“Whenever something good or bad happens, the first person I turn to is Maureen. And now I can’t, because even she turned out to be a dirty traitor!” She devolves into sobs again. “What is it about me? Am I so horrible that people close to me can’t help but lie to me? My own fiancé can’t even trust me enough to tell me that he doesn’t have enough friends to have as groomsmen. How messed up is that?” she cries, staring at me with her wet face.
What’s the right thing to say here? I mean, it is SO messed up, but then again, I don’t think that’s what she wants to hear. “Um. It’s not great, but it’s also not the worst thing a guy could do.” Except Tom has done worse, aside from being named Tom Cruise. He also happens to be a world-class douche. I shouldn’t be defending him. “Okay, yeah, it’s pretty shitty. Look, you want to know the truth? Tom’s kind of a shit.”
Jacqueline’s mouth drops open, and those huge eyes stare at me. Oh my god. I can’t believe that just slipped out of me.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that. Ignore me, I’m not really thinking straight, I hit my head back there, when—uh. Yeah.” Oh my god, I almost said “I hit my head back there, when Maureen scared the crap out of me with her gun.” Keep it together, self.
To my surprise, something like a laugh squeaks out of Jacqueline’s mouth before she covers it. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“I’m sorry, really, I am—”
“No, don’t be sorry. After today, I think you’re right,” she says in a whisper, and then she does a horrified sort of laugh. “I can’t believe I just said that about the guy I’m about to marry.”
“Are you? Still marrying him, I mean.” I know what I hope her answer is. I haven’t known these people very long at all, but talk about beauty and the beast. It’s not even that Tom’s particularly unattractive; he’s just so ugh in every possible way.
“Yeah, of course—” she falters and looks horrified. “I—I don’t know. Our families are so good together. Our parents get along so well, they’ve got investments with each other, and they’re so keen for us to be married—”
I know all too well what she’s talking about. Within the rich Chinese-Indonesian communities, parents scheme and plan so that their sons and daughters will be able to marry the wealthiest sons and daughters. Given the Sutopos’ vast conglomerate of corporations and real estate, Tom is a catch, regardless of his odious personality.
Her last words come out in a whisper: “But he really is a shit, isn’t he?” She half-sobs, half-laughs. “God, I wish Maureen were here. She’s always hated him, you know? Well, she’s always hated whatever guy I dated, but with Tom, god, she was always ranting about how gross he is, and I just never saw it. Honestly? I think I’m more upset about Maureen than any of it. Does that make me a bad person? I haven’t even really thought of that poor dead guy—I mean, Jesus, there was a dead guy at our ceremony! How much more of a bad omen can you get? I can’t believe one of the actors Tom hired turned up dead.”
I blink at her. It takes a while to sink in. Of course. She doesn’t know that Ah Guan wasn’t one of the groomsmen. She doesn’t know anyone in the groom’s bridal party. Nobody does.
“I wish I could talk to Maureen!” Jacqueline wails again, burying her face in her hands. “I miss that asshole so much.”
Great. Of course, the one person she misses just happens to be the woman currently holding my family hostage at gunpoint. My family who’s probably fawning over her and telling her what a great daughter she’d make instead of me.
Ugh, freaking Maureen. Okay. What would Maureen do if she were here? Aside from grabbing the tea ceremony gifts and running away with them, that is. The thought of it makes me frown. Despite everything that’s happened, I can’t reconcile the image of Maureen stealing gifts that were meant for Jacqueline. My mind keeps reeling away from the wrongness of it and resting instead on all those times I caught glimpses of real friendship between the two women. The way Maureen anticipated Jacqueline’s needs and brought her water before she even asked for it. The way Maureen supported Jacqueline’s arms as she stepped into her huge dress. The way the two of them finish each other’s sentences. There’s so much love there. A lot more than whatever’s between Jacqueline and Tom, that’s for sure.
And that’s when it clicks. Everything falls into place. The theft of the tea ceremony gifts, but the intention to return them. How distraught Maureen was when they found the gifts in her room. She was sorrowful, grieving, not because of the loss of the gifts but because of the loss of her friendship with Jacqueline.