On my wedding day, my bridal car gets rear-ended by a girl.
As she came out of her car, she walked over to us anxiously to apologize.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do this."
I looked down.
Her crescent-shaped eyebrows, almond eyes, and those small dimples that made her look sweet even without a smile.
She seemed to be in her early 20s, wore a pink lace dress, and her face appeared inexperienced, like a student still in school.
My husband, Howard Park, hopped out of the car and teased her from afar.
"What's this? Trying to spoil the wedding?"
The girl looked guilty, biting her lips, and said nothing.
Facing my puzzled glance, Howard confidently introduced, "She's my ex, lives nearby."
She seems to suddenly realize she should apologize to me, so she looked down, her face full of remorse, and said to me:
"I'm sorry for disturbing your big day. What should I do now?"
The normal response would be to call the insurance company.
Yet this girl acted like she doesn't know anything, expecting me to teach her.
Howard chuckled helplessly, "Didn't I teach you before? How come you still can't handle anything?"
"I... forgot..."
Howard turned to me and said, "Wait for me. I'll come back as soon as I sort things out with her."
He had never mentioned his ex to me before.
Howard and I are both 27 years old, with master's degrees. The girl looked a bit younger.
When they got together and when they broke up, I had no idea.
Her car was out of use because she bumped off the bumper.
The temporary car replacement took a long time, which resulted in our wedding missing the auspicious timing for the day.
Many neighbors even came out to see the show.
A lady asked me through the window, "Harley, what's the situation with that woman? Is she really trying to interrupt the wedding?"
A nearby old man returned carrying his small stool, saying, "Your husband is very familiar with her dog - always hugging and fondling it, it's inappropriate."
I wanted to call off the wedding right then, but guests from both sides had already arrived. We couldn’t let them starve while waiting.
So I discussed with the MC, canceling the host's speech, doing nothing, and letting the guests start eating.
My parents called and asked, "Honey, what's going on?"
I said, "The wedding is off for now."
The Park family was anxious, they kept calling me one after another. I put my phone on silent and didn’t answer any.
I directly returned to our wedding house.
That night, Howard came back home, didn't mention anything about what had happened during the day and asked me directly, "Why did you stop the wedding?"
He even had the audacity to counter-accuse me.
"Aren't you supposed to explain to me?" I challenged.
The hand that Howard was using to put down his keys paused. He nonchalantly said, "She is just my ex-girlfriend. I didn't expect her to crash the wedding car either. It's just a coincidence, you're overthinking it."
Howard and I met through a blind date, so we were pretty straightforward with each other.
"Since she is your ex-girlfriend, I don't think you need to contact the insurance company for her." I rebutted.
Howard took off his suit jacket, sat down across from me, and responded calmly: "I bought Ashley the car that was damaged, and I was the one who got the insurance for her too. She wouldn't understand how to handle it, which would delay your compensation. Your parents gifted you a wedding car worth 300,000 dollars, we can't just leave it unrepaired can we?"
Howard's logic was baffling.
Because he's worried about not getting the money, he helps the offender run to the insurance company.
He's so proactive about it, he should just work as a salesman for the insurance company.
"When did you break up with Ashley?" I asked.
"Half a year ago, we broke up amicably," Howard did not hide anything, "because of incompatible personalities."
He wiped his face and said, "Darling, we've had a tiring day today, let's not let this affect our lives."
He grabs a towel to his side, "You go to bed first, I still have things to deal with."
Then, he heads off to take a shower without further ado.
The lack of further explanation and his equivocal attitude, it made me laugh out of sheer frustration.
I got married with Howard in a wedding ceremony before we officially got our marriage certificate.
But now, before we even get our certificate, an ex-girlfriend suddenly crops up.
I don't think there's any need to get the certificate anymore.
However, the matrimonial home was split evenly between my family and the Cheng's, and both our names are written on the property deeds.
Asset division, communicating with both our parents, all these would require time.
Car repair costs are in the thousands, and according to Howard, Ashley couldn't possibly cough up that sum.
I told Howard, this was my dowry car, and regardless, it must be compensated for.
Now all I want to do is get him off the property deeds and get my compensation, then I can end this relationship.
