Free The BACHELORETTE Project (The Project: LESLEE Series) by Tami Anthony Page A

this? You can do the whole glass breaking traditional thing that Jewish grooms do during the ceremony, but instead of breaking the glass by stepping on it, I’m requesting that I get to take a glass and break it over your mother’s head. How’s that for tradition?”
    “You know, I never said anything when you suggested jumping the broom, ” Russ says and Karen rolls her eyes.
    “It’s African tradition, dumbass. Am I not African-American?”
    “OK, then I have a solution,” Russ said angrily. “How about I break the glass, we both jump over a broom, and then do the Electric Slide at the end?” Silence erupts and Karen’s face grows hot.
    “See, this is exactly what I mean,” she says. “You don’t take o ur wedding seriously!”
    “You just told me that you wanted to hit my mom over the head with a fuckin’ glass!”
    “I know what I said, ” Karen says abruptly. “Fine. You don’t have to plan the wedding. Leslee and I will plan the wedding. How long are you staying for, Les?”
    After watching them verbally abuse each other, I’m afraid to say anything. Maybe my problems aren’t as big as I think they are. “I, um … I don’t know. It’s a long story actually. You see—”
    “Stay as long as you like,” Karen interrupts. “I need someone to help me with the wedding who isn’t getting ridiculous suggestions from their apple-headed mother.” She looks at Russ and he just clutches the wheel tightly. This is going to be a very LONG “vacation.”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    After a very tense and quiet car ride to Karen and Russ’ home, we finally arrive at their quaint, brick row home in South Philly. Karen, still sulking from Russ’ comment about the broom, gets out of the SUV without saying a word to Russ. She pulls out one of my bags from the trunk and begins to walk to the front door, stubbornly. I grab the rest of my bags and follow her into the house. Russ, on the other hand, doesn’t carry even one of my bags as if to say to me, “Why didn’t you stick up for me, you bitch?” But he’s probably just a little ticked off that Karen pretty much told him how much she despises his mother. The life of an engaged couple, I guess.
    “OK,” Karen says as she throws down one of my bags onto the living room floor. It’s a very modern living room, but a tad bit plain. The walls are beige with very few pictures hanging on them, the couch is a suede maroon with a few chocolate brown throw pillows, and the entertainment center is a cherry wood color just like the coffee table and the end tables, all only a shade darker than the hardwood floors. But the best part is how big their television is and how ridiculously clean the whole room is; not a speck of dust. I remember from our college days that Karen was a bit obsessive with the cleaning, and it looks like the legend still lives on.
    “So, this is our living room,” she says. “The kitchen and dining room are in the back, the office with the computer and all that other stuff is upstairs, there’s an extra room up there, too, and in the attic so make yourself at home. There’s two bathrooms on the second floor where the bedrooms are, and the basement is off limit s. Russ calls that ‘the man cave ’ and that’s where he and his little friends play their video games, drink, and get high.” It’s kinda funny how she talks about Russ as if he’s a child. I remember that my grandmother would always tell me that men are just children, only bigger in size. I still think it’s a little weird how grown men still play video games… ALL THE TIME.
    “Thanks, Karen,” I say as I plop onto their comfy couch. “You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”
    “It’s not a problem, ” she says smiling. “You’re my best friend … even though you barely ever visit anymore.”
    “I was busy in New York,” I reply. “My job was taking up a lot of my life, I had to spend time with my fiancé—“
    “Wait a second, ” Karen says putting her