{"id":24892,"date":"2025-12-21T23:31:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T23:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=24892"},"modified":"2025-12-21T23:31:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T23:31:09","slug":"24892","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=24892","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

I retreated to a quiet corner, nursing a bourbon, observing the ecosystem of the room.<\/p>\n

That was when my mother found me.\u00a0Patricia Burns<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0approached with the grim determination of a woman locating a bad smell. She scanned me from head to toe, her gaze stalling on my boots with visceral disapproval.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 nice that you could make it, Bethany,\u201d she said, her tone suggesting it was actually a tragedy. \u201cThough I do wish you could have worn something appropriate. The\u00a0Whitmores<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0are a very\u00a0<\/span>refined<\/span>\u00a0family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She emphasized the word\u00a0refined<\/span>\u00a0as if it were a foreign concept I couldn\u2019t possibly grasp.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI came straight from work, Mom,\u201d I said calmly. \u201cDidn\u2019t have time to change.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWork.\u201d She sighed, the sound heavy with martyrdom. \u201cWell, try to make a good impression. For your brother\u2019s sake. Don\u2019t embarrass us.\u201d<\/p>\n

She vanished back into the crowd before I could respond. Twenty seconds. That\u2019s all it took to make me feel twelve years old again, standing in the kitchen while she praised Garrett\u2019s report card and ignored my art project.<\/p>\n

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I retreated to a quiet corner, nursing a bourbon, observing the ecosystem of the room. That was when my mother found me.\u00a0Patricia Burns\u00a0approached with the grim determination of a woman locating a bad smell. She scanned me from head to toe, her gaze stalling on my boots with visceral disapproval. \u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 nice that you could…<\/p>\n

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