Baloo and Miz Cunningham were getting married. The day that he had been waiting for, had been wishing for, for a year and a half. Brimming with excitement, the boy bounced out of bed and pushed the green shade up to peek out the window.

Even by Cape Suzette standards, it was a spectacular day. A clear cerulean sky dotted with a few puffy, perfect-for-cloud-surfing clouds. Bright, warm sunshine that shone down on the elm tree, the leaves of which rustled slightly when the summer breeze brushed them. Over Baloo’s snores, he could hear the birds’ cheerful chittering and the louder caws of seagulls intermingled with an occasional airplane engine.

Still grinning, he turned his attention to the big grey bear curled up under the green blanket in the next bed, and a cloud of sadness threw a shadow over Kit’s happiness. This would be the last time that he would share this bedroom with Baloo. He would miss their little talks after the lights were out. He would also miss having Baloo’s comforting presence so close by, especially after awakening from a nightmare featuring Karnage and company.

When Baloo turned over onto his back, his snores increased in volume.

Thatwas one thing Kit definitely wouldn’t miss - the snoring. And he was looking forward to having his own room. He’d never had an entire room to himself before.

Kit spied a note taped to Baloo’s nose. It fluttered in and out with the pilot’s strong, rhythmic breaths, in danger of being swallowed. Kit carefully peeled it off to read in Rebecca’s neat, flowery script -

Good morning, sleepyheads. Molly and I have gone to the hairdresser. Meet you at the wedding - Highland Park, 11:00 sharp.
XOXO
Love,
Rebecca
P.S. Don’t be late!

Kit glanced at the alarm clock. They had plenty of time until eleven. It was only 6:05. He crawled back into bed and snuggled under the warm blanket, reveling in the softness of his mattress. Just as soon as he had closed his eyes, he instinctively felt that something was wrong. It had been too bright outside to be only six o’clock in the morning. Kit’s eyes flew open, and he looked at the clock again. It was ominously silent.

He picked up his watch from the night stand. It was 10:27! He was out of bed like a shot.

“Baloo!” Kit cried urgently, shaking the pilot’s shoulder. “Baloo, wake up!”

“Gimmee five more min...fifteen hours,” Baloo mumbled.

“Get up now!” Kit’s adolescent voice cracked in desperation. “We have to be at the wedding in a half an hour!”

“Weddin’?” Baloo murmured, still half-asleep. “Who’s gettin’ married?”

Kit pulled his rented tuxedo from the closet and threw it across his unmade bed. “You are, remember? You and Miz Cunningham.”

Mid-snore, Baloo’s eyes popped open. “Oh, man! If I’m late, Becky’ll kill me!” He sprinted to the bathroom. “Whoa-oa-oa!” he yelled as he skidded across the bathroom floor on a fluffy baby blue rug. He dove head first into the bathtub/shower, accidentally hitting the water tap with his arm. Cold water spewed right into his face. Struggling to reach the tap with his eyes screwed shut, he sputtered, “I’m awake! I’m awake!”

A short while later, Baloo returned to the bedroom, dripping wet with a towel wrapped around his waist. He began toweling himself off. Drying his ears, he grinned down at Kit, who was already dressed. “Lookin’ good, kid.”

Kit handed Baloo his white button-down shirt and glanced at his watch. He thought to himself, Why do we always have to cut these things so darn close? Then, he let out a laugh.

In his haste, Baloo was pulling his tuxedo jacket on upside-down and inside out. “This thing shrunk.”

“Your appetite hasn’t shrunk,” Kit said, giggling aloud on his way to the bathroom. “Try putting it on the right way, Papa Bear.”

Baloo held the jacket up before him. He smiled sheepishly when he saw his mistake. He slipped on the jacket, right side out this time, buttoned it up, and turned to the mirror over the dresser.

He began fiddling with his black bow tie. His expression grew blacker every time his large, clumsy fingers got tangled up in the knot. After the fifth attempt, he exclaimed, “Dang thing! Whoever invented ties oughtta be drug inta the street an’ shot! Stupid little strip of fabric. Who needs it anyway?” Glowering at his reflection, he carefully looped one end over the other into a sloppy knot and breathed a sigh of relief. “Good enough. How do I look, kiddo?” he asked as Kit re-entered the room.

“Very nice. Miz...Rebecca will never recognize you.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Baloo tousled Kit’s hair. “Aw, she’s seen me in one of these penguin costumes before. What time is it now?”

“Twenty minutes ‘til eleven.”

“Holy shimolies, Kit! Why didn’t ya get me up earlier?” Baloo headed for the stairs with Kit at his heels.

