Emily had tucked that roe away for the holidays after finding it on sale. Now all those carefully saved treats were displayed on Susan’s table like family heirlooms. Susan cooed over her son and urged him to eat more after all his “hard work” providing for his household.
She praised Mike loudly for bringing every dollar and every good thing home to his family. Emily nearly choked on her tea and asked, very politely, which family Susan meant. Susan looked genuinely surprised by the question and said, of course, she meant Mike and Emily’s home.
Then, with great pride, she began describing the “startup” her brilliant son was supposedly carrying on his shoulders. She talked about imaginary investors lining up for a deal with him. As proof of his success, she pointed to the very bag of delicacies he had brought over a few days earlier, calling it a bonus from management.
She called him a model son and dabbed at her eyes, saying he was just like his late father. Emily slowly turned to look at Mike, who had gone rigid with a slice of sausage halfway to his mouth. His eyes darted in panic as he muttered that his mother didn’t need to make such a fuss in front of everyone.
But Aunt Nina had no interest in helping him save face. She jumped in eagerly, lamenting that young people these days often think only of themselves. Mike, she declared, was a rare gem—a man who didn’t begrudge his elderly mother good cheese and delicacies.
Emily set down her fork and knife with deliberate care. In a quiet voice edged with steel, she asked Mike whether he had really been presenting those groceries as the fruit of his own success. Instead of answering, he nudged her sharply under the table and mouthed for her to wait until later.
Emily only raised her voice slightly and said she saw no reason to hide such a proud achievement. She suggested they all raise a toast to Mike’s remarkable financial success. Then she turned to Susan and asked, directly, whether she knew any actual details about these mysterious investors.
At that, Mike lurched to his feet so fast he knocked over a glass of fruit punch. Red liquid spread across the white tablecloth. Emily, in a cool voice, told him to sit down and act like an adult in front of his family.
Once he dropped back into his chair, she continued, looking straight at Susan. She laid out the truth plainly: Mike had not had a job in six months and had not earned a dime. For all that time, she said, he had been eating, driving, and living entirely on her paycheck….
