My aunt Janine followed with, “Guess the ATM still works.”
Then Mike, mouthful of sweet potato, muttered, “Hope you’re charging us for this on Turboax.”
And they all laughed.
My mom actually clinkedked her wine glass against Janine’s.
My dad leaned back and said, “Well, it’s not like he has a family of his own to spend it on. What else is he going to do with it?”
I didn’t say anything at first.
I just sat there, for pause, midair. My pulse got loud in my ears.
For a second, I felt like a ghost at my own table.
And it wasn’t just the insult.
It was the ease of it.
How casually they took what I gave and twisted it into something pathetic.
I looked around the table. My aunt chewing with her mouth open, my mom dabbing at imaginary crumbs, Mike scrolling through something on his phone, my dad already eyeing the wine bottle.
No one noticed I hadn’t laughed.
No one noticed my jaw clenched.
No one cared.
I stood up, glass in hand.
They finally looked.
I smiled, not out of joy, but something colder, something sharper.
“Enjoy it,” I said. “Because this is the last meal you leeches will ever get from me.”
There was a silence. Not stunned, not offended, just confused, like I’d broken script.
Then I walked into the kitchen, pulled out my phone, and opened the hotel app.
They still didn’t react until I tapped cancel reservation for all five rooms.
Before dessert.
Before the toasts.
Before mom could even get her second glass of wine.
And as the confirmation emails rolled in, I glanced back at their dumbfounded faces and left the room.
I didn’t slam the door. That would have given them too much drama to cling to.
I just walked out into the cool spring air, let the door close behind me, and kept walking.
Not a word.
Not a look back.
My condo was only a few blocks from the hotel. I could have driven, but walking gave me space to breathe.
The streets were quiet.
Everyone else was inside with their families, laughing over pie or watching kids hunt for eggs.
I felt hollow.
Not angry, not yet. Just tired, like I’d been carrying a backpack full of bricks for years and finally dropped it, only to realize my spine had already curved under the weight.
By the time I reached the hotel, I’d gotten two calls.
One from Mike, one from mom.
Didn’t answer either.
I walked straight up to the front desk.