“Why didn’t you wind the alarm clock last night?”

“Forgot! Whoa-oh-oh-oh!” Rushing downstairs, the pilot tripped over a few boxes that were piled along the sides of the stairs. He tumbled head over heels down to the bottom.

“You okay, Papa Bear?” Kit asked, helping a dizzy Baloo to his feet.

“Yeah, fine. I think I got everythin’.” Baloo patted his pockets, then frantically rifled through them. Panicked, he cried, “Rings! Where’s the rings? Rings? Rings?”

Kit pulled two gold bands from his pocket - one small and one large. “You mean these rings? The ones you gave me last night for safekeeping?”

“Yeah.” Baloo willed his heart to stop racing. “Safekeepin’,” he murmured distractedly, “‘cause you’re keepin’ ‘em safe. The best man’s job is to keep the rings safe, an’ that’s you - the best man.”

“Sit down, Papa Bear,” Kit suggested, perching on the edge of the sofa. “We told Louie that we were going to wait for him here, and the wedding can’t start without you.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Too anxious to sit still, the big bear took to pacing the office. He went to grab his hat from his head, forgetting that it was upstairs. Instead, he snatched up a ruffled pillow and nervously wrung it in his large hands.

A knock came at the door, and Kit opened it.

Louie, dressed in a navy suit with a loud red-and-white checked tie, his thinning hair neatly parted in the middle, stepped into the office with a hearty, “Hey, guys.” He held a large, brightly wrapped package in his hands. He gave a long, low whistle. “Lookin’ sharp as tacks, you two. Ready ta take the plunge inta the matrimonial pool, cuz?” He laughed heartily as he slapped Baloo on the back.

Baloo swallowed around a big lump in his throat. He felt as if there were a million butterflies in his stomach that were all trying to escape at the same time. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

“It ain’t every day I get ta see ya squirm like a worm,” Louie chuckled.

Tossing the pillow aside, Baloo scowled. “Wait ‘til it’s your turn. Let’s get Wildcat an’ pull chocks.”

Highland Park

A secluded little park located in the hills north of Cape Suzette was where the wedding ceremony and reception were going to take place. This park, which commanded a picturesque view of the harbor and the city, had been reserved for their use for the entire day.

A white gazebo, decorated with pink and yellow flowers and fluttering pastel-colored ribbons, sat in the middle of the park. To the east of the gazebo was the playground equipment - swings, slides, a merry-go-round, etc. To the south of the gazebo were white wrought iron tables and chairs for the picnic reception afterwards. A long table draped with a lacy tablecloth was laden with food, including a large bowl of red punch, bowls of mints and nuts, and plate upon plate of croissant sandwiches.

Exactly one minute before eleven, a cab pulled up beside a white van that was parked in front of the park. Printed on the side of the van in gold curlicue lettering was ‘Eat, Drink, and Be Married Bridal Services’. A giraffe wearing a chef’s hat, an emerald green jacket, white shirt, and black bow tie was carefully unloading a two-tiered wedding cake from the back of the van.

“Look, guys! You can see my house from here,” Wildcat said excitedly as he got out of the front passenger side of the taxi. Higher for Hire’s ace mechanic yanked at the hem of his too-tight navy jacket that he wore over his usual light blue overalls. From his overalls’ pocket, the wiry lion extracted a sloppily wrapped package.

As Baloo, Kit, and Louie piled out of the cab, a jazzy tune met their ears.

Baloo’s nerves subsided a little at the sound of his favorite song - ‘I Got Them Flat-Broke, Sticky-Shoes, No Banana, Boogie-Woogie Blues’. “Is it? It is!”

Miz...Rebecca must be in a really good mood to listen to that! Kit thought, smiling as he watched Baloo do a little jig across the grassy lawn. He, Louie, and Wildcat followed the big bear. All gawked around at the decorations.

“Hey, this is nice. Not too big. Not too rinky-dinky. How’d ya talk Rebecca outta the fancy, fuss an’ feathers weddin’, cuz?” Louie asked.

“I put my foot down an’ told her we weren’t gonna do it, an’ that was that,” Baloo answered, looking over the food while he bopped to the boogie-woogie tune. He popped a pink, rose-shaped mint in his mouth, prompting a frown of disapproval from the female fox caterer wearing an emerald green uniform behind the table.

“Yeah,” Kit added, grinning; “Miz...uh, Rebecca gave up on it after she found out how much a big wedding was going to cost.”

Louie guffawed. “That’s really tellin’ her, Baloo. I can see who wears the pants in that relationship.”

“Miz Cunningham does, but Baloo just wears a shirt,” Wildcat

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