I Was Banned From The Reunion Dinner

During our New Year’s Eve dinner, I told my family that my company was not giving out year-end bonuses.

The table went silent. Even the TV host counting down to midnight suddenly sounded grating.

My husband and daughter slammed the table in frustration.

“No year-end bonus?! How are we supposed to pay the mortgage and the car loan? I didn’t marry you so you could live off me!”

“Other moms either buy designer bags or send money. You’re the most useless one. You can’t even bring home a $100,000 bonus.”

My in-laws sat there with dark looks on their faces and said nothing.

I looked at their self-righteous faces and felt a lump in my throat.

All these years, every expense in this family was paid with the money I earned from late nights, overtime, and project commissions.

But all they could see was the $100,000 bonus I did not bring home.

“If you can’t make any money, then get out!”

My husband grabbed my arm and pushed me toward the door. My daughter was not satisfied and kicked me on the lower back.

I did not turn around. I took out my phone and booked the presidential suite at a downtown five-star hotel.

My bank account had just received a $1 million dividend payout.

It was true that I did not get a year-end bonus.

But I got promoted to management. From this day onward, I would receive $1 million in dividends every year.

I put my phone away. The cold wind bit through my thin clothes.

I had been so caught up in booking the presidential suite out of spite that I forgot my ID inside.

I turned around and pounded on the door.

“Open the door, Johnson! I need to take my ID!”

There was no response. Then, my daughter, Phoebe Clark, spoke through the crack in the door. Her voice was sharp and mocking.

“You’re leaving anyway. Why do you even need your ID?”

“How can you speak to me like that? I’m your mother!”

“You think you deserve to be called a mother?”

Johnson’s voice sounded next.

“You want your ID? Fine! Transfer all the money in your account to me. Otherwise, you’re not coming back inside!”

I was shaking with anger.

All they wanted was to squeeze me dry.

I was about to bang on the door again when I heard something being dragged inside.

Then there was a loud crash. A bundle of old clothes flew out of the window and landed at my feet.

Phoebe leaned out of the window. Her eyes shone with disdain.

“Take your trash, and get lost! From now on, this family has no relation to you!”

I stared at the pile of old clothes on the ground and laughed.

All these years, I had poured my heart into supporting this family. In the end, I was not even worth a decent set of clothes.

I stopped banging on the door. I sank onto the cold steps and pulled out my phone.

They only wanted my money. I would not let them have a single cent!

I locked every supplementary card that was linked to my name and closed our shared family account.

They had spent my money for years like it was theirs. From this moment on, they would not be able to touch another dollar.

I had just finished doing that when a text message popped up.

It was from an online lending platform.

[Your personal information has been submitted for a loan. Amount: $50,000.]

It was Johnson! He had used my ID to take out loans online!

My phone kept buzzing. More notifications from different lending apps kept coming in.

That jerk was trying to drag me into a mountain of debt!

I called him right away, but he blocked me.

I went through my contacts. Everyone connected to that family had blocked me.

In a single New Year’s Eve dinner, I went from being the family’s pillar to having nowhere to turn.

The wind grew colder. I wrapped the old coat Phoebe had thrown out tighter around me and finally curled up outside a convenience store.

My phone buzzed again. It was not a call. It was a notification from a food delivery app.

New orders kept showing up on my account.

A seafood platter of $2,000, a bottle of liquor of over $800, fruits, and snacks were all being delivered to my house.

I shivered in the cold as I watched them use my account to order food worth thousands of dollars.

Looking at these orders, I was suddenly numb to the cold.

They thought that without money and ID, I would just let them do whatever they wanted.

That was not true!

I would get back everything they owed me, little by little.