« Pleasant? »
« He smelled like your restaurant. Everyone made an effort to dress nicely tonight. »
« He’s thirteen. »
« He could have changed. »
« He DID change. »
My voice rose before I could stop it.
« He changed his shirt after spending three hours helping me because two employees didn’t show up. »
Victoria sighed.
« Well, nobody forced him to work. »
I stared at her.
« No. He volunteered. »
She looked away.
« He saw his father struggling and decided to help. That’s what kind of child he is. »
Daniel stepped closer.
« Mark, enough. Can we discuss this privately? »
« Was Ethan allowed to be humiliated privately? »
He rubbed his forehead.
« Come on. It’s Christmas Eve. »
I looked around the dining room.
« Exactly. It’s Christmas Eve. So why is my kid eating alone in a garage? »
No one answered.
Then I noticed my mother.
She was staring at her plate.
She hadn’t said a word.
