On the day of Mabel and Adam\u2019s wedding, they\u2019re stuck in a limousine as they crawl along the freeway, thanks to traffic. Instead of keeping her mother\u2019s guests entertained, Mabel\u2019s daughter, Amanda, takes over the wedding, stealing the limelight. Will Mabel retaliate at the wedding or just let Amanda learn her lesson another way?<\/p>\n
Weddings are supposed to be magical, right? An entire day dedicated to the culmination of love, months of planning, and a chance to stand with your person, promising to be with them forever\u2026<\/p>\n
That was the dream, at least, until my daughter Amanda turned it into an absolute nightmare.<\/p>\n
Sigh.<\/p>\n
It started with traffic, of course. My fianc\u00e9 Adam and I were stuck on the freeway in our limousine, trapped in a sea of brake lights thanks to an overturned truck miles ahead. We weren\u2019t too worried about the traditions. We were both married before, so seeing each other before the ceremony was the least of our concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cTime, please, Ben?\u201d I called through the intercom for our driver.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to say, Mabel,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m trying to gap in whenever I can! I will get you and Adam down the aisle!\u201d<\/p>\n
We were definitely going to be late.<\/p>\n
\u201cLove, call Amanda,\u201d Adam said, his jaw tight as he tapped on the seat. \u201cTell her to sort out the guests, just get the band going and keep people entertained.\u201d<\/p>\n
I dialed my daughter, already feeling the pressure. She picked up on the second ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, sweetie,\u201d I said the moment she answered. \u201cWe\u2019re stuck in traffic. There has been an accident, so everything is at a standstill. Can you make sure everything\u2019s running smoothly at the venue? We\u2019ll be about 30 minutes or so. Adam said to get the band playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, Mommy!\u201d Amanda chirped, her voice syrupy sweet. \u201cDon\u2019t you worry about a thing other than getting here. I\u2019ve got everything else handled. Be safe!\u201d<\/p>\n
I exhaled, letting her assurance calm my nerves. But not ten minutes later, my phone buzzed. It was my sister, Jess.<\/p>\n
Her voice was frantic.<\/p>\n
\u201cSis, you have to come here now! It\u2019s Amanda, she\u2026\u201d her voice trailed off before the call cut off.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s what?\u201d I muttered, immediately redialing, but it went straight to voicemail. A heavy pit settled in my stomach, but there was nothing we could do except crawl forward in the traffic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think Jess meant? What do you think is going on?\u201d I asked Adam after filling him in.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, honey,\u201d he said. \u201cHonestly, I\u2019m sure Amanda picked up a mic and is trying to sing with the band.\u201d<\/p>\n
When we finally pulled up to the venue half an hour later, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. Amanda stood on the steps, her face glowing as she held a bouquet of ivory roses. She was in a wedding dress. It was white and simple, but it was definitely a wedding dress.<\/p>\n
Our photographers swarmed around her, cameras clicking as she posed with a dazzling smile. And next to her stood Kyle, her boyfriend of barely a year, looking dazed and uncomfortable in a suit.<\/p>\n
I felt my heart stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell is going on?\u201d I yelled, storming up the stairs.<\/p>\n
Amanda turned to me, her expression a mix of surprise and amusement.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Mommy!\u201d she gushed. \u201cI\u2019m so sad you missed the ceremony! It was lovely!\u201d<\/p>\n
My jaw dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy ceremony? You had my ceremony? You stole my ceremony? Amanda, are you out of your damn mind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d she said, brushing imaginary dust off her dress. \u201cI thought since you were late, we couldn\u2019t let the time go to waste. Everything was already set up, and the officiant needed to get going. You know how much I hate delays. So\u2026 I married Kyle!\u201d<\/p>\n
The audacity of it left me speechless. My beautiful ceremony, the one Adam and I had dreamed of and planned for months\u2026 it was all gone. It had been hijacked by my own daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll get married another day!\u201d she chirped, as if she hadn\u2019t just crushed my heart. \u201cNow, Kyle and I are going to do the final walk down to the reception hall. The guests are going to throw the rice and confetti. Do you want to join?\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
Adam came up behind me, his face a mix of fury and heartbreak. He had spent so much time trying to bond and build a relationship with Amanda that I knew her behavior had broken his heart, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay the word, love,\u201d he said. \u201cSay the word, Mabel, and I\u2019ll shut this down right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Amanda, the girl I raised, who was now staring at me with infuriating smugness. My fists clenched. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to fight her, to take back what she had stolen.<\/p>\n
But I exhaled slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s still my daughter,\u201d I muttered to Adam. \u201cDon\u2019t. I\u2019ll teach her a lesson another way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The reception was a surreal experience. Amanda flounced through the room, acting like the star of a fairy tale, completely oblivious to the devastation she\u2019d caused.<\/p>\n
My family and friends came around between courses, asking what had really happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMabel, we thought it was your wedding, dear,\u201d my aunt said. \u201cYou were supposed to get your happy ending. What is this about Amanda getting married? We didn\u2019t know that she was even seeing someone!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, Aunt Joy,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m just as surprised as you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
