round stomach around the dance floor, rubbing it against Max and laughing.
She and Will danced just once, when the DJ found it in his heart to play a Frank Sinatra song, something for the old people, and Will found her right away and led her out to the dance floor. That was a nice part of the day, swaying and twirling with Will. Of course, right after that, the next song played repeated the words sexy bitch over and over, and everyone who had been dancing to Sinatra scattered like cockroaches.
Finally the day was over. It was funny, on all the sites that Weezy had looked at, the bride and the bride’s family always commented that the reception went so fast, in the blink of an eye. But this one seemed to go on forever. At one point, Weezy thought they were going to have to kick the straggling college friends out of the backyard and tell them to go home. Thankfully, by the time it was getting to that point, they all seemed to get the hint and were on their way.
Maureen had hired a limo to take Max and Cleo to the Ritz-Carlton for two nights. “My present to you,” she’d told them the week before. “I know you won’t be going on a honeymoon, so think of this as a mini trip.” She’d made them appointments in the hotel spa, and dinner reservations for the next night. “Enjoy yourselves,” she said.
And so Max and Cleo had driven off in a limo, while the rest of the family finished saying good-bye to the last guests that were hanging on, and watched the caterers fold up the chairs and remove the leftover food. Weezy felt tired through her whole body, right down to the bones in her fingers, which ached just a little bit.
They’d all gathered on the back patio to have a glass of wine, although that was the last thing Maureen needed. She’d downed her glass quickly, then announced that she thought it would be a good idea if she went home, and Drew, who had been waiting quietly the whole day, piled Maureen, Bets, Ruth, and Cathy into the car and drove them off.
“And then there were four,” Weezy said. She felt sad, the way you do after holidays or vacations, just a little let down that the whole thing is over. Isn’t that what she’d wanted the whole day, for the thing to be over? But now, she felt let down. Her own head felt a little swimmy from the wine, but she somehow didn’t want to go to bed just yet.
“I think it all went well,” Will said.
“It did,” Martha said. “Except when the caterers tried to set out the buffet before the ceremony even started. I went right in there and told them they’d have to cool it. I mean, can you imagine?”
Martha had repeated this story a few times already, and Weezy saw Claire close her eyes briefly.
“Well, thank goodness you were there,” Weezy said. “It could have been a disaster.”
“I mean, really,” Martha went on. “How hard is it to follow simple directions? What if the food had been out there for all that time, getting cold and congealing as they said their vows?” She sat back and shook her head.
“Well, it wasn’t,” Claire said. “So there’s no need to keep talking about it.”
“I’m just saying it could have been a disaster,” Martha said.
“We know. You’ve said it only about a million times already. We understand—the caterers were incompetent and you saved the day. We heard you.”
“Girls, stop. Please stop.” Weezy felt the beginning of a headache.
“Give your mother a break, would you?” Will said.
“I’m not doing anything,” Martha said. “I don’t know what Claire’s problem is. All I tried to do today is help.”
“You were a big help today,” Weezy told her.
“Oh my God,” Claire said. “Can we please stop praising Martha for acting like a normal person for once?”
“Claire, stop it.” Weezy could tell that Martha was on the verge of tears.
“I’m serious. This is why she’s like this, you know. This is why she thinks everything’s about her. Because you make it about her. All she did was say thank you to people as they left today. And you’re acting like she performed a miracle.”
Martha got up and walked inside, and Claire rolled her eyes.
“You should apologize to your sister,” Weezy said. Her whole body felt so tired. Had she ever been this tired in her whole life?
“I’m