The Great Wedding Purge

Chapter 1

1.

My dad checked out early, leaving Mom to raise me solo.

But at my wedding, Brenda, my pregnant fiancée, decided to flex on her.

Brenda wanted Mom to physically carry her from the limo into the venue.

Then, during the tea ceremony, she snubbed Mom for being a “hick” and refused to acknowledge her as a mother-in-law.

She even had the nerve to say Mom was dragging down the wedding’s “prestige” and went to kick her out.

That’s where I drew the line.

I booted her off the stage.

Right then and there, I told her the “hick” she looked down on was actually the CEO of my company.

Suddenly, she was on her knees, begging Mom for forgiveness.

I only had one word for her: Scram!

…………………..

Brenda and I had been together for two years, and she got pregnant last month, so we figured, let’s tie the knot.

When our families started hashing out the wedding plans, I wanted my mom, who’s been chilling at her place in the country, to talk to Brenda’s mom.

But Brenda shut that down fast.

“No way. What’s she gonna do? She is like a total bumpkin.”

“We’ll do whatever my mom says.”

And what her mom said was, $88,000 dowry, $35,000 in gold jewelry, and the fanciest hotel in town.

Plus, all Brenda’s relatives had to be invited and we would pay for their food and drinks, and they wouldn’t have to have another reception.

Oh, and each of her relatives got a $1,888 gift and a carton of Marlboro cigarettes.

I was starting to sweat.

“Why do I have to give your relatives gifts? Shouldn’t they be giving us gifts, especially since they are eating our food?”

Brenda’s mom, Darlene, gave me the stink eye.

“I’m doing you a favor here, okay? You’re a big-shot manager, and your uncle’s the boss, right? You can’t swing this?”

“Drop this much cash, and the whole family’s gonna respect you.”

Oh, I got it. She was just using my money to show off.

I could afford it, but I didn’t want to. It felt wrong.

And $88,000 was way too much for a dowry.

But they were relentless.

“Brenda’s carrying your kid, so what’s a little cash? You’re trying to nickel and dime us when she is with child? Is our family and grandchild worth it?”

“We don’t even want your money, we just want to know that you think she is worthy!”

“We just want to see you show her love!”

Yeah, right. It would have been better if they just asked for cash instead of whatever that was.

I turned to Brenda.

“What do you think?”

She was sipping her latte, super casual.

“Do whatever Mom says, hon. She’s right, it shows how important I am to you.”

“And I need the money for security, you know? A girl’s gotta feel secure.”

She rubbed her belly.

“And what about my baby? Does he deserve to live in poverty?”

Of course she didn’t feel secure; she didn’t have a job or any real skills.

I don’t even know why I was with her.

I asked my mom.

She was watering her plants.

“She’s pregnant. What can you do? Say yes. As long as she treats you right, money isn’t everything.”

2.

So, we caved.

The $88,000 went straight to Darlene, who said it was for Brenda’s “security,” but everyone knew what was up.

No wedding gifts from her family but she had a whole caravan of people coming to get freebies.

Whatever. I could deal. She was pregnant.

I couldn’t afford to make her stressed.

We bought a crazy expensive dress, booked the fanciest hotel.

The day before the wedding, Darlene called me up.

“Make sure your mom comes down from the country tomorrow to welcome the new bride, you hear?”

I was confused. Of course my mom was coming.

Why did she need to spell it out?

The next day, I found out.

I went to Brenda’s place early in the morning, paid so many gifts, and finally got her back to the venue.

But she wouldn’t get out of the limo. Not if I pulled her, not if I begged her.

The ceremony was about to start.

I asked her.

“What do you want?”

She finally spoke.

“Mom says a new bride needs to be carried over the threshold by her mother-in-law.”

“That’s how I establish myself in the family and show my power.”

My jaw dropped.

“You’re saying you want my mom to carry you inside?”

She nodded.

“Yup. It’s gotta be her.”

I said no.

“No way. You know Mom’s not doing great. She’s been in the country to rest. She can’t carry you.”

She frowned.

“If she can’t even do that, why get married? She doesn’t like me.”

I was speechless.

That wasn’t a tradition where I was from, and it sure as hell wasn’t my family tradition.

But she insisted: either Mom carried her, or she wasn’t leaving the car.

Mom came out of the reception hall, wondering why we weren’t inside yet.

Brenda tossed my mom a nasty look.

“My mom says a new bride gets carried in by her mother-in-law. Get over here and haul me in, or everyone can wait and see you get embarrassed.”

Mom froze for a minute, then sighed.

“Okay, okay. Let’s not ruin the wedding. I’ll do it.”

She went to the car and bent over.

She was so thin, and the last couple of years had taken a toll on her.

My dad died when I was young, and she had done all she could to raise me while making a living.

She was barely over 50, but so worn out.

Seeing her bent over, trying to lift Brenda, who had to weigh over 100 pounds, made me feel sick.

“No. Brenda, get out. I’ll carry you.”

Brenda was already on Mom’s back, smirking.

“Shut up. She’s already bending over, just leave us alone.”

