Chapter 3 - The Private Dining Room
Bellamy House was one of the most expensive restaurants in the city.
A hostess led Claire and Noah through a marble hallway into a private dining room overlooking the river.
Everyone else had already arrived.
Linda wore a purple suit with pearl buttons. Eric stood near the head of the table in a tailored jacket, laughing with Melissa. Their two sons were comparing watches their grandfather had given them.
Arthur sat beneath a gold banner that read, Congratulations on Your Retirement.
When Noah approached him with the handmade card, Arthur smiled.
“You made this for me?”
Noah nodded.
Arthur opened it, but before he could say anything, Linda called across the room.
“Arthur, come take photographs before the food gets cold.”
He placed Noah’s card beside his chair.
“Thank you, buddy. We’ll look at it later.”
The photographs lasted twenty minutes.
Claire and Noah were included in only one group picture, placed at the far edge.
When everyone sat down, servers brought out salads, bread, and appetizers.
Noah politely declined the mushroom soup.
Melissa frowned.
“Your son is always so difficult.”
“He doesn’t like mushrooms,” Claire answered.
“My children eat what they’re served.”
Eric raised his glass.
“That’s because they were raised properly.”
Claire felt Noah become still beside her.
She ignored the comment for Arthur’s sake.
The steaks arrived next.
One plate was placed before every adult and every child except Noah.
The server checked his list.
“I have a special meal for the young gentleman.”
For one hopeful second, Claire believed Linda had kept her promise.
Then the server placed a hotdog in front of Noah.
No fries. No vegetables. No garnish.
Just a single hotdog on an oversized white plate.
The cousins laughed.
“Is that from the children’s menu?” one asked.
“No,” the other replied. “That’s probably from the kitchen staff’s lunch.”
Noah stared at the plate.
Claire turned toward Linda.
“What is this?”
Linda calmly cut into her steak.
“He’s picky, so I ordered something he would eat.”
“I asked you to order him a proper meal.”
“It is a meal.”
Eric shrugged.
“We didn’t order steak for your son. Those steaks are expensive.”
Claire looked around the table.
May you like
There were open bottles of wine costing hundreds of dollars. Eric had ordered extra seafood platters. Melissa was photographing a tower of imported desserts.
Yet they had decided Noah was not worth a proper dinner.
