael said wryly.

The barber rolled his eyes, then looked back down at him.  “Okay Mike, I understand.  Just a trim, okay?”

Michael grinned as Nigel went around his head, snipping the bottom and sides and the bangs just a bit.  When he was through, he plugged in his blow-dryer and proceeded to dry Michael’s hair.  When he finished, he removed the cloth from Michael’s neck and gestured toward the mirror. “Will this do?”

Michael looked in the mirror and smiled with satisfaction.  He looked exactly as he had when they were filming Holy Grail and Lisa had first come to spend time with him. “Ah, just as she likes it,” he said softly.  He turned back around to the barber.  “You’re lucky, Nigel,” he grinned, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, thank heavens I got it right this time,” the barber chuckled.

Michael reached down into his jeans pocket and dug out his wallet.  As he paid the barber, he informed him of where the wedding was going to be held. “...Just in case you’d like to drop by, you know.” He grinned.

“’Drop by’??” the barber said to himself as Michael exited.  He shook his head and laughed to himself.

Michael happily made his way to his car, skipping a bit as he went around to the driver’s side.  He was glad the haircut didn’t take very long as he still had time to get his tux on before Eric and Jonesy arrived.  He hummed happily the entire way back.

After he made it back to the house, he ran inside and checked to see where he’d left his tux so he could start getting ready.  He breathed a sigh of relief when he found it lying on the bed in the guest room.  He started to unbutton his jeans when he heard the doorbell ring.

Michael peered out the window and saw Eric standing in front of the door.  He quickly buttoned his jeans back up and tucked his shirt in before answering the door.

He opened the door and found Eric standing there in a light blue suit, most likely the same one he’d been looking at in the shop the other day.  His long, wavy blonde hair was neatly combed and parted on the side, and it framed his face. 

Eric smiled as Michael opened the door. “Well! If it isn’t the bridegroom himself.”

Michael smiled shyly at him.  “Well.  You’re a bit early, aren’t you?”

Eric shrugged as Michael let him in.

“I’ve got to get my suit on, Eric, if you don’t mind.”

Eric shook his head.  “Oh, no.  I’ll just sit here whilst you get ready.”

Michael nodded.  “Ah.  Thank you,” he grinned.

As he headed off toward the guest room, Eric sat down on the couch and looked down at the coffee table.  There were various magazines scattered around...Sixteen, Country Life... Eric smiled and instantly began browsing through them.  He helped himself to a peppermint candy from the small crystal candy dish.  The dog heard this unmistakable noise and made a beeline for Eric.  He smiled at her and bent down to scratch her head.

Meanwhile, Michael was quickly getting himself ready.  After he’d slipped into the tux, he fastened the bowtie around his neck, slipped his socks and shoes on, and began to comb his hair in front of the mirror.  Yes, he did look smashing, if he did say so himself.  He smiled to himself as he made his way back to the living room where Eric was waiting. “How do I look?” he smiled.

“Like a real sex machine, Mike!” Eric winked.

“Um...thanks...I think,” Michael blushed. 

As he turned around, Eric noticed that something wasn’t right. “Wait a tic.  Turn around again,” he said.

Michael looked at him curiously, but turned back around.  Part of his hair had been sticking into his shirt collar.  Eric pulled it out and it spilled just a bit over the collar.

Michael nodded and grinned at him.  “Ah.  Thank you Eric.  If it’s one chap who knows about hair, it’s you.”

Eric turned his eyes downward and grinned.  He looked back up at Michael, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Speaking of which, come over here with me.”

Michael walked over with him to the mirror on the wall.  Eric fished a comb out of his pocket, and he began parting Michael's bangs, attempting to comb them over to the side of his face.  It didn’t seem to stay, however.  Eric furrowed his brow in confusion.

“I just had it cut, if that helps.” Michael explained.

“Ah,” Eric nodded.  “Well, now that I think of it, it does look better this way.”  He got rid of his handiwork and combed the bangs straight down, which made them naturally brush sideways just a bit as they had before.

Michael smiled, and reached over to give Eric a hug. “Thanks for everything, Eric,” he said.

Eric patted him on the back.  “Hey, you’re one of my best friends, Mike.  What else can I do?” He stepped back and smiled at Michael.  “Congratulations to you and Lisa.”

Michael smiled at him before giving him another hug.

Just then, a frantic pounding on the door made them both jump.  Michael rolled his eyes as he knew who it was.

Michael opened the door and found a frantic, almost out-of-breath - though neatly groomed - Terry Jones standing in front of him.

“Mike,” he exclaimed breathlessly.  “I raced over here as fast as I could.”

“You know, Terry, the doorbell does work,” Michael said sarcastically. 

Jonesy rolled his eyes and stepped inside. “Well.  I have to say you’re looking very swell, Mike!” he exclaimed.  “I’ll bet you’re all excited, eh?”

Michael nodded and smiled.  “I only wish I didn’t have to wait so long to see my lovely bride in her wedding dress.”

Eric cleared his throat.

“Oh, hello Eric,” Jonesy said cheerfully.  “Where on earth did you find that suit?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Eric wrinkled his nose at Jonesy’s strong, overpowering cologne.  “Where on earth did you find that aftershave?”  He turned and looked at Michael.  “Mike, you didn’t happen to sell him the Skate With Just A Hint Of Prawn, did you?”

Michael tossed his head back and laughed.  “Oh, dear.  You haven’t been dipping into the Sea Bass, have you, Terry?”

Jonesy scowled at both of them as a car horn honked outside.

Michael stopped laughing and glanced out the window.  It was the limousine to take them to the church.  He began to get a bit nervous. “Well.  I guess this is it.  Time to go,” he said quietly.  He exited the house along with Eric and Jonesy, making their way toward the limousine.  As they neared the church, he sighed happily.  In a short time, he’d see his lovely bride and they’d be married. 

Jonesy grinned to himself as he remembered that Gilliam was driving there himself with his wife, and later he’d almost get payback for Michael poking fun at his cologne.