The Reunion That Never Was
\nI should have known something was wrong when Melissa insisted on planning the whole family reunion herself. My daughter-in-law had never shown interest in family events before. Hell, she usually complained about having to attend them.<\/p>\n
But there she was, calling me every week with updates. \u201cMom Janet, I\u2019ve booked the perfect venue. It\u2019s going to be amazing.<\/p>\n
Everyone\u2019s going to love it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She never called me Mom Janet. It was always just \u201cJanet\u201d in that cold tone she used when she had to acknowledge my existence. I should have listened to my gut.<\/p>\n
But I was so happy that Melissa finally seemed excited about being part of our family. After five years of marriage to my son Derek, she\u2019d kept her distance. Polite but distant.<\/p>\n
Like she was doing us all a favor by showing up. The reunion was supposed to celebrate my late husband\u2019s seventieth birthday. Frank had been gone for three years, but this would have been his milestone.<\/p>\n
The whole family was coming\u2014Derek and Melissa, my daughter Sarah with her kids, my brother Tom and his family, cousins from out of state. Twenty-two people total. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about the cost, Mom,\u201d Derek had said when we first discussed it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMelissa and I will handle everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
But I knew they\u2019d been struggling. Derek\u2019s construction business was slow, and Melissa\u2019s part-time job at the dentist\u2019s office barely covered gas money. So when she called asking for help with deposits, I didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need about three thousand to secure everything,\u201d she said. \u201cThe venue, catering, decorations. It\u2019s going to be perfect, but I need to put money down now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I drove to the bank that afternoon and got her a cashier\u2019s check.<\/p>\n
Melissa hugged me when I handed it over\u2014the first time she\u2019d ever initiated physical contact with me. \u201cThank you so much, Mom Janet. This means everything to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two weeks later, she needed another thousand for the photographer and flowers.<\/p>\n
Then five hundred more for party favors. Each time, I said yes. Frank had left me comfortable, and this was for his memory.<\/p>\n
For our family. By the time the reunion rolled around, I\u2019d given Melissa almost five thousand dollars. But I didn\u2019t mind.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d been calling me with such enthusiasm, describing the decorations, the menu, the surprise slideshow she was putting together. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be the event of a lifetime,\u201d she kept saying. The Disaster
\nThe morning of the reunion, I spent two hours getting ready.<\/p>\n
The story doesn\u2019t end here \u2014 it continues on the next page.
\nTap READ MORE to discover the rest \ud83d\udd0e\ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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