I thought hosting a pre-wedding dinner would bring our families together. Instead, my future SIL turned my sister’s life-saving service dog into a weapon. What started with “allergic” sniffles escalated into family warfare, and an act of sabotage so twisted I almost lost my wedding entirely.
The whole thing started innocently enough.
Andrew’s parents, his brother, and his sister-in-law had flown in from the West Coast for our wedding in two weeks.
We hosted a big pre-wedding dinner at our apartment so our families could get to know each other better.
It was nothing fancy, just nice wine, pasta, and some crusty bread from that bakery down the street.
We just wanted everyone to get along, seeing as we were about to legally bind our two families together for eternity. No pressure or anything.
The candles flickered on our dining table as people filtered in.
Andrew’s mom arrived first, of course, clutching a Tupperware of something she insisted we’d need.
His brother Brandon showed up with his wife Talia, whom I’d met exactly twice before.
And then my sister Maya arrived with Echo, her seizure alert dog.
Echo is a golden retriever with calm, knowing eyes that make you think he understands exactly what’s happening at all times.
He probably does. That dog has saved my sister’s life more than once.
When Maya has a seizure coming, Echo knows before she does.
He nudges her, barks, and gets her somewhere safe.
He was wearing his working harness that night, the one that signals to everyone that he’s on duty.
Maya stepped inside, her cheeks flushed from the cold, Echo trotting quietly at her side in his harness.
He was alert but calm, scanning the room with focused eyes.
“Hey, you made it,” I said, wrapping her in a quick hug. “You okay getting here?”
“Yeah, it’s been a good day.
A good week, actually,” she said with a smile.
The room quieted for a beat, just long enough for Echo’s presence to register.
And then Talia spotted him.
She made a beeline across the living room with an expression that can only be described as aggressively cheerful. You know the look…
the one people wear when they’re about to do something they think is adorable but is actually incredibly annoying.
“Aww, what a cute dog!
Look at him in his little harness!” she gushed, crouching down with her hand already reaching toward Echo’s face.
“Excuse me,” Maya stepped forward, “please don’t pet Echo. He’s my service dog, and he’s working right now, so it’s best not to distract him.”
The room temperature dropped about 15 degrees.
“Are you serious?” Talia’s hand froze mid-air. Her smile vanished like someone had flipped a switch.
“That’s so mean.
No wonder he looks so sad.”
“He’s focused on his job, Talia,” I said. “So long as his harness is on, he knows he’s working.
Maybe someday, when he’s not on duty, you can give him a pet, okay?”
“No, it’s fine.” She stood abruptly and gave us both a chilly look. “I’m allergic to dogs, anyway.”
She immediately started coughing like she’d just inhaled a cloud of poison gas.
Rubbing her nose, she turned on her heel and marched off.
Maya frowned at me, but I just shrugged.
Throughout dinner, Talia sniffled, cleared her throat, and pressed her hand to her chest, muttering about how tight it felt.
I was genuinely concerned for all of five minutes. That’s how long it took to realize her eyes weren’t puffy and red, she wasn’t breaking out in hives, and she wasn’t actually wheezing.
Brandon kept leaning over, his face creased with worry.
“Do you want to leave?
We can go.”
She’d wave him off dramatically, then sigh loudly enough that everyone at the table would stop talking and look her way.
It was like watching someone audition for a role they’d already decided they deserved.
Eventually, they did leave early.
Talia grabbed her purse like she was fleeing a crime scene. Brandon trailed behind her, apologizing.
“I’m so sorry,” he said at the door.
“She’s allergic to a couple of things, but I had no idea dogs were on the list.”
***
Later that night, Andrew and I sat cuddled together in bed watching a movie.
“Do you think she’s actually allergic?” Andrew asked.
“I don’t know.” I tipped my head back against his shoulder to look up at him.
“She seemed fine with Echo until Maya said she couldn’t pet him.”
“That’s what I thought.” Andrew sighed.
“What are we going to do? Echo has to be at the wedding — Maya needs him. But if Talia’s actually allergic to dogs…”
Andrew nodded slowly.
“We should probably talk to her.
Before the wedding.”
“Sooner rather than later,” I agreed.
Neither of us wanted to, but we both knew we had to solve this problem before it could cause any major issues.
Three days later, we met Talia at a coffee shop downtown. We sat down at a corner table, ordered our drinks, and then I cut straight to the point.
“We want to talk to you about your dog allergy, Talia.
You see, Echo will be at the wedding because of Maya’s condition, but we don’t want you to be uncomfortable. So, we’d like to brainstorm ways to accommodate everyone.”
Talia crossed her arms.
“Or you could just tell Maya not to bring the dog.”
Andrew jumped in before I could respond.
“Maya has seizures, but Echo helps her detect them early. He’s saved her life more than once.”
“Sounds dramatic,” Talia said, tapping one finger thoughtfully against her chin. “Maybe your sister shouldn’t be maid of honor, then.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
Tap READ MORE to discover the rest 🔎👇
