Did I Really Make it Worse?

July 15 (six weeks before the wedding)

Today is my big sister’s birthday and I have a great present for her. She is going to be an aunt! Only my fiancé Eric knows, and we are going to break the news at the family dinner my parents are throwing for Emily. That is, I am going to break the news. Eric was not thrilled about the idea because he thinks the party should be about my sis, not our news.

But Emily will understand, I’m sure. She is solid and mature and should be happy for us. What can be better than finding out on your birthday you’re going to be an aunt? She and her boyfriend Harry are getting married in two months in September at her dream venue, so I hope she will be in a happy and charitable mood.

I’m going to tell them all I’m pregnant today. It’s going to be great because everyone is going to be there, including nana, our big brother David with his wife Sophie, and Harry’s parents (don’t ask me their names, I don’t even remember those of my own parents) and younger sister Emily. Poor Harry, he had to switch to calling her “Em” so that he is not confused between the two Emilies (or Emilys?) in his life.

Anyway, I’m excited about tonight!

July 16

What a clusterfuck yesterday’s dinner turned out to be!

First of all, when I said, while making a toast to Emily, that I was pregnant, she made this face as if she saw a ghost. Like all the blood drained from her face. She didn’t say anything, just stared at me.

Our darling nana decided to ease the tension and said, “That’s so wonderful, dear! But does that mean that you will have to push your wedding closer, before it starts showing? Next spring you’ll be heavily pregnant.”

She is such a darling, throwing me a lifeline without even realizing it.

“And this is where I hoped my big sister will come to my rescue. Wouldn’t you do a small favor for your little sister, Emily? You love me, don’t you?”

“Depends on what the small favor is,” Emily answered, still looking straight into my eyes.

“I was hoping you would give us your wedding date and venue and take ours instead,” I said as casually as possible. “It’s not such a big deal, just swapping the dates.”

“No!” Emily said firmly, after she regained her composure.

Everyone gasped. I looked at Eric, seeking his support. He went red in his cheeks and was just sitting there at the table, staring at his plate. So much for his support, loser!

“But whyyyyy?” I started to whine, which usually would get me what I wanted.

“Indeed, why?” mother asked Emily.

“Because we’ve been planning our wedding for three years! It’s my dream venue and you know it. I would never give it up even for you. You don’t even have a venue yet!”

That hurt.

“But you know the wedding planner now so well, couldn’t you just ask her to move the date and the venue for a later date? What’s another couple of months after three years?” nana suggested softly.

“That venue has been booked for five years ahead!” Emily said, on the verge of tears.

“But if she starts showing at her wedding, imagine what the people would say?” mom chimed in.

Harry said, “Why would anyone care? They are already engaged, everything is legit.”

“But I want my baby to be a honeymoon baby!” I cried out in desperation.

“You understand how stupid this is?” Emily said, “Even if you get married on our date your baby won’t be a honeymoon baby, by a couple of months!”

“I could tell everyone it was a premie.”

My sister just laughed and rolled her eyes.

“Eric, say something!”

He looked up and said meekly, “Honey, don’t you think asking this is just a little too much?”

Backstabber!

I just got up and went to my childhood bedroom, crying.

I heard how mom, dad, and nana tried to convince Emily to give it to me. Harry’s parents left after saying that I was a spoiled brat, and my parents shouldn’t have taken my side.

Me? A spoiled brat? Give me a break!

The worst thing was David and Sophie siding up with Emily. When dad said he won’t lead Emily down the isle if she didn’t agree to give me her wedding date, David said he’d do it instead. Then he just said it was enough, told our parents to think about what they were doing and they all left.

Eric texted me that he needed to go out for a walk. I texted back that he could just go home since he was such a coward.

I spent the night crying, with mom and nana trying to console me. Dad cleaned up downstairs and paced the living room for a good part of the night. I heard him calling Emily and asking her to reconsider. She didn’t budge.

But I do have a plan.

July 25

Emily and I have not spoken since dinner. Mom, nana, and dad have been trying to change Emily’s mind all this time in the family chat. I could see all their messages, like:

Dad, “Does it make you happy to know that your little sister is crying non-stop all this time?”

