I hadn’t heard from Hyacinth in what felt like an eternity. So when she called unexpectedly, inviting me to dinner, I thought maybe—just maybe—this was the chance to finally mend our long-broken bond.
I was cautious yet hopeful. Over the years, our relationship had grown distant, strained by misunderstandings and the invisible barrier that formed after I married her mother. Still, when she suggested meeting at a fancy new restaurant, I agreed without hesitation. If she was reaching out, I wasn’t about to turn her down.
The restaurant was far more upscale than the places I usually frequented. Dark wooden tables, soft candlelight, and waiters gliding silently between tables set the scene. When I arrived, Hyacinth was already seated. She looked polished and put-together, yet there was something in her expression—an odd tension behind her bright smile.
“Hey, Rufus!” she greeted me, a little too cheerfully.
“Hey, kiddo,” I replied, taking the seat opposite her.
She barely glanced at the menu before speaking. “Let’s go big tonight!” she declared, waving over the waiter. Before I even had a chance to consider my options, she was ordering. “We’ll have the lobster…and the steak too. Oh, and a bottle of your best wine!”
I blinked in surprise. I wasn’t used to her being so decisive, especially when it came to ordering the most extravagant items on the menu. I shrugged it off, thinking maybe this was her way of celebrating something.
But as the meal went on, her energy felt off. She rarely engaged in conversation, kept glancing at her phone, and responded to my questions with curt answers.
“It’s been a while,” I ventured, cutting into my steak. “I’ve really missed catching up with you.”
“Yeah,” she mumbled, spearing her lobster with unnecessary force. “Been busy, you know?”
I nodded, trying hard not to let her indifference hurt more than it already did.
Then came the bill. I reached for it out of habit, as I always did, but before I could present my card, Hyacinth leaned close to the waiter and whispered something. I caught only a few words—“Just give it to him.”
I frowned in confusion.
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