I looked over the area where Nancy\u2019s wedding would happen the next day as I stood in our backyard. The white chairs were lined up in neat rows facing the oak tree. This is where she and Josh would say their vows, with hills and a lake in the background.<\/p>\n
This house was really something special that Peter and I bought three years ago.<\/p>\n
He walked up behind me and put his arms around my waist. \u201cIt looks great, Evelyn.\u201d Nancy is going to be very happy.<\/p>\n
I put my back against his chest. \u201cI hope so.\u201d \u201cThis has been in the works for months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou went above and beyond.\u201d Most people would have just gave them the space.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, you know her.\u201d And I wanted everything to go well on her day.<\/p>\n
Peter gave me a kiss on the head. \u201cThat\u2019s why I love you: you always care about other people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should be here soon for the practice.\u201d \u201cI want to make sure everything is ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
He squeezed my shoulder and said, \u201cTrust me, it is.\u201d \u201cEverything has been thought of.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I know\u2026\u201d \u201cYou\u2019re wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sound of tires on dirt broke up our quiet time. Judy and Josh showed up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re here!\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d I said, feeling very excited. \u201cI\u2019m excited to show her everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nancy got out of her car, and her fianc\u00e9 followed her, looking a little confused as always.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere she is, my lovely bride!\u201d I yelled and walked toward them, arms wide open.<\/p>\n
She gave me a quick, tight hug. \u201cAll of the chairs are wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was shocked and blinked. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted them to be in a half-circle instead of rows.\u201d Did my text message not reach you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I took out my phone to see if there were any texts. \u201cA half-circle doesn\u2019t seem to mean anything to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She let out a big sigh. \u201cSo what.\u201d We can make it right. Tell me, where are the flowers?<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll be delivered tomorrow morning, just like we talked about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nancy made a face. \u201cI hope this time they get the colors right.\u201d The model flower arrangement was a mess.<\/p>\n
Josh smiled at me and said sorry behind her. We hadn\u2019t talked much since we got there. A delivery truck and two other cars pulled up to the driveway.<\/p>\n
She said, \u201cFinally,\u201d and then she raised her voice. \u201cOver here!\u201d \u201cStart taking everything off!\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me with a serious look on her face. \u201cLet\u2019s talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, what\u2019s going on?\u201d I asked with a smile.<\/p>\n
Nancy took my arm and pushed me away from the other people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d I asked, confused by how strong she sounded.<\/p>\n
Her face turned into something I had never seen before: it became hard. \u201cEvelyn, look, you set up the place for us\u2026 It\u2019s nice and everything. \u201cBut listen, I don\u2019t want you to go to the wedding tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I looked at her, sure that I had heard wrong.<\/p>\n
She spoke in a cold, stone-cold voice, \u201cYou heard me.\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t go there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t get it.\u201d \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
She made a face. \u201cHey, hold on!\u201d \u201cYou understand WHY.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head, really not understanding.<\/p>\n
Someone should have told me that you used to date Josh. She asked for it.<\/p>\n
The thought hit me like a slap. Josh and I dated for a short time in college, but it ended, and we went our different ways. After Nancy introduced him at their engagement party, we didn\u2019t talk again. Even then, we only said \u201chi\u201d or \u201chello\u201d a few times.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat?\u201d That wasn\u2019t important. A stupid thing that happened in college more than ten years ago. It wasn\u2019t even serious\u2026 It didn\u2019t last long, and we stayed friends. Not even bringing it up was worth it.<\/p>\n
She said, \u201cWell, I don\u2019t care.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s MY day, and I don\u2019t want a woman who used to sleep with my fianc\u00e9 to be there taking up space.\u201d \u201cOkay, you\u2019re not coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had a hard time understanding what was going on as the words hung between us.<\/p>\n
After all the work I had put into planning for months, helping her pick out decorations for hours on end, trying cakes, and meeting with vendors, She wasn\u2019t asking me to a wedding on my OWN land?<\/p>\n
\u201cNicole, you can\u2019t be serious.\u201d \u201cThis is where I live.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she waved her hand and said, \u201cAnd I\u2019m glad you let us use it.\u201d \u201cOf course Peter can still come.\u201d Not you though.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter everything I did for your wedding?\u201d<\/p>\n
I like that you said that. But this can\u2019t be changed.<\/p>\n
She turned to the delivery crew and snapped her fingers before I could answer. \u201cGo ahead and start taking everything out!\u201d<\/p>\n
It was strange how casually she told people to stay off my land right after she kicked me out of the party. I stood there frozen, unable to say anything.<\/p>\n
He then put his hand on my shoulder. The warmth of his touch made me feel safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs everything okay?\u201d He looked back and forth between Nancy and me as he asked.<\/p>\n
Nancy\u2019s smile came back right away. \u201cJust girl talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
I told her straight out, \u201cShe doesn\u2019t want me at the wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter\u2019s body tensed up. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She sighed and said, \u201cDon\u2019t make a big deal out of it.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s just that I found out she dated Josh before, and it makes me feel bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice was sharp as he said, \u201cHold on.\u201d \u201cLet me make this clear\u2026 Feel free to use our house for free. My wife has spent months helping you plan the wedding, but now you won\u2019t let her come?<\/p>\n
She sighed and crossed her arms. \u201cDon\u2019t make a fuss.\u201d It\u2019s not a big deal. She only needs to follow my instructions on my wedding day.<\/p>\n
