Transcription
How did the sister who got everything end up with nothing? I spent my whole childhood hearing, "We can't afford that." while watching Kloe get everything she wanted.
When Kloe got engaged at 23, our parents threw themselves into wedding planning. "They hired a planner, rented a ballroom, flew in relatives from across the country. The final bill was $40,000." "Our little girl only gets married once," Dad said, taking out a second mortgage. "This is a once in a-lifetime investment." The marriage lasted 8 months. Kloe divorced him because the spark died and moved back home. Nobody talked about the $40,000.
2 years later, I got engaged to Louis. He was a mechanic going to night school, and I loved him completely. I went to our parents, excited to start planning my own wedding. "We need to talk about expectations." Mom said, "Your wedding budget is $5,000." I stared at them. "You spent $40,000 on Khloe's wedding." Dad shifted uncomfortably. "Khloe's a romantic soul who deserves to find true love, no matter how many tries it takes." That was their reason. Khloe was romantic. I wasn't. "5,000 is more than enough for a nice backyard ceremony." Mom continued, "You've always been the practical one." Khloe sat there smiling. "Maybe if you were more passionate about love like me, they'd invest more. I just have higher standards."
Louis and I got married at the courthouse. Spent $500 total. My dress came from a thrift store. His suit was borrowed. We had dinner at a small restaurant with six friends. Chloe posted that day, "My sister got married at a courthouse today. I could never disrespect my future husband like that." Then she showed up to our dinner uninvited, wearing a white dress and loudly told our friends she felt so bad for Louiswis because he deserved a real wedding. When we cut our store-bought sheetcake, she announced to everyone that her wedding cake had cost more than our entire ceremony. We didn't care. We were building our life together.
Then Kloe got engaged again. Another huge wedding, another $40,000. That marriage lasted 14 months. She cheated, moved back home again. Louis finished his degree and opened his own auto shop. I got promoted at my firm. We saved every penny while Khloe lived rent-free at our parents house. When she went on to have a third wedding with the same spectacle, our parents had spent over 100 grand on her. But when my son was born, they gave us a $50 gift card. "Money's tight," they explained. I didn't care anymore and just went on to have two kids, owned our house, and never fought about money.
Then last Tuesday, my phone rang at 2:00 a.m. Chloe was calling me. I haven't spoken to her since I texted, "Congrats on the engagement 2 years ago." She didn't respond back. I answered the call. "Anita, I'm having a crisis. Please come now. It's an emergency." I panicked. I threw on clothes and drove 90 mph to our parents house. Heart pounding. Burst through the door, expecting her new boyfriend, Evan, had left her. Someone was sick. Something horrible.
Instead, I found my parents and her sitting on the couch smiling. Mom jumped up. "Anita, you made such good time. Coffee? I made your favorite." She'd never made me coffee in my life. I actually preferred tea. Dad patted the couch. "Sit. Sit. You look wonderful. Is Louis's business doing well?" Chloe kept touching my arm, complimenting my jacket, my hair, even my car keys. I was already annoyed. "What do you want?"
Khloe's tears started as if on cue. She grabbed my hands dramatically. "Evan finally proposed properly with the ring I deserve, but mom and dad can't afford the wedding anymore. They're maxed out." She sobbed. "I need $30,000 or I'll have to cancel everything." I laughed like that was the funniest thing I ever heard. "You'll help her, right?" Mom asked sweetly. "Like when I needed help with my wedding, that was different." Chloe whined. "This is my last chance at happiness and my first chance wasn't important." Dad stood up. "Anita, be reasonable. You have money now. Don't be selfish." I tried not to explode. "So did you. You spent it on her three failures while I got $5,000." "You're being heartless," mom said. "Just like always." "No. Khloe's too romantic for marriage. She's so romantic, yet she doesn't know how to be a wife." Chloe started balling. I slammed the door as they yelled at me.