Chapter 9 | Liars
“…And I love her, my baby,” Kathy finally finished her long speech that I knew someone else wrote for her at the last minute—she did not care about me the way she said in her speech.
“Blah, blah, blah, blah,” I could see Leslie’s face across the room. She looked beautiful with her puffy curly hair blocking everyone around her. I kept trying not be intimidated by her big eyes staring at me—they were almost haunting me.
“My baby…..” now it was Frank’s turn to act as if he cared so much about me.
Charlotte let my family use her mansion to hold our formal dinner and the wedding. Of course it seemed like she was a great friend, but I knew she just wanted publicity—I didn’t blame her. That was the business we were in.
I was uneasy the entire dinner—nothing felt right. First off, Jason had no family come to the formal dinner. Second off, I wanted to confront Jason right then and there about quitting his job but I didn’t want to seem unstable. How ironic, this was a great start to our marriage.
I looked up at him next to me. He seemed really into Frank’s speech. I looked across the room at Paul; he and his Aunt Cherrie were talking to each other—probably gossiping about me. Leslie was probably just as bored as I was. Probably thinking she wanted to punch Kathy in the face for all those hard years. My eyes went back to Jason—his smile could do no wrong.
“I love you baby, and I hope unlike someone,” Frank looked at Kathy, “you stay true to yourself.”
Kathy rolled her eyes at his comment and went over to Paul’s table. And everyone went on with their conversations that they left off with.
I didn’t eat the stuffed chicken nor drink the champagne I was given. My stomach was uneasy, and that was the last thing I needed—to be sick on my wedding day.
“Cold feet?” Leslie whispered from behind me, nearly startling me.
“Oh my gosh,” I said as I grabbed her face and gave her a huge kiss. “I missed you so much! No matter the reasons that separated us,” I whispered. I put her in a headlock like old times and kissed her again.
“I believe you. I cannot believe you’re getting married!” She tapped Jason on the shoulder and he turned around with chicken hanging out of his mouth. “So, you’re the lucky fellow?”
“Yup, I’ve heard so much about you,” he grabbed Leslie’s hand and kissed it.
“Gentleman,” she winked. “You've trained him well.”
“Yeah, she will be playing at the wedding,” I said.
“Really?” Jason said. “I thought your dad wanted to sing at the wedding?”
“I’m in a band too,” Leslie said.
“Well, that’s neat. I’ll let you two talk,” Jason said as he walked away from us.
“I don’t like him,” Leslie snapped as she took his seat and pushed his well-abused plate away.
“Why?” I pouted.
“I don’t know; I just don’t.”
“Maybe you're just jealous,” I snapped.
Leslie began to laugh. “Jealous...of you? You've got to be kidding me. Daddy told me you can't stay out the hospital because you're addicted to crack!”
I gasped and shoved Leslie in the chest. “I am not on crack!”
“Well, he said you're addicted to something,” she mumbled. “I'm not surprised though. You've always had an addictive personality.”
“I've never taken drugs! The only thing I’ve been on is XANAX. And if I last recall you were prescribed it too!”
“That's only because you've tried to kill me five times!”
We got silent staring into space. I really wanted to cry but I held my tears in. “Leslie, I have schizophrenia,” I whispered in her ear. “That's why I hurt you those times. I'm sorry.”
Leslie rolled her eyes. “Who did mom pay to diagnose you with that?”
I laughed. “I am. I even take medication for it. That's why I am normal right now.”
Leslie sighed—Paul came over with Aunt Cherrie breaking the awkward silence.
“Hey party people,” Paul said with over happiness.
“Hey!” Leslie gave Paul a big hug. “It’s been a while!”
“Come on, I want to see the wedding dress,” Paul pulled all three of us upstairs to the guest room. He searched for the light to turn on, but ended up knocking down a mannequin. “Where is the light?”
“Here it is,” Leslie said as she turned the switch on.
“Oh my, it’s gorgeous,” Aunt Cherrie said as she pulled out her throwaway camera and snapped a picture of the dress.