Mom, “Emily, please, do it for your sister, it’s so important for her!”

Nana, “Emily, you have your whole life in store for you, why don’t you just do this favor for your little sister? She is so upset and unhappy, crying all the time!”

Emily didn’t answer. Or if she did, it would be just “no.”

Yesterday, Emily and Harry took nana out for dinner. I thought they’d not be able to sustain her pressure. Instead, nana switched sides. Another traitor!

Well, at least my parents are still on my side.

Eric is clearly uneasy and uncomfortable with all of this. Well, he’ll have to get over it.

July 31

Emily has left the family chat, after David and Sophie. It’s just me, mom and dad now.

I went to Emily’s wedding planner and had a conversation with her assistant. The wedding planner herself was not in the office, lucky for me. I coaxed the assistant to email Emily that at my request, the wedding venue will be given to me and she will send Emily the new contract later.

Of course, I know it’s not the right thing to do. But maybe it will work. Even if it doesn’t, I wish I were a fly on the wall when Emily read the email.

August 1

Emily straightened everything out with the wedding planner, who apparently apologized to her profusely and assured her they’d never change her contract without talking to her first. Poor assistant got fired.

Eric was appalled by my “trick.” When he threatened to break up with me, I said I’d abort the baby if he does. He said he’d never seen this “ugly” side of me and I “scare” him. Then he left to spend the night at one of his buddies’. I told him that if he ever thinks about leaving me he’d never see the baby even if I decide to keep it.

He doesn’t know the truth about the baby yet.

Emily has blocked me on all socials. I didn’t even try to call her, hoping mom and dad would straighten everything out.

August 10

Mom and dad are still trying to convince Emily to give me the venue. I am staying at their place now because I told Eric he needs to come back to his senses and I’m giving him space.

Yesterday, I heard mom and dad on the conference call with Emily. They told her that if she doesn’t budge, they won’t pay for her wedding’s catering service. It was something they’d set the money aside for years, so a big deal.

She was clearly stunned, taking a long pause. Then she said something like, “Well I guess we’ll have to manage without the catering service,” and hung up. I wonder how she will manage feeding her guests, three weeks before the wedding.

And they tell me I’m stubborn.

August 15

With two weeks to the wedding, I went to check out Emily’s wedding venue. I crashed someone’s wedding, snicking through the back door.

It was so beautiful it took my breath away. No wonder Emily wants it so much. I could picture myself and Eric standing there on the stage of this beautiful castle.

I want it even more now.

I told Eric that we need to meet and talk about the wedding tomorrow. He’d better show up!

August 16

Eric showed up but he was not in a good mood. When I started to talk with him about the plans and asked him if he’d be OK with pale pink for my wedding dress because it would look perfect in the wedding venue, he asked, “Which venue?”

“Well, the venue that Emily is giving us.”

“Is she really?” he asked skeptically.

“Well, not yet, but I’m sure she will,” I said confidently.

“You are being crazy. This is so obsessive I don’t think I know you anymore. I give you one week to come back to your senses or I will break it off with you, baby or not!”

I take your ultimatum, Eric. I’m sure that I will get everything resolved with Emily before that.

August 20

Mom asked me today if I had set up an OBGYN appointment to check on the baby’s development. I told her that I couldn’t think about anything now except my wedding. To be honest, I snapped at her. But she must understand that the most important thing for me now is to get married and then we can check on the baby.

I talked mom into calling Emily again. Mom begged and whined but Emily wouldn’t give in. She had the audacity to hang up on mom!

August 22

Nana came today and updated mom on the wedding arrangements. Apparently, the whole side of Harry’s family came up with this wonderful idea of doing a potluck buffet for the wedding rather than looking for another catering service. Ridiculous! A buffet at that beautiful place will look like stable animals were allowed to feed in a beautiful medieval castle. It’s just going to be one big neighborhood party, nana said.

Nana also asked mom not to call Emily anymore. Apparently, Emily is dead-set on having her wedding the way she planned it and nothing can force her to give it up for me.

We’ll see about that.

August 23

Today was Eric’s deadline. I can’t risk having my wedding without a groom, so I called him and talked him into meeting with me.

