“My beautiful daughter always takes such wonderful care of this family.”
Dad nodded proudly.
“What would we do without her?”
Everyone laughed.
The musicians began playing again.
I stood there in my red dress, looking down at the napkins in my hands.
Then I noticed Hannah.
She wasn’t applauding.
She sat quietly at the head table, holding her glass of apple juice.
Her eyes were fixed on me.
Somehow, she knew.
Perhaps she’d seen the planning emails on Camille’s computer.
Perhaps she’d overheard a conversation.
Or perhaps she simply paid closer attention than the adults around her.
She looked at me for several seconds.
Then she lowered her eyes.
Dinner began shortly afterward.
I waited until most guests had approached the buffet.
I’d been working since afternoon and hadn’t eaten a proper meal all day.
My stomach was aching with hunger.
Finally, I picked up a plate.
I placed one spoonful of mashed potatoes on it.
Then I heard my mother’s voice.
“Olivia, don’t start filling your plate. You didn’t pay for this dinner. Let the guests eat first.”
The words carried across the room.
Camille smiled over her overflowing plate.
“Mom’s right. Real family comes first.”
And suddenly, I wasn’t thirty-four anymore.
I was nine.
Standing beside a birthday cake in our backyard.
Watching everyone else enjoy the pink frosting roses while I waited for a piece
