The Time Traveler’s Wife: Chapter 14 Summary & Analysis

Sunday, October 23, 1993 (Henry is 30, Clare is 22). (6:00 a.m.). Henry wakes in a bed and breakfast in town. Richard, Henry’s grandparents, and Kimy are staying in the inn’s other rooms. It is raining heavily, which makes him wonder if he can squeeze in a needed run before the afternoon ceremony. Henry is suddenly very nervous about the wedding. He prays that he will not disappear or cause a scene of any kind, for Clare’s sake if nothing else.

(7:00 a.m.). Clare wakes up on the morning of her and Henry’s wedding in her childhood bedroom. She is confused as she tries to remember the occasion for which she has visited home. She is also disoriented by a vivid dream she had the night before in which she was learning to swim as a mermaid. Once she got the hang of it, she felt she was flying underwater. In the dream, another mermaid asked her about her wedding, and she became upset because she knew she couldn’t get married until she was human again. This anxiety woke her in the middle of the night and left her lying awake for hours. Now, waking up after finally getting sleep, she remembers it is her wedding day.

(7:16 a.m.). Henry realizes that he has many free hours until he needs to get ready for the ceremony at 2:00 p.m. He gets dressed and heads downstairs, where he finds Richard drinking coffee. Henry pours himself a mug as well. As Henry drinks his coffee, he observes Richard. The pale morning light highlights his haggard expression and his disorderly hair. Henry worries his hair is equally as messy, so he runs a hand over it to fix it.

(8:17 a.m.). Alicia comes into Clare’s room to rouse her for the day. She sings to Clare and throws off her comforter. The sisters wrestle playfully until Etta comes upstairs to chastise them. Etta explains that Philip is bothered by all the noise they are making. She tells them to get dressed and come down for breakfast, which is nearly ready. After Etta leaves, the girls listen to her footsteps heading down the stairs in silence. They are suddenly overcome with laughter.

(8:32 a.m.). Henry notices that the weather has only gotten worse. Despite the wind, he decides to go for a run in hopes it will help abate any time traveling episodes. He runs along the shore of Lake Michigan, watching violent waves crash on the beach. Before long, he is soaked with rain. Everyone he passes seems to think he is crazy for jogging in the storm, but Henry knows it may be his only chance to prevent a time-traveling incident at the ceremony.

(8:54 a.m.). Clare goes down to the dining room for breakfast. Everyone comments on the wild weather, and Clare worries that Henry won’t be able to go running. Clare finds she is too nervous to eat. Lucille tells her she needs to be ready to get her hair and makeup done in two hours. Clare responds that she needs to make a run to town before then. Lucille offers to go with her, but Clare insists it’s something she needs to do alone.

(9:35 a.m.). Henry finishes his run and strips off his wet clothing in the bathroom of his hotel room. He is interrupted by a knock at the door, where he is surprised to find Clare. She is shocked that he braved the weather for a run, but Henry explains that he felt he had to in order to moderate his condition. Clare leads him to the bed. They have sex, and Clare notes that they like to do things “out of order.” Henry wonders aloud if this bothers her, but Clare assures him it doesn’t.

(11:15 a.m.). Clare arrives home 15 minutes late for her hair appointment with Janice. She crosses paths with Alicia, who points out that her clothes are inside out. Clare fixes herself before going upstairs to find Janice and Lucille. While her mother is out of the room, Clare shows Janice a photo of an elaborate hairstyle she wants her to recreate. Janice says she can do it but tells Clare she’ll run out of time to do anything else. Clare is relieved that she will have to do her own makeup.

(11:36 a.m.). Henry studies his tux and other accessories, which are laid out on the bed. He’s not looking forward to putting it all on. He is still cold from his run, so he goes into the bathroom to take a hot bath. From the tub, he can see the street and the fall trees. He distracts himself by smelling all the shampoos and conditioners that the hotel has provided, though they give him a headache.

(12:35 p.m.). Janice finishes the hairstyle Clare requested. Etta is thrilled by the way Clare looks, but Lucille is frustrated that Clare’s hair is different than how she planned. After Lucille complains to Janice, Clare covertly passes her hairdresser a large tip for her help. The family helps Clare pack her wedding dress and the other remaining items in the car, then they all make their way to the church where they will finish getting ready.

(12:55 p.m.) (Henry is 38). Future Henry has time traveled to Clare’s hometown. He walks along the highway, annoyed by the terrible weather. He is underdressed and already soaked from the rain. Henry doesn’t know the year, but he makes his way to Clare’s house hoping to sneak into the basement. When he stops at a gas station, the attendant asks if he is having car trouble. Henry says his girlfriend kicked him out as he checks the paper, seeing that he has traveled back in time to his wedding day. He leaves abruptly.