In a nice restaurant (so that he doesn’t make a public scene out of it, but he wouldn’t do it anyway), I begged and pleaded him to take me back. I said I’m OK with having the wedding next spring, I’ll just get a bigger dress. He smiled, relieved, and said he still needed some time apart and we should take things slowly.

I’m OK with that. I also promised him that I would mend the relationship with Emily and that I will promise her we will be good guests at her wedding.

August 25

I’m running out of time here. I talked both mom and dad to call Emily again. They were going back and forth about everything, from the very beginning, and Emily finally spilled it all on them.

How I was always the one who got everything she wanted. Not needed, just wanted.

How I always came first, and she was supposed to be a good big sister, a more responsible and understanding one.

How I got the prom dress that was bought specifically for her.

And how I was always hitting on her boyfriends in high school. And how I spread a horrible rumor about her when she was a senior in high school.

Mom and dad, of course, didn’t need to know all of that, even if it was true. Well, most of it.

They were shocked by the way she talked with them. She hung up on them! The audacity! I can’t even imagine what would have happened if I pulled this.

Mom and dad’s house now is very sad. I cry every time they see me but they keep saying they can’t do anything at this point. I just keep telling them that this is the only nice thing I want in my life and it’s unfair that Emily is getting it while I am the one who is pregnant. Mom just sighs and dad is now trying to convince me that maybe Emily is right, and I should just give up.

August 27

I went for my final wedding dress fitting today. It was so beautiful! Eric will be very pleased with it, I hope.

When I came home, mom looked very upset, crying her eyes out. She showed me a letter from Emily and Harry. Apparently, we are all officially uninvited from their wedding. The letter said we should not even try to approach the wedding venue.

I called nana to ask if she was uninvited as well. She said no and advised me not to try to come because apparently there will be security on site to keep us away.

Well, I will show up for my own wedding. Let’s see who wins.

August 30 (the wedding day)

Eric came to pick me up so that we could go to the wedding together. Doesn’t seem like he knows we were uninvited. He was surprised to see me in my beautiful dress especially because I mentioned pink earlier. This one is not really pink, though, more of a dusty rose color and I absolutely love it.

He was even more surprised to see the white stretch limo waiting for us.

“Isn’t this a wedding limo?” he asked.

“Yes, we’ll just bring it for Emily and Harry. We are picking them up and taking them to the venue,” I lied. He seemed to have believed it. He’s never been there and doesn’t know the address, so he’ll be easy to fool.

Our limo pulled up to the wedding venue seconds after Emily’s. Seeing her walking in her beautiful white dress on the lawn into the building set something off in me.

I jumped out of the limo and raced after her, yelling, “Emily, stop, this is MY wedding!”

She stopped, turned around and froze in shock. She clearly didn’t expect to see me. I could see Eric out of the corner of my eye running after me.

I noticed that the lawn was still wet from the morning sprinklers and grabbed a large piece of dirt with my hand. Enraged, I threw it at shocked Emily. She was still just standing there.

Suddenly, Emily’s maid of honor threw herself across the lawn to protect Emily. The dirt hit her, and she fell. While others were trying to help her up, I grabbed another fistful of dirt.

Eric the traitor grabbed me from behind, constraining my arms.

“Are you fucking crazy? What are you doing?” he kept yelling at me while I tried to kick him and free myself from the vise of his arms. Helpless, I was shouting and yelling profanities at everyone.

Someone called the venue security.

Emily hugged her maid of honor and the entire bridal party started to move into the venue. I will never forget the last smile she gave me. It was not one of triumph. Just pity.

When the security arrived, Eric let me go. They escorted us off the premises.

Calling in an Uber for himself, Eric said to me, “I can’t believe what you did. I’m breaking up with you. We’ll talk later about how we will handle the baby.”

Another wave of rage came up to my throat. “There’s no baby. There never was any baby. I just wanted this beautiful wedding for us! But you clearly don’t deserve it! I’m breaking up with you first, you are not a man but a pussy!”

Getting into his Uber, Eric looked at me with pity, just like Emily did, and said, “You just had to make everything worse, didn’t you?”

Did I really make it worse? I was only trying to fix a perfect wedding for myself.