—It’s just a party.
—It’s easier.
—It’s not worth making a big deal out of it.
I wanted to believe him.
I wanted to believe they didn’t understand how it affected me.
But there is a difference between not noticing something and constantly taking advantage of it.
My father-in-law’s birthday was the moment I stopped confusing these two things.
The family arrived with the same enthusiasm as usual.
There was a celebration that everyone wanted to be part of, and for the first few minutes I tried to do the same.
Until they started asking.
They hadn’t even finished looking through the menu before they started pointing out the most expensive dishes.
They didn’t look at prices.
They didn’t ask how much the bottle cost.
They didn’t wonder if they really wanted a specific dish.
They simply asked.
I watched in silence.
