Chapter 5 - The Pressure Mounts
As the days crept closer to the June 14 wedding date, the tension within our extended family reached a boiling point. My father tried to intervene, calling me to offer a "compromise."
"Daniel, son," he said, trying to sound reasonable. "What if we hire a private nanny for Lily at the venue? She can be in the photos, but then the nanny can take her to a separate room during the speeches. That way everyone wins."
"A separate room?" I asked. "So she's allowed to be a prop for the photos to satisfy Mark's parents, but then she gets locked away when the real celebration starts? Do you hear yourself, Dad?"
"We are trying to meet you halfway!" he snapped.
"There is no halfway when it comes to my daughter's dignity," I replied and hung up.
Meanwhile, my son Ethan had begun to notice the tension. At eleven years old, he was incredibly perceptive. One evening, as we were washing the dishes, he looked up at me.
"Dad? Is Aunt Vanessa's wedding still happening?"
"I don't know, buddy," I admitted honestly. "There are some things going on with the family."
"I don't want to go if Lily can't go," Ethan said quietly, drying a plate. "At school, some kids make fun of Lily because she takes longer to talk. I always stand up for her. If I went to the wedding without her, it would feel like I was joining the kids who make fun of her."
I stopped washing and looked at my son. Tears pricked my eyes. I pulled him into a tight hug. "You are an amazing brother, Ethan. I am so proud of you."
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"We're a team, right?" he asked.
"Always," I said.
