I was sitting on the couch, peacefully eating my organic chips (because yes, Iām that girlfriend), when my phone rang.
It was Mom.
āHello, my love,ā she said in that cautious tone she uses right before detonating emotional bombs. āI need to talk to you about something… delicate.ā
Now, in my momās dictionary, ādelicateā means brace yourself ā your lifeās about to implode. I paused mid-crunch.
āWhat happened, Ma?ā
āWell… your sister finally set a date for her wedding.ā
āAww! Thatās amazing! When?ā
āJune fifteenth.ā
Silence. A long, heavy silence ā the kind that hangs in the air when the Wi-Fi dies right before the best part of a series.
āMom,ā I said slowly, āmy wedding is on June fifteenth.ā
āI know, honey, butāā
āBUT WHAT, MOM?ā The chips went flying. āI sent out invitations three months ago! You literally have one stuck to your fridge with that magnet shaped like the āEight Kidsā cartoon character!ā
Mom sighed the sigh of someone preparing a disaster PR statement. āYour sister says thatās the only day the venue she wants is available. And you know how she is when she gets whimsicalā¦ā

āOh, I know exactly how she is. Sheās a manipulative psycho who stole my Tamagotchi in 1998 and never apologized.ā
āDonāt overdo it, dear.ā
āOVERDO IT? Mom, are you saying there are going to be two weddings on the same day?ā
āWellā¦ā she hesitated, āyour father and I are going to your sisterās.ā
I swear I felt my soul pack its bags and move to Cancun.
āEXCUSE ME, WHAT?ā
āSheās the youngest, honey. Your father and I feel weāve supported you more over the years, and sheās always been… sensitive.ā
āMOM! I PLANNED MINE FIRST! There are basic human laws! First come, first served! Itās literally in Hammurabiās Code!ā
āDonāt be dramatic.ā
āDRAMATIC?! Iām going to have a wedding without my parents because my sister threw a toddler tantrum!ā
I hung up and immediately called my sister.
She answered on the third ring, using that fake-sweet tone she saves for moments when she knows sheās guilty.
āHiiiii, little sister!ā
āDonāt ālittle sisterā me, LucĆa. WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?ā
āOh, so Mom told you.ā She giggled nervously. āSee, I didnāt know thatāā
āOf course you knew! You went to my bridal shower! You ate half the cake shouting, āIām so excited! Juneās coming!āā
āWell, yeah, but… the venue just opened up andāā
āLucĆa, there are three hundred and sixty-five days in a year.ā
āTechnically, itās a leap year, so three hundred and sixty-six.ā
āIāM GOING TO KILL YOU.ā
āDonāt be selfish!ā she chirped. āBesides, your ceremonyās in the afternoon. Mineās in the morning. Mom and Dad can go to both!ā
āOh, of course,ā I said with pure venom. āBecause every bride dreams of her parents arriving late, sweaty, with someone elseās confetti still stuck in their hair.ā
āWell… they can shake it off before they get there.ā
I hung up before my blood pressure could reach orbit.
I called my fiancƩ.
āBabe,ā I said, āremember when you proposed and I said yes?ā
āYeah…ā he said cautiously. āWhy?ā
āCan we elope to Vegas and get married by a fat Elvis impersonator?ā
He groaned. āWhat did your sister do this time?ā
āShe turned our wedding day into a reality show competition.ā
Now here I am, staring at my carefully printed invitations and thinking maybe I should change the date. Or… maybe I should show up to her wedding in my wedding dress, stand at the altar, and scream, āSURPRISE! DOUBLE WEDDING!ā right in the middle of her vows.
Mom texted me a few hours later:
āDonāt be jealous, darling. What matters is that youāre both getting married ā¤ļøā
I replied:
āYouāre only going to have ONE daughter after this, so choose wisely.ā
She hasnāt answered.
A week later, I got a call from my dad. His voice was awkward ā the kind of tone that belongs to men whoād rather fight a bear than discuss emotions.
āSweetheart,ā he said, āyou know your mother and I love you both the same.ā
āSure,ā I said, āexcept youāre attending her wedding while mine happens at the same time.ā
āWell… sheās the baby.ā
āDad, Iām not asking you to breastfeed me, just to show up on the day Iām marrying the love of my life!ā
He sighed. āYou know your sister, sheāll throw a fit if we donāt go.ā
āGuess what, Dad ā so will I. But at least mine has better catering.ā
He didnāt laugh. He never does when Iām furious.
For a few days, I genuinely considered rescheduling. Venues, vendors, invitations ā everything had taken months to plan. Iād been so proud of how organized I was. But now, I was the one left making phone calls, apologizing for āpotential changes.ā
My fiancƩ found me crying over color swatches.
āShe wins again,ā I said. āLucĆa always wins. She breaks the rules, and everyone bends around her.ā
He wrapped his arms around me and said, āThen let her have her chaos. You have your peace. Weāll have our day ā even if itās just us, our friends, and zero family drama.ā
That night, I stopped crying.
June fifteenth arrived faster than I expected. I woke up expecting to feel broken, but instead I felt… calm.
Our wedding was small ā simple, elegant, surrounded by friends who actually wanted to be there. We danced barefoot, laughed too loudly, and kissed under fairy lights while my phone buzzed with unanswered calls from relatives asking, āAre you really not coming to LucĆaās reception?ā
No. I wasnāt.
Because for once in my life, I wasnāt playing second place to my sisterās drama.
And when my mom texted me later ā āYour sisterās wedding was beautiful. Hope yours went well too ā¤ļøā ā I smiled, put my phone face down, and kept dancing.
Because yes, Mom. Mine went perfectly.
It wasnāt the wedding I planned ā but it was the wedding I deserved.
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