Amanda
Paul opens the door, and I smile.
“Hi. Can I come in?”
Over his shoulder I hear Kate’s voice. “Who is that? Is it Amanda? Don’t let her in.”
Paul smiles apologetically and sighs, a very tired sigh.
“Tell her I brought food,” I offer.
“She brought food,” he calls back.
“Did she bring an apology?” she snaps.
“It’s Thai food…” I call out.
…crickets. And then…
“From Ginger Blossom?” she asks.
“Yep.”
I hear a dramatic sigh and then, “Fine, Paul. Let her in. But I’m still mad.”
“I know you are,” I say with a smile as Paul opens the door for me. I bring the food to the table where she is sitting overlooking a zillion placement cards for the tables. I hand a bowl of curry chicken and a plastic fork to Paul knowing full well he is going to duck out onto the back patio.
“I’m just going to let you girls talk,” he says, turning to leave. But before he walks away, he mouths the words to me– “Thank you. And good luck.”
I turn my attention back to Kate who looks overwhelmed.
“I have no idea who to put at what table. So many people that love me don’t love each other. Like how am I supposed to organize this on top of everything else, Mandy? On top of everything else!”
I sit down next to her and put my arm around her. “You’re not. That’s my job. And I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you to handle it.”
For a few minutes, we eat our food, and I grab place cards, organizing them into tables. “Grandma should be with Aunt Silvie because they both like white wine and will probably ask for like four bottles of it. Also, that keeps them away from Aunt Shirly who hasn’t spoken to Aunt Silvie since the hair dye debacle of 2006. And we can put cousins Jen, Shelbie and Tabitha together so they can be snooty away from everyone else.”
As I continue to section people off, all with rhyme and reason, I see my sister smile for the first time since the night we went to dinner with Paul and Callum and it makes my heart happy, even if I am still hurting.
“And what about your place card?” she asks. “Is it still at the wedding party table?”
“That’s what I was going to ask you. I still want to be your maid of honor, Kate. If you will have me.”
“Of course, I still want you to be my maid of honor. You're my big sister! No one puts up with me like you do.”
We both laugh tearily and hug. Then we pull away and she grabs my hands. “So, tell me, now that I am not in raging bitch bridezilla mode, what’s going on with Callum.”
I sigh and the tears come back. “He’s trying to apologize. At least I think that’s what he’s doing. And I don’t want to talk to him.”
“I understand that. But you are having a baby. You’ll have to figure that out eventually.”
I nod, whipping back a tear. “I know. But the whole thing is just crazy. I mean who knew that the guy who I watched peacock around the stage at a Vegas auction would be the father of my child? That’s like…Jerry Springer shit.” We both laugh.
“I mean it’s very reality TV. It’s one of those things that if it wasn’t your life, it would be very entertaining.”
“But it is my life,” I say soggily. “And it’s not entertaining. It’s hard and confusing and I just feel alone.”
Kate pulls me into a hug. “You’re not alone. You have me and you have Iris and all these people,” she waves her hand over the place cards.
