Here we go, part 2! aka Drama and Disaster.
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Albany: I got on my little plane to RPI, and we were off. The whole ride took less than an hour – I got there earlier than I expected to, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the airport had free wireless, which was good, considering I didn’t have a phone, and I had been unable to reach Ashley at Dulles. When she and Josh got there she told me that she had left her phone at her friend’s house the night before, so she didn’t have it with her. We picked up her phone and their tickets and then were on our way. There was drama on the way – Ashley hadn’t told me that she and Josh had completely broken up, not just pushed the wedding back, and they started arguing in the car while I was in the back… which was just a bit awkward for me. Ashley was stressed because she hadn’t finished her costume for the party, and Josh apparently said something about her, and she went off on him for “airing her dirty laundry in front of a friend she hadn’t seen in over a year,” etc., and then proceeded to spill a bunch of details about his personal life and at one point decided she didn’t even want to go to the party, and that we should just let her out and keep going without her. I didn’t say anything, but tried to change the subject when it calmed down a bit, to get her to talk to me instead of yelling at him. I eventually dozed off and when I woke up, we were almost there.
Philadelphia: After some slight difficulty locating a place to change into our costumes, we got dressed and to the party. It was pouring rain, which didn’t improve Ashley’s mood, especially since she was already peeved that we were going to be late; the party was supposed to last until 4 pm the next day, the tickets said, so I didn’t think half an hour or so would make much of a difference, but I didn’t say anything.
The party was in a warehouse, run by a group called the Philadelphia Experiment. There weren’t a ton of people there when we arrived, since it was still pretty early. It was an interesting setup – some projector screens with visualizations on them, a few different DJs in separate areas, couches and tents, including one full of rose petals, and a bike or two, as well as a swing hanging from the ceiling. Out back were the inevitable port-a-potties, and later, some fire-dancers. Everyone was in costume, and seemed pretty chill about everything. I wasn’t really interested in what Ashley and Josh were doing, so I wandered around on my own, chatting with people, dancing, and just generally enjoying myself. They came up to me a bit later, when they were high, and hugged me and apologized for being awkward and arguing in front of me. I shrugged it off; I really hadn’t expected them to apologize, but I appreciated it.
Some time later, around 3 or so, I got hungry. We’d gotten food on the drive down, but none since then, though there were drinks at the party. I went looking for Ashley and Josh; she was busy with a guy, but he was hungry too, so we headed outside to the little food cart and got Philly cheese steaks. I made a mistake then: I started talking to Josh about Ashley. I told him he’d done well to deal with her for so long, ‘cause she could be pretty damn difficult at times, and that I was sorry they’d broken up, though I wished they’d come to the realization that it wouldn’t work sooner, since I was now out about $500; they’d literally decided it two weeks earlier, after plane tickets and bridesmaid dresses has been bought and paid for. Not to mention all the trouble I had because of trying to get to the wedding on time, negotiating plane times and such – but I didn’t mention that part.
Like I said, it was a mistake, and I’ve since regretted the combination of sleep deprivation and false camaraderie that led to it. A short while later, I was confronted by a very pissed off Ashley: “Did you think he wouldn’t tell me all that stuff you said about me? We love each other, Siobhain, and this whole thing has been awful and we’re still dealing with it. We’ve lost $16,000 on this wedding, not to mention the emotional trauma, and you bitch about $300? You know, no one trusted you when we were in Japan – this is why. I invited you to my wedding and all this because I thought you might have changed, but you clearly haven’t.” That’s most what I remember of it, anyway, the gist of it. I didn’t say anything, just let her go on, though quite a few things came to mind that I could have responded with. At that point though, I was growing tired, and I didn’t want drama. I’d had enough of it.
I hung around a bit longer, and then decided that I didn’t want to deal with the awkwardness of a 2-hour car trip for them to drop me off in New York, so I decided to just leave on my own. I knew the Greyhound station wasn’t far off, but one of the party organizers about had a conniption when I told him I was leaving – he pretty much refused to let me leave by myself, and said that I had to go with the people I had come with. I told him that wasn’t happening, because there had been some changes to the status quo, and I no longer felt comfortable riding with them. He was flabbergasted, and pretty much thought I was stupid, that I intended to walk through the projects of Philly at 4 am with a suitcase, which I of course had no intention of doing. I finally got him to call me a cab, got my stuff out of the car, and said bye to Josh and Ashley. They were slightly confused, but I explained in very short words that I was going to catch a bus and they didn’t have to worry about me, and then I left them. I haven’t talked to them since, save for an email I sent to Ashley telling her where to mail the dress that I bought and paid for, but can no longer use – and actually can’t even wear, since it needed to be altered. I have yet to hear back from her.
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