(1:42 p.m.). Clare has finished getting ready and is waiting in a classroom in the basement of the church. She admires herself in her white wedding dress. Lucille, Alicia, Charisse, Helen, and Ruth are all running around anxiously waiting for the ceremony to start. The women discuss their bridesmaids’ dresses and who will get to catch Clare’s bouquet. Helen remarks that Charisse doesn’t need it because she is already engaged; Charisse responds that she could always use extra help with Gomez.

(1:48 p.m.). Present-day Henry is also ready for the ceremony. He waits in a different room with Gomez, who smoking and pacing. Henry checks to make sure he has the rings, and Gomez reassures him that he does. They drink Scotch from Gomez’s flask. Henry realizes he doesn’t feel good, so he opens the window for fresh air. Outside in the bushes he sees an older version of himself. He is soaking wet but smiling.

(1:55 p.m.).  The ceremony is about to start. Clare is waiting with Philip, who knocks on the door where Henry is getting ready. Gomez comes out and asks them to wait just a little longer. When Henry emerges, he’s donned his tux, though his hair is soaked from the rain and messy. Clare can see he’s closer to 40 than he is to 30. Though the Henry is not there in the present, Clare is relieved that some version of him is.

Sunday, June 13, 1976 (Henry is 30). When Henry comes to, he finds himself in his childhood bedroom. It’s summer in an unknown year. Henry is frozen with frustration on the floor for a long time. When he calms down, he goes to the fridge to look for beer. He drinks several while he waits to return to his present and to the wedding.

Saturday, October 23, 1993 (Clare is 22, Henry is 38, and 30) (2:37 p.m.). Clare and future Henry exchange vows in front of their family and friends. Internally, Clare tries to memorize the moment. The priest declares nothing can now separate them, then he pronounces them married. Clare worries that’s not true, given Henry’s condition, but she tries to push her fear out of her mind. As they walk back down the aisle, Clare chooses to be happy that they are there together.

(6:26 p.m.). Older Henry drinks Scotch in the reception hall while Clare is away in another room with Lucille. Ben and Gomez join him. Henry asks Gomez to go back to the church to retrieve the younger version of himself, who will return soon. He tells Ben to keep an eye on him at the reception and to bring his clothes to Gomez when he eventually time travels back to his time. After Gomez leaves, Ben asks Henry whether or not he is still living in the future. Henry assures him that he saw him the week before; he is doing well.

(7:04 p.m.). Dinner is starting, but Clare doesn’t know where Henry is. Gomez tells her that he will be there any moment, and Kimy adds that she saw Ben taking clothes to the bathroom. Clare is worried that both Henrys have disappeared, but the present version of Henry rejoins the party shortly after. He walks Kimy and Clare to their table, and Kimy whispers something to him. When Clare asks, Henry tells her that Kimy made a joke about future Henry joining Clare and him for their wedding night. 

(7:16 p.m.). Older Henry has yet to return to his time. Instead, he waits alone in another room in the reception hall, where he is eating and reading a book he found. He is hardly dressed, having given his tux back to his younger self. The manager of the venue finds him and asks him to leave. As Henry stands to go, he disappears before the manager’s eyes, arriving back in his own kitchen in 2002.

(7:21 p.m.). After dinner, Gomez gives a toast. His speech is an elaborate metaphor about how Henry and Clare are now sailing away from their single lives to the new land of marriage. He commends Clare’s beauty and artistic talent, and he tells Henry he is extremely lucky to have her. Gomez wishes the couple well on their matrimonial journey before raising his glass and kissing Clare on the mouth. The two share a brief look, then the party carries on.

(8:48 p.m.). The reception is nearly over. Everyone has eaten cake, and Clare threw her bouquet, which Charisse caught. Henry dances with Helen until Gomez cuts in. Henry goes to the bar, where he watches Clare dance with Celia Attley. He and Ben have a drink. Ben wonders aloud who Celia is, and Henry explains she’s friends with Ingrid. Ben then asks Henry what is wrong with Gomez. Henry doesn’t answer, and Ben doesn’t ask any more questions. 

(10:23 p.m.). Once the wedding is over, Clare drives herself and Henry to their motel for the night. Henry is drunk and passed out in the car, so Clare enlists the help of a motel staff member to carry him in. Once in their room, Clare undresses Henry and removes her wedding gown. As she is brushing her teeth, she is overcome with happiness that they are finally married. She kisses Henry, who is still deeply asleep, goodnight. Her happiness lasts through the night, and she is not plagued with any bad dreams.

Monday, October 25, 1993 (Henry is 30, Clare is 22). Back in Chicago later that week, Henry and Clare go to the courthouse to get married officially since present Henry missed the ceremony. Gomez and Charisse come along as witnesses. After, the four friends go out to dinner. Gomez asks if they plan to continue having ceremonies after this, and Clare jokingly asks if she is a bigamist for getting married twice. Charisse says it doesn’t count if you’re marrying the same person multiple times.