The Day They Left Me Behind, I Canceled the Wedding and Them Chapter 01

The Day They Left Me Behind, I Canceled the Wedding and Them Chapter 01

During the Thanksgiving holiday, I finally visited the railway-to-the-sea spot I’d been dreaming about for seven years.

After waiting in line for over an hour under the blazing sun, it was finally my turn to take a picture.

My best friend Sabrina casually mentioned she wanted some fruit.

My childhood friend, Jason, was the first to stand up.

“Let’s go together—it’s not safe for you to go alone.”

My older brother, Derek, frowned and scolded me.

“Are you here to sightsee or to take pictures? Stop taking pictures!”

My fiancé Ethan was even more impatient.

“It’s just some run-down place that’s been hyped up online—what’s there to film? Let’s get out of here.”

The three of them surrounded Sabrina and turned to leave.

They left me all alone on the abandoned tracks, watching them walk farther and farther away.

The tourists waiting in line behind me were getting impatient too. “If you’re not going to take a picture, move out of the way!”

I awkwardly stepped aside and suddenly felt like a complete joke.

I’d been planning this trip for seven years.

But every time, her last-minute change of heart would throw everything off.

We finally set out this year.

I have a chronic ear infection, and I’d booked an Amtrak ticket.

She said she wanted to watch the clouds from the plane, so the whole group immediately changed to a flight.

I’d booked a luxury hotel a month in advance.

She said she wanted to stay at a beachside B&B, so everyone went ahead and booked one that was ten times as expensive.

From start to finish, everyone went out of their way to accommodate her.

The obsession that had consumed me for seven years was no match for her simple remark, “I want some fruit.”

Fine.

Since my expectations were worthless.

Then I didn’t want this trip—or any of these people—anymore.

…

My phone buzzed twice.

I looked down and saw a message from my fiancé.

Ethan: [Elaine, come find us on the right side of that rickety track—we bought some late-ripening plums. Look!]

Ethan: [Sweet and sour—Sabrina said they’re delicious! We bought a bunch for you to try when you come over.]

I looked at the photo of green plums he sent me.

Suddenly, I felt a bit dazed.

I didn’t know when it started.

It wasn’t that Ethan didn’t remember me.

It was just that all my needs had to take a back seat to my best friend, Sabrina.

Just like right now.

They’d gone with Sabrina to buy fruit without looking back.

But he still remembered to text me and wait for me to come over.

He always saved some of the fruit he bought for me.

But he forgot.

I had a very serious stomach condition, so I couldn’t eat anything sour at all.

I pursed my lips and slowly typed a reply.

[I can’t handle anything sour, so I’m heading out. Have fun, everyone.]

I left the beach on my own and took a cab back to the guesthouse.

While I was waiting for the car, my phone kept getting bombarded with calls and messages.

Derek: [Elaine, are you out of your mind? You’re the biggest killjoy when we go out to have fun! Get back here right now.]

Derek: [We’ll be waiting for you at the entrance to the pier. You only have fifteen minutes—no exceptions.]

Jason: [Elaine, it’s just a lousy photo—don’t make a big deal out of it.]

Jason: [After getting your message, Sabrina couldn’t even bring herself to eat her plums anymore; with tears in her eyes, she said it was all her fault.]

Jason: [She dragged us over to the broken tracks to look for you, but we didn’t find you.]

Jason: [She’s really worried right now. What on earth are you up to?]

Jason: [If worse comes to worst, you can just come back, and the four of us will wait with you in line to take a picture of that crappy track—is that okay?]

But the weather by the beach changed quickly.

Dark clouds were now gathering overhead.

The blue jelly-like sea, once the most photogenic spot, had now turned into a murky, grayish expanse.

Even if I did take a photo, it wouldn’t be what I wanted anymore.

Ethan simply sent a question mark and didn’t message again.

I didn’t know when he became like this.

When I was sad and upset.

He would never hold me and comfort me again.

He just took three steps back, furrowed his brow, and told me to act more mature and work through my emotions on my own.

Now I could really do it.