I walked in to the clubhouse, slowly opening the door and peeking my head in trying to be funny. Everyone erupts in to a fit of smiles and cheers for me. It was completely overwhelming. Looking over the large room there had to be about fifty or sixty people here. I saw my family, Jameson’s family, old family friends, my close girlfriends and even a few co-workers. I had no idea they were invited. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Marcie waving her arms at Jameson to get his attention. I find it funny she has herself and her family in the back corner table of the room. My mother comes charging at me with a pinned floral corsage of some type. I’m trying to have a conversation with my old hairdresser Debbie and my mother is grabbing at my shirt stabbing me with a pin unsuccessfully pinning this corsage I do not want to wear.
“Mom! Mom, I got it!” I tell her in frustration because she clearly doesn’t give two shits that I just walked in the door and I’m having a conversation. She looks at me with hatred in her eyes, drops the corsage and walks away. Here we go. Great fucking start.
My bridesmaids come to my rescue, hugging me and bringing me a glass of punch. They usher me to a long table aligned with an array of food. “We have a rowdy hungry crowd. We were told no one eats until you get here so if you don’t want to be yelled at, dig in,” Karolyn tells me.
I grab a small spoonful of salad and pasta, and find a seat at a table with Grandma Nowal. I know she won’t yell at me. I see Jameson is still across the room being occupied by his mother.
Lily comes and sits next to me and whispers in my ear, “Your future mother-in-law has been a complete pill since she got here.”
I’m not surprised. I haven’t even been here for ten minutes and I’m getting shit already. “She never once offered any help for today,” she adds.
“Are you surprised?” I ask her.
“Actually, I kind of am,” she admits. “I’ve been trying to get Jameson’s attention since he walked in, but Marcie won’t let him go. The guys are waiting for him at your parent’s house.”
I just got here and I already want to go home. Isn’t this supposed to be a happy memory for me? I hear everyone talking around me but I don’t comprehend any of it. I sit in my chair and poke and play with my food. I can already feel a headache setting in and I know I’m stuck here for at least three more hours.
“Hillary, we’re ready whenever you are. You have a lot of presents to open so we should start even if everyone is still eating.” Jameson’s cousin Amy, tells me.
“Okay, let’s get the show on the road then,” I say, as I push myself out of my chair.
Jameson comes up behind me, wraps his arms around my waist sinking his face in to my neck. I love this feeling. He whispers in my ear to have a good time and he’ll be back later. The entire room erupts in to a loud “Awwwwwww!” I can’t help but laugh.
THE AFTERNOON WAS A LONG ONE, but it was nice to see so many people in my life show up for my bridal shower. We received so many gifts we had to fill up Lily and Karolyn’s car. I’m pretty sure we received five sets of steak knives in a block with a cutting board, and we won’t have to worry about baking sheets for a while. We have three boxes each with a set of eight sheets.
Marcie didn’t approach me once the entire time I was there. Jameson’s grandmother, his aunts and cousins all came up to me, hugged me and said hello but not Marcie. I’m not sure why either.
Lily asked me while we were packing up gifts if I had been surprised by the shower or not. I didn’t reply right away. She could tell by my face and asked me ‘who spilled.’
“No one spilled,” I said. “I saw the invitation at Marcie’s on her refrigerator.”
Lily was beyond pissed, and thinks Marcie did it on purpose after I told her the entire story. Lily marched over to my mother, stomping her feet, swinging her arms back and forth. Shouting at the top of her lungs, “Hillary knew about the shower! Marcie invited her over to pick up a package and had the invitation on her damn refrigerator!” She spills it all to my mom, and everyone within ear shot, including Marcie, her sisters, her nieces and Grandma Michaels.
There is dead silence. My mother turns her evil eyes to Marcie but Marcie plays dumb.
“What?” Marcie says, acting as if she doesn’t have a clue.
“All the effort that Lily and I put in to this shower and you left the invitation on your refrigerator for Hillary to see. Your only child is getting married and you seek out to ruin the bridal shower. A shower for your future daughter-in-law. Your sisters and your mother asked as soon as they RSVP’d how they could help, what could they make, anything, but you didn’t even do that. Do you hate her or something?” My mother questions as she steps closer towards Marcie.