I got chills when Peter laughed coldly. I hadn\u2019t seen him mad in seven years of being together.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe you should get it somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nancy\u2019s eyes got really big with anger. \u201cAre you KIDDING me?\u201d Tomorrow is the wedding! What other place should I have it?! We can\u2019t be kicked out like this!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact, I can,\u201d Peter said. \u201cYes, I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nancy got red in the face. \u201cYou two are the SELFISHEST people I\u2019ve ever met!\u201d You should be THANKFUL I invited you in the first place after everything I\u2019ve been through! It\u2019s not about you! It\u2019s about ME! You need to pay me this!\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice turned into a screech, which caught the attention of Josh and the delivery team.<\/p>\n
He looked worried and asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re being kicked out!\u201d Nancy cried, and tears came out of nowhere. \u201cYour ex-girlfriend is STUCKED that they\u2019re ruining our wedding!\u201d<\/p>\n
I gasped when I heard the charge. \u201cThat\u2019s not true!\u201d I was just told I couldn\u2019t go to the wedding\u2026 in my own house!\u201d<\/p>\n
Josh seemed to be lost. \u201cWait, what?\u201d \u201cWhy didn\u2019t Evelyn show up?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you went out with her!\u201d Nancy lost it. \u201cAnd no one told me until your best friend Willie told me!\u201d<\/p>\n
Josh\u2019s face changed from being confused to shocked. \u201cYou mean our two-month thing on our first year of college?\u201d Before I knew you were there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you really think you can pull this off at the last minute?\u201d Nancy didn\u2019t pay attention to him; she was mad at Peter and me. \u201eDo you know how much I spent on making this happen? You can\u2019t ruin my wedding just because you\u2019re mad!\u201d<\/p>\n
It felt like someone hit me. \u201cBitter?\u201d ME?! After I did everything?\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter moved forward and put himself between Nancy and me by a small amount.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Nancy.\u201d When you thought you could treat my wife like trash in her own home, you ruined your own wedding.<\/p>\n
Nancy laughed out loud and then looked at Josh. \u201cDo something!\u201d<\/p>\n
Josh moved in a strange way and looked at the ground. He showed he didn\u2019t want to be a part of this.<\/p>\n
\u201cJOSH?!!\u201d<\/p>\n
He made a weak suggestion, \u201cMaybe we should talk about this in a calm way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter said, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to talk about.\u201d \u201cGet off our land,\u201d I said. \u201cRIGHT NOW.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nancy\u2019s angry face changed shape. \u201cAll right!\u201d I\u2019m going to sue you for this! This is not okay! You will both feel bad about what you did!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood luck with that.\u201d Stop being on our land now.<\/p>\n
For a split second, I thought Nancy might hurt one of us. Her whole body was shaking with anger as her hands were squeezed into fists.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go,\u201d Josh said in a low voice to Nancy.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you on their side?\u201d She turned around on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to side with anyone.\u201d This isn\u2019t helpful, though.<\/p>\n
She took a wild look at the half-full trucks, the set-up chairs, and the decorations boxes that were all over the place. So what should I do now? Tomorrow is the wedding!\u201d<\/p>\n
In spite of everything, I felt a twinge of pity. Then I thought about how quickly she told me I couldn\u2019t come into my own house.<\/p>\n
I told them, \u201cThat\u2019s no longer our problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
The next hour was a mess. She screamed, cursed, and had a full-on temper tantrum. After a while, she picked up a box of table sets and threw it to the ground, breaking plates all over our driveway.<\/p>\n
She screamed, \u201cYou\u2019ll pay for this!\u201d \u201cYou both!\u201d<\/p>\n
Josh finally got her to the car by saying something in her ear that made her feel better for a short time. After getting in their cars, the delivery crew stood there awkwardly, waiting for orders.<\/p>\n
He told them, \u201cYou can take everything back.\u201d \u201cThis is not where the wedding will take place.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was so sleepy for the rest of the day that I called back vendors and asked for returns on everything we had paid for. With just a few phone calls, the cake, flowers, and food were all gone.<\/p>\n
Peter and I sat on our porch chair that night and looked out at the half-taken-down wedding setup.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d I said in a soft voice.<\/p>\n
He was shocked when he looked at me. \u201cWhat for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor making all this trouble.\u201d If only I had told you about Josh\u2026<\/p>\n
He gently cut him off and said, \u201cStop.\u201d \u201cYou didn\u2019t do anything.\u201d It wasn\u2019t important, and it happened a long time ago. Today Nancy showed what she really is, and that\u2019s not your fault.<\/p>\n
I put my head on his shoulder. \u201cDo you think she will really sue us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet her try.\u201d There were no papers signed. I did this as a favor for a friend, but that friend turned out not to be real.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still can\u2019t believe how fast everything fell apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvie, some people are nice only when they get what they want.\u201d The mask falls off as soon as you stand up for yourself.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Soon after, through friends we both had, we learned that Nancy and Josh had a quick wedding at a nearby hotel. The shots showed a party that was a lot smaller than the one we had planned at our house.<\/p>\n
It was a surprise when Josh texted Peter a few days later.<\/p>\n
\u201cNicole is still mad, but I wanted to say sorry for what happened.\u201d \u201cI should have said more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter showed it to me, but he didn\u2019t answer. Once they were burned down, some bridges were not worth repairing.<\/p>\n
The thing is, I don\u2019t feel bad about anything that happened. Because that day taught me something important: never let someone see you without respect if they wouldn\u2019t do the same for you.<\/p>\n
Some people might say that by calling off Nancy\u2019s wedding at the last minute, we were too emotional. Taking someone out of an event at their own home because of a useless college fling from more than ten years ago is, however, a real overreaction.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t about that old past with Josh in the end. It had to do with respect. The most important thing I\u2019ve learned from this is that I deserve at least that same amount. We all do.<\/p>\n
This work is based on real people and events, but it has been made up for artistic reasons. To protect privacy and make the story better, names, characters, and circumstances have been changed. Any similarity to real people, living or dead, or real events is completely accidental and not on purpose by the author.<\/p>\n
thecelebritist.com is the source.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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