One couple quietly put on their coats. Another guest whispered something to a friend.
Lauren looked around desperately. Her carefully constructed image was falling apart in front of everyone.
Then Caleb’s mother stepped forward.
“What happened?”
Nobody answered immediately.
The caterer finally explained that the payment method provided earlier had been declined and the remaining balance needed to be settled.
His mother looked at Lauren.
“Wasn’t everything already paid?”
Lauren swallowed.
“The final amount was supposed to go through automatically.”
“Through whose card?”
Lauren hesitated.
That hesitation told the woman everything.
“Whose card, Lauren?”
“My mother’s.”
Silence.
As Caleb’s mother slowly looked toward the backyard cottage, I imagined her remembering the small building she had glanced at earlier.
The mother, who had supposedly been too unpleasant to attend their celebration, was apparently the person financing it.
Meanwhile, Caleb was still fighting with the internet. He restarted the router again.
Nothing.
He looked furious.
“Who controls this account?”
Lauren didn’t answer.
He turned toward her.
“Lauren.”
She whispered something.
“What?”
“My mother.”
Caleb stared at her.
“What?”
“The internet account is in mom’s name.”
His face changed.
He finally understood.
I had not ruined their party.
I had simply stopped paying for it.
My phone began vibrating.
12:05 a.m.
Lauren.
I let it ring.
Then it stopped.
A few seconds later, it rang again.
I answered.
“Mom.”
Her voice was barely controlled.
“What happened?”
I remained silent.
“The internet is gone. The television won’t work. The speakers are dead. The caterer says the payment didn’t go through.”
Still, I said nothing.
“Mom, please.”
I could hear chaos behind her. People talking, someone arguing, a door closing, Caleb shouting.
Lauren lowered her voice.
“Did you do something?”
I looked at the suitcase beside my door.
“Yes.”
There was silence.
“You canled my card.”
“Yes.”
“Why would you do that?”
I almost smiled.
“Because it’s my card.”
“Mom, you can’t do this tonight.”
“I can.”