Chapter 6 - The Total Collapse
At 1:15 PM, my phone buzzed with an incoming text from Rachel.
*Rachel: “James, where the hell are you? Nobody knows what’s going on. We’ve been standing on the gravel lawn for forty-five minutes. There are no chairs set up near the cliff. There is literally no music. The groom is screaming at some poor college kid near the kitchen door, and your mom looks like she’s about to faint into the hedges. Did the wedding get called off?”*
I typed back five letters: “Not my circus.”
*Rachel: “Wait... did you not pay for this? Caroline told everyone you were managing the entire vendor logistical chain!”*
*James: “I was. Until I was uninvited for having the wrong vibe. Enjoy the scenery, Rachel. The ocean view is free.”*
Now, it was time to drop the final curtain.
I picked up my phone and dialed the direct line to Angela, the general manager of the Coastal Horizon Pavilion.
She picked up on the very first ring, her breathing labored, the background behind her filled with the loud, chaotic echo of an agitated crowd. “Coastal Horizon, this is Angela.”
“Angela, afternoon. It’s James Vance.”
“James!” she practically gasped, stepping into what sounded like a private back office to escape the noise. “Thank God you called. Your family is creating an absolute scene in our reception lobby. The groom’s father threatened to sue my front-desk supervisor, and the bride is currently locked in the bridal suite crying hysterically. They are demanding we open the primary ballroom and serve the bar package.”
“Angela, I am calling to confirm that as the sole signatory on Contract #4409, I am officially executing my right to terminate the master venue lease.”
A stunned silence settled over the line. Even through the drywall, I could hear someone outside her office door loudly demanding to speak to the owner.
“James,” Angela said cautiously, lowering her voice to an urgent whisper. “There are one hundred and four people dressed in black-tie attire standing on my lawn. If I terminate this contract right now, I have to legally clear the premises. Local county ordinance prohibits unauthorized private assemblies on private commercial grounds.”
“I know the contract terms, Angela. Paragraph twelve: ‘The property owner reserves the right to evict all occupants if financial requirements remain unfulfilled by 12:00 PM on the event date.’ It is currently 1:22 PM. Has the balance of eight thousand dollars been paid by either the bride or the groom?”
“No,” Angela admitted. “Mason presented a debit card about twenty minutes ago, but it was declined for insufficient funds. Then his father offered to write a personal check, but our commercial policy strictly forbids checks on day-of event balances without prior credit clearance.”
“Then you have trespassers on your property,” I said calmly. “Do what your liability insurance requires you to do. Remove my name from the registry, void the remaining security deposit against the cancellation fee, and clear the hall.”
“James... are you absolutely certain about this? Once I call local security to clear the grounds, there is no walking this back. Your sister’s wedding is over.”
May you like
I looked out my living room window. My duffel bag was already packed and sitting by the front door. The coastal highway was calling my name, and for the first time in ten years, I had nowhere I needed to be, no one I had to rescue, and no family drama I was required to fund.
“I have never been more certain of anything in my life, Angela. Shut it down.”
