Four days in Dallas

By John Murphy

Last Sunday the long-awaited wedding of Redlands High grad Felicia “Mafel” Lopez and Tenari Tenari unfolded in all its glory in Dallas, Texas. And it was a doozy.

Backtracking, the event was postponed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. No problem. Mafel, who is the daughter of CalTrans Girl (my girlfriend), brushed aside her disappointment and then had an extra year to meticulously plan every last detail of this event. And It was a day that would have gone off without a hitch had it not before for one near-disaster — but more on that later.  

The picturesque wedding was at the Filter Building, a 100-year-old edifice nestled along White Rock Lake which used to be a water source for the city. The Filter Building, as the name suggests, played a role in purifying the water back in the early 1920s.

The wedding ceremony with the lake as a backdrop was beautiful and at times humorous. Mafel was majestic in the stunning dress lovingly sewn by her grandmother Aurora. And Tenari looked as sharp as a tack. He also humorously related during his vows how the couple sometimes visited different states “just to eat” (Mafel is a foodie), how they ran several marathons “just to do it,” and how he promised to support his wife’s “BTS obsession” (that’s a Korean pop group).

Mafel, who met Tenari while they studied at UC-Riverside, told how Tenari kept her grounded and helped bring her “crazy ideas to fruition.” She also said he liked eating rice which is fortunate because “it’s the only thing I cook well.”

Mafel’s father is Felix Lopez and despite the fact I’m his ex’s boyfriend, we’re buds. In fact, Felix and I flew to Dallas together for the occasion. We also somehow wound up in Fort Worth while driving my rental car from Dallas Love Airport to Allen. Fort Worth is an hour out of the way, folks.  

During the flight to Dallas, Felix obsessively practiced the lengthy toast he’d give at the wedding reception. It was poignant and from the heart, but let’s just say that succinct Felix is not.    

Anyway, when the time came for the toast Felix delivered it in boffo style and everyone raised a glass to the loving couple.

Everything went swimmingly as numerous attendees rose to speak and guests finished noshing on salmon and mashed potatoes. Then, out of the blue, Felix — who was seated in the middle of the hall — passed out and was found unresponsive, cold to the touch, and with no pulse. Not good! Chaos ensued. Fortunately, Mafel’s uncle June who is trained in such matters took control. He vigorously administered CPR as the assemblage gasped. A few of the attendees were nurses and they helped. Someone called 911 and the EMTs arrived and determined that June had essentially saved Felix’s life — though they carted Felix off just to be safe.     

All of this shocked Mafel who planned every gorgeous detail of the wedding not only once but twice (remember, the event was postponed a year) only to see such a near-catastrophe occur. But once the crisis passed and Felix got wheeled away, the show went on. And it was a fun one.

This was a Samoan and Filipino event and there were elements celebrating both cultures. I’ll let the photos tell most of the rest of the story, but suffice it to say the traditional Samoan dancing of Tenari’s people was a joy to watch. And Mafel brought smiles to everyone by performing a Polynesian dance she learned just for the occasion. It was a kick seeing Tenari and his parents and his huge Samoan brothers and cousins whooping it up as Mafel swayed and dollar bills flew.  

Oh, Mafel had a little crying jag when it was all over because she couldn’t have the traditional father-daughter dance. But CalTrans Girl was there, as always, to soothe her daughter and remind her that not everything in life goes as planned.

The really good news is that Felix is well now and was able to join me and Mafel’s aunt JoAnn on the flight back to Los Angeles. Naturally, we got lost on the way back to the airport and the trip took forever, but at least we didn’t wind up in Fort Worth.