I stared at her with a funny smile. Who would take a picture of a wedding gown that wasn’t theirs?
It was my first time ever meeting Aunt Cherrie. She was opposite of what I expected. She was so little, that it made me smile. Her hair was flaming red with big curls that looked like cherries, which sat at the top of her head. I assumed that was why they called her Cherrie.
“It’s so simple though; I like spice.” Aunt Cherrie shook her hips from side to side.
“Of course you do.” Paul rolled his eyes at her and pointed at her mix-matched clothes.
“Well, that’s what I said, but it was too late to get a new one,” I said.
“I know, just two more days,” Paul said.
“Can you fit it?” Leslie pointed at my stomach that was sticking out.
“Yes!” I said as I sucked in my belly. “I just ate a lot today.”
“You didn't even touch your food,” Leslie rolled her eyes at me. “You just look bigger….”
“Screw—”
Paul cut me off. “Okay, you guys haven’t seen each other in years! Get along…please.”
“Fine,” we both said.
Paul pulled me aside while the others looked through all the wedding stuff. He put his hands around my shoulders and stared into my eyes.
“Okay, I gave Mike your number. He will be calling you in two weeks. So, answer all your private calls,” Paul whispered, his lips nearly touching my nose.
“Good, but please don’t tell anyone about this.”
“I won’t,” Paul held out his pinkie. “Promise.”
“Okay, well we should go back downstairs so I can get some beer,” Leslie interrupted our pinkie promise.
“You haven’t changed a bit have you? But I hate to burst your bubble, but this is a classy event, there is no beer…only wine and champagne,” I said.
“Trust me, I can find beer here.”
“You guys go; I have to show Paul something,” I said.
Aunt Cherrie and Leslie went downstairs—I locked the door behind them. Afraid to turn around to Paul, I kept my eyes on my feet.
“Okay, what’s the deal? Why are you so paranoid now?” Paul said.
“Okay well…” I took a deep breath and decided I was going to tell Paul everything. “Okay, so you remember that night in France, you know, everyone thinks Jason saved me—”
A loud scream from downstairs cut me off.
“What the hell? Who was that?” Paul said.
“I don’t know.”
Nearly tripping over each other’s feet, we both ran out the room to the staircase to see what was going on. Our jaws dropped as Leslie was on top of a table and Kathy’s face was bloody and scratched.
“Botox can’t fix that you old hag!” Leslie screamed as Paul and I ran downstairs in shock.
“Leslie!” Frank yelled as he was pulling on her thin purple dress to get off the table, but she kicked him away.
“Oh my gosh, what happened?” I asked Jason.
“Leslie threw a crystal glass in your mom’s face!” he said in amusement.
Leslie threw a bottle at her again. This time it hit her in the temple—Kathy fell to the floor. My two huge uncles snatched Leslie off the table and carried her into the kitchen.
I began to cry when I heard my grandma call 911. Everyone sat back down in their seats confused and ready to leave.
“Everyone, just stay seated,” Paul said as h
e chased me up the stairs.
“Arrrgh!” I threw a mannequin to the floor. “Typical! She always does this. Leslie is worse than Kathy! She can’t stand when all the attention is on me.”
“Calm down, baby,” Paul said, “before the ambulance takes you away too.”
“And Kathy! Grrr…she acts like she is so innocent!”
The sound of the ambulance began to fill the entire house. As I walked downstairs, all the guests were leaving. Some of them snapped pictures of Kathy leaving on a stretcher.
“Look at you!” I said to Kathy. “I hate you! And you can’t come to my wedding, Kathy!”
“Stop it!” Frank tried to pull me away.
“But why? I love you. What did I do wrong?” Kathy said.
“I hate you!” I slammed my fist on my leg—it hurt a bit but I did not mind. “You love that you’re being taken away to the hospital. You’ve been praying for a moment like this—to ruin my wedding.” I lifted my hand, ready to slap her.
“That’s enough!” Frank pulled me across the room.
Kathy’s eyes began to water up—I never saw that before. I felt the unwelcoming stone come back again.
It wasn’t a good feeling.