doll, and what did I say?”
“You said okay, babe.”
“I said sure. And then what happened?”
“Then I went to Amanda and said no problem, give me his name and address—”
Brearely broke in, “He goes to her, I’m working on the chart, you’re not going to believe this, guys, she says, hold on I have to ask him if he wants to come. I mean, think about it, now it’s four days, she’s made demands, pulled a hissy fit, and she hasn’t even asked him? Now poor Garrett has to come and tell me, and yes I kind of freak out.”
Garrett winced, remembering. “You were great, considering.”
Brearely laughed. “I wasn’t fine, I lost it. I mean I’ve been rearranging tables trying to fit some nerd in, he’s probably going to come dressed all wrong, and now she’s telling Gar we need to hold on? So, yeah, I pulled a monster freak.”
Pouting at her husband. “I took it out on you, doll. I’m sorry.”
“No big deal, babe.”
“Because you’re the sweetest.” To us: “You know what it’s like. You guys work with pressure. Don’t you sometimes just say enough?”
Milo and I nodded.
Brearely turned back to her husband. “I was a total bee-atch and you didn’t deserve it but water through the bridge.” Back to us: “Then it got worse. Tell them, doll.”
Garrett sighed. “I didn’t hear from Amanda so two days before the wedding I texted her and asked what the story was.”
“ ’Cause I was pressuring him,” said Brearely. “ ’Cause my mom was pressuring me. Tell them what happened then, Gar.”
“She didn’t answer my text,” said Garrett. Abashed, as if divulging a creepy family secret.
“Two days before,” said Brearely.
“I tried calling,” said Garrett, “got voicemail. Finally, I got hold of her and she made like it wasn’t an issue anymore.”
“No, no, tell them exactly what she said.”
“She said he didn’t want to come. The venue was too—it wasn’t right for him.”
“No, no, no, the exact words, Gar.”
Garrett looked down at the table. “He said it sounded crass.”
“Crass,” said Brearely. “Try to do something a little different and you get ripped apart. He’s a crass ass!”
Tears filled her eyes. “We wanted it to be special. Instead…”
Garrett said, “We made it work. In Rome. That trattoria. All the things we saw.”
She sniffled. “Yes, we had a beautiful time. Our life is going to be beautiful forever.” Shaking her head, she mouthed, Crass.
I said. “The guy sounds like a jerk.”
“A jerk and an asshole and an effin’ shitty-butt-wipe,” said Brearely. “So now I’ve got to take him out of the table arrangement and move people around again. Like those Sudoku things Garrett does. One number doesn’t fit, it effs up everything else.”
Milo said, “You never got a name.”
Dual head shakes.
Brearely: “We didn’t think much about it. Then you guys came to see us at our apartment and you mentioned the Polish thing and I said, ‘Isn’t that weird, honey? Same as that guy your crazy bitch sister hassled us about.’ ”
She squeezed her husband’s hand. “Then I saw your face. You got it right away, like you always do with that big brain of yours. You looked so freaked out, I had to give you my best shiatsu back rub.”
Batting her lashes. Garrett blushed around his stubble.
Milo said, “Did Amanda give you any other details?”
Garrett said, “No, just what I told you.”
I said, “An academic.”
“She didn’t use that word, I guess I assumed it because she met him at the U. and if he’d done endowed research I figured he had to be someone relatively accomplished. My sense is she was a little awed, which is why she tried to arrange it in the first place.”
I said, “How’d she react to his turning her down?”
Garrett said, “She didn’t react at all. But that’s Amanda. Her…she’s different.”
“I’ll say,” said Brearely. “We’re going nuts on the tables and she doesn’t get it. Unbelievable. That girl is all about herself.”
Garrett winced.
I said, “The Polish thing. Do your parents know?”
Brearely said, “They know because I told them. Her. Sandy. So she’d know what her daughter was putting me through. She wasn’t very helpful.”
Garrett said, “You know weddings, guys.”
I said, “Supposed to be the happiest time, but.”
Brearely said, “But some people act like butts, so it’s anything but happy.”
Garrett said, “What led you to the Poland thing?”
Milo said, “Can’t get into it. So you talked to your parents about it.”
“I called my mom right before we left for Italy. I figured they should know, in case Amanda was involved in