Chapter 24 - What Survived
Gwendolyn lost money.
Wedding deposits.
Some recoverable.
Some not.
The venue refunded part because ceremony canceled before service completion.
Florist could not uncut flowers.
Cake existed.
Photographer had worked.
No magical full reimbursement.
She absorbed roughly twenty-three thousand dollars after family contributions and refunds were sorted.
Painful.
Not ruinous.
Thayer’s share of certain joint deposits became a civil dispute.
Lawyers settled.
No mansion.
No company seizure.
No revenge fortune.
Then Estelle.
She completed probation.
Her record remained.
She accepted.
No appeal.
My own diversion finished and the battery charge was dismissed.
I had no permanent conviction from the slap.
That did not mean it never happened.
Percival remembered.
So did I.
Then the family ring.
Estelle asked Gwendolyn:
“Do you want me to transfer it to you now?”
Gwen said:
“No.”
Mom looked hurt.
“It isn’t the ring’s fault.”
“I know.”
“Then?”
“I don’t want it to mean anything for a while.”
Good.
Estelle returned it to safe deposit.
No cleansing ceremony.
No dramatic sale.
An object could simply be stored.
Then my sister’s name.
She reverted nothing because she had never legally changed it.
No marriage certificate had been filed.
The ceremony did not happen.
Thayer remained an ex-fiancé.
Simpler than divorce.
Emotionally, not simple.
One afternoon, Gwendolyn sat on my kitchen counter eating ice cream.
Percival was building a model airplane at the table.
She said:
“Do you think I was stupid?”
I answered:
“Yes.”
She stared.
Then laughed.
“Wow.”
“You asked.”
“I meant generally.”
“No. You were stupid about some things.”
“Helpful.”
“You also were deceived.”
She grew quiet.
“Both?”
“Yes.”
“Can I blame him?”
“For his choices.”
“And me?”
“For yours.”
She nodded.
Then Percival held up a wing.
“Aunt Gwen?”
“Yeah?”
“Glue.”
She got down.
Their relationship had become ordinary in small increments.
May you like
No grand absolution.
Just glue.
