My mom, lacking a backbone, was a pushover for her family, always at the mercy of my grandmother and uncle.
Ever since Lisa married into the family, she acted as if she had some authority over my mom, bossing her around whenever she could. I’d had enough of her antics long ago.
Lisa shot me a sharp look. “If it wasn’t for your mom begging me to put in a good word for you with Jane, to help you find a wealthy man, I wouldn’t waste my time on you.”
I rolled my eyes at her.
Infuriated, her face twisted in anger, and she stomped off, muttering that she wouldn’t waste another second on me.
I was seated at the same table as Lisa and my cousin.
At the banquet, the seating arrangement clearly followed a hierarchy.
Her husband’s superiors sat at the front; wealthy and influential relatives were given the prime seats, while friends with good standing were seated in the middle. Those without resources were pushed to the back tables.
Surprisingly, I had been placed at the very last table.
My cousin smirked, “I get why I’m stuck at the back – I’m the family dropout – but you, the genius with the fancy degree? Kind of weird, don’t you think?”
“There’s nothing strange about it. It’s not like having a degree matters much. Look at Jane – she didn’t even finish high school and married rich. She’s the real success story,” Lisa chimed in, seizing the opportunity to belittle me again.
“Men can always find someone younger if they’re rich, but for women, once they’re older, they’re just leftovers – like you, Bree,” she added, aiming her jab at me.
I glanced towards the tables up front and noticed Jane’s second aunt sitting with her family at one of the front tables.
I chuckled. “Aunt, isn’t it odd that your sister, also Jane’s aunt, is sitting at the front table with her kids, while you and my cousin are stuck at the back here?”
My cousin couldn’t hold it in anymore. He cursed under his breath and lashed out at Lisa, “If you want to keep sucking up to Jane and her family, that’s your problem. Don’t drag me into it.”
Lisa, flustered, smacked him on his shoulder several times, whispering furiously, “I’m only doing this so you can get a job through Jane’s rich husband. Do you think I’d be humbling myself like this for fun?”
As she spoke, Jane approached, holding her baby.
“Thank you all for coming to my son’s baby shower,” she announced, smiling.