Voted Out of My Honeymoon

I was packing for our honeymoon when my wife changed our destination to Barrella Island, a place my younger brother, Oliver Wagner, had always wanted to visit. I stopped packing and watched my wife and daughter exchange a knowing glance. "If Dad has a problem with it, we'll settle it with a vote." Whenever my brother and I disagreed, they put the matter to a vote to keep things "fair." For my birthday, I had already booked a table at a steakhouse, but they voted for Oliver's choice of a salad bar instead, calling it the healthier option. The first time our daughter went onstage to accept an award, I waited there all day for the ceremony. Yet when the time came, they voted to have Oliver go up in my place as her father. Later, I discovered that she had even replaced me with Oliver in the family photo she gave her teacher. This time was no different. The vote was two to one, and once again, I lost. My throat tightened with a bitter ache, but I quietly pushed back. "Elle, Eldwater Hollow is where I proposed to you." Eleanor Hearst did not even look up. She continued browsing a group flight deal to Barrella. "Doesn't it have a large body of water too? It's basically the same thing. Why is a grown man making such a big deal out of it?" With that, she booked the deal for three people. "It's only a three-person package. You'll have to buy your own ticket." She had grouped herself, our daughter, and Oliver together, leaving me out. I took off my wedding ring and booked a ticket to Eldwater Hollow. Wherever I wanted to go, I could get there on my own.