Rory Gibson: I’m going to be a father-in-law for the first time

A son-to-be father-in-law has opened up about his son’s big day, and why there will be a hint of sadness.

Rory Gibson. Picture: Glenn Hampson

This time next week I’ll be waking up, for the first time, as someone’s father-in-law.

By my reckoning that leaves only one more of life’s major gender descriptors to receive, having already earned the right to be called boy, son, brother, man, husband, father, uncle, widower and grandfather.

That leaves only great grandfather remaining before I collect the label “corpse”.

Being a father-in-law means of course that I’ll have acquired a daughter-in-law, and she’s adorable. I knew she was a keeper after Rachael (that’s her), my son Angus and some of their friends came to visit for the weekend.

It wasn’t long after Meatloaf had died. Rachael had gone to bed, dead tired, but the rest of us stayed up watching the Meat’s greatest songs on YouTube. When it was Bat Out of Hell’s turn the volume was cranked up and a full-blown couch party ensued.

Angus Gibson, Rory Gibson, Matt Kirkegaard and Matthew Fort at the 'jump off' point at Blencoe Falls for the Herbert River Gorge walk in 2017 Photo: John Andersen

Rachael reappeared wearing a onesie and fluffy slippers, and squeezed onto the couch. “It sounded like you were having so much fun and I didn’t want to miss out,” she explained.

As I said, keeper.

Next Saturday is going to be a weird day for me, Angus and his two brothers. On one hand we’ll be celebrating Angus and Rachael’s joyous union, but underlying that will be a sadness that the boys’ mum won’t be there.

Kate died 15 years ago. Angus has spent almost exactly half his life without her guidance. She’d be so proud of the man he’s become … proud of the men all three of her sons have become.

This will be the first formal family occasion since her death. Sure, we’ve welcomed the arrival of Navy, the first and only grandchild so far, but the random commotion surrounding that lovely event obscured the absence of one grandmother.

But there’s no way to escape the fact that the mother of the groom isn’t at a formal wedding. Kate would hate knowing that her death added a maudlin tinge to a gathering founded in love, but we would be a hard-hearted mob if we didn’t save a notional place for her at the top table.

It will be my task to speak on her behalf. I’m not sure what to say yet, but for sure I’ll let the crowd know that because of Kate’s influence, her steering and her love, Angus turned into a keeper too.

Originally published as Rory Gibson: I’m going to be a father-in-law for the first time