When dessert rolled around, Amanda even had the nerve to cut into the cake we\u2019d ordered, complete with the beautiful sugar flowers.<\/p>\n
Jess pulled me aside at one point, her eyes blazing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat daughter of yours pulled my phone away while I was talking to you. And then she locked me in the bathroom during the ceremony! I couldn\u2019t do anything else about it! Why didn\u2019t you stop her when you got here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause,\u201d I said, a smile curling my lips. \u201cRevenge is best served cold.\u201d<\/p>\n
The real kicker came later that evening. Amanda knocked on our hotel room door, smiling as if nothing had happened.<\/p>\n
Adam and I were sitting on the bed, eating our way through the room service dessert menu.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo,\u201d she said, leaning against the cupboard in the room. \u201cKyle and I need your tickets to Chile for the honeymoon. I mean, there\u2019s no point in you guys using them after all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam froze. I swear, I saw his hand twitch toward the night light like he was ready to throw it.<\/p>\n
But I smiled, keeping my voice calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, sweetie. You can have the tickets. You and Kyle deserve some fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amanda squealed, hugged me, stole a strawberry from one of the plates, and let herself out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell, Mabel?\u201d Adam asked. \u201cReally? She\u2019s taking our honeymoon too? We worked so hard for all of this. Our wedding, our honeymoon, all of it. And for what? For Amanda to behave like a brat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you\u2019re upset,\u201d I said. \u201cBut honey, trust me. She\u2019s going to learn a lesson. Two days from now, you\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n
And just like clockwork, Amanda phoned two mornings later, her voice anything but cheerful.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could you do this to me, Mom?!\u201d she screamed.<\/p>\n
I smirked, cradling the phone to my ear.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmanda, darling, is something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWrong?\u201d she shouted. \u201cYou gave me tickets to the Arctic! We\u2019re stuck in the middle of nowhere, freezing, and there\u2019s nothing to do!\u201d<\/p>\n
I bit back a laugh. The tickets had been for Chile, technically. But they were only a layover on the way to our real destination: an Arctic expedition. Glacier hikes, frigid waters, and polar bear sightings.<\/p>\n
It was our dream trip. But Amanda? She hated the cold. Luxury resorts and tropical beaches were more her style.<\/p>\n
Classic Amanda. She had never bothered to check the full itinerary.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked for the tickets, Amanda,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what must I do?\u201d she whined.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re a married woman now. Figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
She hung up on me, already muttering a series of curses. And I couldn\u2019t stop grinning.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Adam and I made new plans. My sister and our closest friends rallied together to throw us the most beautiful wedding celebration at Jess\u2019s house a week later.<\/p>\n
They handled everything, from catering to decorations, and it was even more perfect than I could have imagined.<\/p>\n
This time, Amanda wasn\u2019t invited. And do you know what made everything so special? The gifts.<\/p>\n
Since Amanda had hijacked my original wedding, all the presents went to us. A brand-new espresso machine, luxury linens, and an all-expenses-paid spa weekend from Adam\u2019s older brother.<\/p>\n
It was like karma had gift-wrapped itself for us.<\/p>\n
When Amanda found out, she had another meltdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, you stole my wedding gifts?\u201d she shouted over the phone. \u201cEverything was supposed to be left at the wedding venue until we got back from our honeymoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you should stop talking,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, you ruined everything for me!\u201d she cried. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you stole my damn gifts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmanda,\u201d I began, laughing. \u201cYour gifts? You stole my wedding. Consider this a fair trade.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam, at the espresso machine, doubled over and laughed.<\/p>\n
As for Amanda\u2019s new marriage to Kyle?<\/p>\n
From what I hear, it\u2019s already on the rocks. Jess told me later that Kyle looked downright miserable during the wedding ceremony. And I had seen that for myself during the reception. He had avoided Adam and me completely.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat boy\u2019s in for a rough ride with her,\u201d Jess said when she came over for tea and cake a few days later.<\/p>\n
Amanda might have stolen my fairy-tale wedding, but her happily-ever-after was already on thin ice.<\/p>\n
As for Adam and me? We\u2019re better than ever. We did go on our Arctic honeymoon, and it was breathtaking.<\/p>\n
Some lessons, I guess, are best learned the hard way. Amanda might never admit it, but I like to think she\u2019s realized that entitlement comes at a cost.<\/p>\n
And if not? Well, let\u2019s just say I\u2019ll always have the satisfaction of knowing she outsmarted herself.<\/p>\n
Karma, after all, has a way of evening the score.<\/p>\n
What would you have done?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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