Episode 504: Upside Down

This was supposed to be their baby girl’s wedding. A day to celebrate, a day for him to give her over to a secure life, not to endorse a profession filled with financial and moral bankruptcy at every turn!

"You saw none of this coming?" Phillip snapped at his wife.

"Does it look like I did?" Katherine snapped right back at him, her eyes never leaving the old church where their daughter had claimed to be taking her marriage vows.

"You went on and on about being with her for the gown fitting," he said, his tone every bit as harsh and accusing as he intended. "How did you not notice anything amiss, like say Adria not actually paying for a damn gown?"

"Because nothing was amiss! She did pay for it! With your credit card! Didn’t you notice anything amiss in all those statements?" Katherine flung her own accusation.

Several more minutes passed in silence, the steam rising ever higher under Phillip’s skin. "Nothing," he finally admitted. "She was too clever." He could at least take some pride in that, though it was little consolation for being duped by his little girl.

"Not clever," Katherine said. "That’s too kind a word. Try conniving." She faced him then, tears glistening in her beautiful eyes. They showed up in her voice as well. "She let me believe we were having a real moment, that I had a shot at making up for not giving her everything a mom should."

"We gave her too much," Phillip corrected his wife, pulling her into the crook of his arm in an effort to soothe her. "Adria’s grown into a juvenile, spoiled young woman who believes she’s entitled to do whatever she pleases and have us there to catch her when she falls. Well, she’s got another think coming."

Episode 505: Take A Bow