Chapter 3

Less than a minute later, Virginia was calling.

No need to guess. She wanted a fight on the phone.

I didn't want it ruining my mood, so I blocked her.

I got to the restaurant.

Wallace was already at the table he'd reserved, waving me over warmly.

The place was lovely, one of the best-known spots in town.

About a thousand a head.

I sat down, and Wallace told me to order.

I'd just finished ordering when a familiar sneer came from behind me.

"Well, well, if it isn't Evan's grandma. Out on a date?"

Virginia's barbed eyes moved between me and Wallace like she was sizing up a suspect.

A whole crowd of her family trailed behind her.

Tyler looked stunned to see me here too.

"Mom, what are you doing in a place like this?"

He gave Wallace the same wary, appraising once-over.

My face didn't move. My voice only dropped a few degrees.

"You can all come here, but I can't?"

Wallace kept a polite smile on his face and started to rise to introduce himself.

I stopped him with a hand.

Virginia gave a cold little snort, her tone dripping with mockery.

"See? I was right. Your mom can't wait for us to spend every holiday at my parents' place."

"Otherwise how would she get the chance to come out on dates with some old man."

She paused, letting her disgust settle over me in one long look.

"At her age, pulling something like this. Shameless!"

Tyler's tone was like he was warning me off ahead of time.

"Mom, you're this old now, just take good care of your grandson! Don't go getting ideas!"

"Don't eat. You'll only embarrass yourself!"

As he spoke, he picked up my bag and took the pension card out of my wallet.

He dressed it up nicely.

"There are a lot of bad people out there these days. I'll hold on to your pension card for you."

I'd already withdrawn this month's pension. The card was empty.

I looked at him coldly.

"Embarrass myself how? If you're not afraid of a scene, I'm happy to have it out with the two of you right here on Thanksgiving!"

"Let everyone here be the judge."

Something flickered in both their eyes.

They hadn't expected me to push back this hard.

Their faces darkened, one worse than the other.

My in-law scolded Virginia with fake concern.

"Virginia, you're the daughter-in-law. It's not your place to say some of these things."

"And don't go fighting out in public on Thanksgiving, it's bad luck!"

She paused, turned her eyes on me, and dropped a snide little line.

"You know, if the holidays ever get lonely, you're welcome to spend them at my place."

"After all, we have to think of the children's reputation."

I gave a cold snort, unimpressed.

"Since you understand things so well, then from now on I'll leave all the thinking-for-them to you!"

My in-law choked on that, her face ugly for a moment.

Her son pulled her off to the next table.

Not far from ours.

Tyler did the ordering. He remembered every preference and taste of everyone in his wife's family.

And it was all the best dishes.

After all these years, I never knew my son had such a good memory.

A man who never lifted a finger at home could rattle off exactly how each dish should be prepared out here.

And just what he bought came to thirty-eight thousand for one meal.

He swiped the card without blinking.

In all these years, he'd never spent a cent on me, his own mother.

It felt like a stone lodged in my chest.

The whole meal I heard him at the next table, laughing and chatting with his wife's family.

Swearing up and down that from now on, every holiday, they'd all spend it together as one family!

And the family he meant had never once included me.