One Bride for Five Mountain Men

“Thanks, Dad, but I already ate.” She smiled at him. His face remained serious, his eyes looking at her from above his reading glasses.

“What? Your mother’s cooking is not good enough for you so you had to cook your own breakfast?” Mary Loughlin chided.

“It’s not like that, Mom.”

“Then what is it? I’m going to make all of this breakfast for whom?”

“Give it to Tara when she wakes up.”

“Tara’s not here. Why would she stay here? She is a grown-up with a real job. Why would she stay with her parents?”

Rory knew that this was a jibe at her. In no time, her stress levels had reached code red already. Fuck. I wish I had money to stay in a hotel.

“You’re going to eat this breakfast with us. At least for some time, pretend that you have a family and act your part.” With that parting shot, her mother’s attention went back to cooking. Her dad stayed silent, firmly engrossed in the newspaper.

Rory pretended to look at the phone, but she was desperately trying to control her emotions. She never understood why her mother had to be so mean to her at all times. Why? Because she thinks I am a failure? Does it make her look bad in her social circles?

At the same time, Rory knew how crucial it was for her to maintain calm. Upon waking up that morning she had decided that she would ask her father for financial help right away and be done with it. She did not want to feel anxious throughout this trip, constantly wondering whether her father would agree or not.

Just as she was about to start a conversation with her father about her financial situation, her mother interrupted.

“Bill, we have a lot of running to do today. So you better be ready by ten. Tara is busy and we’ll have to

get it all done by ourselves.” Her mom, ordering people around as always.

“Will she be around later?” her dad asked.

“Will who be around later?” The kitchen door opened and there she was. Tara entered, wearing a smart business suit dressed to the nines, grinning like she had just conquered the world. Next to her, Rory felt inadequate in her sweatpants. Stop it Rory. Stop it.

“Hello, darling.” Bill’s face lit up as he kissed his favorite daughter on the cheek. “This is a surprise.”

“Well, I thought I’ll drop in quickly and see my favorite sister,” she smiled. Mary Loughlin gave Rory a knowing look, as if to say “learn something from your sister.”

“C’mon, darling. Sit down. I’ll get a plate for you,” her mother told Tara.

“No, Ma. I don’t have time for that, besides I want to fit in the wedding dress. If I keep eating that delicious food you make, that’s not gonna happen.” Tara laughed and her parents joined in wholeheartedly.

“All right, dear,” her mother replied sweetly.

“And Rory. Seems like you have made quite a name for yourself in the one day that you have been back here.” The mischievous looks on Tara’s face made Rory nervous. She wanted to stay silent but was also curious to know what Rory was talking about.

“What do you mean?”

“Here, take a look.” Tara handed Bill Loughlin her iPad. His face went dour as he stared at it and then he silently passed it to his wife who had the same reaction. The tense atmosphere that she was used to in this house was back with full force, and the fact that Tara was smirking told Rory that something was up.

“What did we do wrong here?” her mother sighed, pushing the iPad away from her. Rory quickly picked it up, and once she saw what was on the screen, she was mortified. Her heart raced, her pulse grew uneven, and she wanted to die in that moment.

Fan Faints After Failing to Chase Rock Stars, was the headline of the article on the celebrity gossip website that Tara had opened up on her iPad. Right under that, was a picture of Rory, passed out on the sidewalk. There was another picture of a man, the Uber driver, checking on her with the paparazzi laughing in the background.

“Aren’t you a little old to be chasing celebrities? Is that the real reason why you came here early? Where did I go wrong with you?” Her mother was hysterical. Her father was grinding his teeth and Rory could tell that he was very upset. She felt like she was twelve again.

“Rory, if you were so desperate to meet celebrities then you could have just asked me. I know a lot of people who work in the business. You didn’t have to go around making an utter fool of yourself and embarrassing the family.” Great. Now Tara is scolding me.

“Rory, this is really shameful. Why do you do such things?” her dad finally said. Rory closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was angry at the paparazzi, angry at those who had put her pictures up on the internet, angry at the fact that she had ever run into that damn band, and angry at Lizzy for being so naive.

Most of all she was angry at her family. They didn’t understand her at all. For the most part, they didn’t give a damn about her, and now they were getting upset because they were afraid that someone in their church might see a picture of their daughter. All they have ever worried about is their social standing and how they appear to other people. Couldn’t they at least ask me for my side of the story?

“Let her be, Bill. She doesn’t care about us enough to even bother explaining this. She’s not a teenager anymore and there’s nothing we should expect from her. C’mon, Bill, we have a lot to do today.” Her mother walked away with her father in tow, faint sounds of mumbling and complaining erupting from her mouth.