Chapter 13 - THE DINNER PARTY INVITATION THAT CAME TOO LATE
Spring arrived with a burst of cherry blossoms along Maple Street, filling the apartment above the bakery with fresh light and color. Eric and I had completed our finals, and he had officially been accepted into medical school with a partial scholarship, while I had been promoted to assistant manager at the bookstore and begun freelance graphic design work on the side.
One afternoon, a thick, cream-colored envelope arrived in our mailbox bearing expensive calligraphy. It was an invitation to my parents' annual anniversary dinner party, requesting my presence “to heal family divisions.” Enclosed was a pre-signed check to cover the entirety of my St. Mary’s hospital bill—a blatant, transactional bribe to buy my compliance and clean up their image for their high-society friends.
Eric watched as I held the check between two fingers. “What are you going to do?” he asked gently.
May you like
I walked over to the kitchen wastebasket, dropped the cream-colored invitation and the check straight into the bin, and pushed the lid closed with my foot.
“I’m going to go downstairs and help the baker frost cupcakes,” I smiled. “Some things aren't worth the price of admission.”