Mom struggled to stand, then looked at me.

“Go inside, honey. Brenda’s pregnant, so don’t upset her.”

Her eyes told me to suck it up.

She wanted to see me married and have kids. It was her dream.

3.

She always said she didn’t know how many years she had left, and she wanted to see me happy.

Watching her carrying Brenda, I felt my throat tighten.

But Darlene was loving it, and she dragged me inside the reception hall.

Mom was slowly getting Brenda inside the reception while stumbling every step.

Everyone looked so confused.

My uncle whispered to me.

“What’s going on? Why is your mom carrying her?”

I told him the truth.

He was livid, and my aunt chimed in.

“That’s insane! Who makes a mother-in-law carry the bride? She’s just trying to be a bully.”

“And your mom’s so fragile! Look at her shake! I gotta help.”

My aunt went over to them, smiling at Brenda.

“Brenda, honey, let your aunt carry you. She is also your mother in law.”

Brenda didn’t want to let go.

“My mom said that only my mother-in-law can help me be the queen of the household.”

Everyone looked uncomfortable.

Mom kept walking.

Her legs were trembling.

I started to pull Brenda off her back, but my aunt already snatched her off Mom and bent over.

“Your mother-in-law isn’t well, and I will help you.”

Darlene gave Brenda a look, and she reluctantly got on my aunt’s back.

Mom took a few breaths, then pulled herself together.

My uncle got her a chair.

“Sis, you shouldn’t let her walk all over you. This is just the beginning.”

Mom smiled, but I saw tears in her eyes.

“It’s okay. As long as they’re happy, I don’t have much time left anyway.”

The relatives were whispering.

“That new bride is a nightmare. The mother-in-law’s life is gonna suck.”

“Totally. She’s worked her whole life, and now she’s getting treated like dirt at her son’s wedding.”

“She is so spoiled since she is pregnant!”

I wanted to scream, but Mom kept telling me to stay calm.

For her sake, I went through the motions.

The officiant finally said, “Now, the parents of the groom should get on stage.”

It was time for the tea ceremony, so I grabbed Mom’s hand.

I didn’t have a dad, it was just Mom. Everything I had was because of her.

I wanted Brenda to respect her, even if she was being a jerk.

But when I went to help Mom up, Brenda put her hand on Mom’s shoulder.

“You can stay put.”

Mom and I both stared at her.

I asked, “What are you talking about?”

She brushed her hair and patted her stomach.

“Didn’t they say your aunt is sick? I wouldn’t want her going on stage and getting bad vibes.”

Mom was shaking.

I lost it.

After holding it in all day, she had to do this now?

4.

I yelled, “Brenda, are you trying to ruin this wedding? There’s supposed to be parents onstage during the tea ceremony! If you hate my mom, why are you marrying me?”

She didn’t flinch.

“Why are you so mad? I’m just not bringing your aunt on stage. We can have other people!”

I was taken aback. I had an aunt, I didn’t have a dad.

She can’t have them go up without their parents.

She soon gave me the answer.

She gave my aunt and uncle a very nasty face.

“Aunt and uncle, are you able to go on stage, and I will give you tea?”

My aunt and uncle’s faces went dark.

They both disagreed, and my aunt was first.

“This is not allowed, your mother-in-law is still alive, and I can’t replace her, and such an important event, you have to respect her.”

My aunt was also unhappy.

“You are the bride of your Aunt, but she is not family, so this can’t be done.”

Brenda was turned down by my Aunt and Uncle, but she didn’t know what to do.

Darlene saw that this was starting to be a mess, and she came to help Brenda.

“Aunt and uncle, this was my idea, and I know that you don’t have any kids, just daughters.”

“I also know that you treat you a true son, and we think that you should be shown our appreciation.”

“And, you still want us to take care of you when you get older.”

Go away.

I finally got it.

This family, they thought my aunt was rich, and they wanted to get as close to her as possible.

They had thought of me as working for her under my uncle, as just a worker.

They didn’t care about my mom, and they just hated that she was a sick mother and a country girl.

Mom was quietly sitting down, and I knew she was feeling very sad, but she would never show it.

Darlene kept talking.

“Relatives, in the future, we will all be together. If she gets worse, we can do something with it.”

“In the future, if we are on the same side, we can drink tea together.”

Before my uncle could flip the table, I slapped Brenda in the face.

On such an important day, she wouldn’t respect my mom and me.

I couldn’t care less about her.

Brenda was struck, and after a while, she started to scream.

“How could you hit me! Don’t you love me!”

Yeah, I was gonna hit her more.

I hit her on the other side of her face.

“Get lost, Brenda! I don’t love you! I don’t care about the kid!”

She started stamping.

“You will regret it! You better beg me to come back!”

I sure wouldn’t.

The one that was going to regret it, was her.

Because she was going to figure out that the grandma that she looked down on…

My mom, the country bumpkin, the CEO of the whole company.

5.

Brenda couldn’t handle getting slapped, so she was screaming at me.

Darlene held her back and told her what to do.