I thanked her and hung up.
Then I texted Claire: “I spoke to Willowmere this morning about the payment transfer process. Jordan Ellis will be reaching out to you about assuming the client contract. The remaining $7,200 will need to be arranged through that process. The $2,400 deposit stays with the venue regardless.”
I kept the text factual. I did not include feelings. I included the relevant numbers because I thought clarity was the most respectful thing I could offer, given the situation.
Claire did not respond to that text for four hours. When she did, it was three words: “You can’t do this.”
I called her. She didn’t pick up.
## What Diane Said
My mother called at seven that evening.
I could tell from the first syllable that she was upset in the specific way she gets upset when she thinks the family is in danger of not looking like a family in front of people who don’t know us. There was a tightness in her voice that I had learned to read over thirty-six years.
“Elise,” she said, “Claire is devastated.”
“Mom, I’m not going to fund a wedding that I’m not invited to.”
“This isn’t about the money –“
“It’s partly about the money. She told me not to come to her wedding. I’m not going to pay for it.”
“She just meant that the guest list was getting complicated –“
“She told me I have a certain energy and the day would flow better without that dynamic. Those were her words.”