I was genuinely happy for him and texted my congratulations immediately. He mentioned they were planning an engagement party in six to eight weeks, and I told him to let me know the date so I could book a flight and be there.
But the date never came.
Whenever I asked him or anyone else in the family about it, the conversation would shift. I was told plans were still being finalized, or that nothing was set yet. Weeks passed. I texted my brother again, pointing out that it must be coming up soon and that I wanted to avoid paying for a last-minute flight. He didn’t respond.
When I asked my mom, she told me, “It’s not really an engagement party—just a small dinner with family. There’s no need to come down for it.”
Later, I found out the truth.
It wasn’t a small dinner. They had rented out an entire restaurant for four hours. Around eighty people attended—family, friends, cousins, everyone. And everyone had been told that I couldn’t make it.
My aunt, who has always been like a second mother to me, texted to say she was disappointed I hadn’t come. I replied honestly, telling her I would have been there if I’d been invited. The truth spread quickly, and suddenly my parents and brother were insisting it had all been a misunderstanding.
