PART 1
“That child will not sit at the table until he learns his place!”
The loud, mean voice came right from the kitchen just as Clarissa pushed open the heavy door of her lake house with her shoulder. She was holding two big grocery bags filled with fresh meat, cheese, fruit, and yogurt. She had been given Friday off after working long hours all week, so she decided to surprise her son and her husband’s family. She did not tell anyone she was coming. That was why she walked right into a sad scene she never expected to see in her own home.
Sitting comfortably around the dining table were her mother-in-law, Alana, her sister-in-law, Ellie, and Ellie’s eight-year-old son, Mason. On the table in front of them was a big meal of fried chicken, warm rice, soft bread rolls, cheese, and the sweet chocolates Clarissa had bought.
Over in a dark corner, sitting all alone on an old, ugly armchair far away from everyone, was her seven-year-old son, Dustin. His head was down, and his little hands were holding a cheap plastic plate. On the plate was one cold, hard potato, cut in half. No butter. No salt. Nothing at all.
Clarissa felt her whole body go cold. Dustin looked up when he heard the door, saw his mother, and quickly hid the plastic plate behind his back. He did not even run to hug her. That scared little movement hurt her heart more than any words could.
Alana stood up fast from the table, looking nervous. “Oh, Clarissa! We didn’t expect you today. Why didn’t you call us? We would have helped you carry those heavy bags.”
Ellie put her phone down on the table with a bored look. Mason kept eating his fried chicken leg without looking up.
Clarissa walked past them straight to the old armchair. She knelt down on the floor in front of her son and took the plastic plate from his hands. The potato was stone-cold and looked completely unappetizing.
“Why is he sitting over here by himself?” Clarissa asked in a low, calm voice. “And why do you have fried chicken while my son only gets this?”
The room became very quiet and uncomfortable.
“He is grounded,” Alana said in a harsh tone. “He stepped on my flowers in the garden, took toys from other kids, and slammed the doors. He needs to learn discipline.”
Dustin pressed his lips together and spoke softly. “I didn’t step on the flowers on purpose, Mom. My ball rolled into the garden. Grandma Alana said I was a burden and didn’t want to see my face while they ate.”
“What a liar!” the old woman yelled, waving her hands. “Look at how he makes up lies!”
Clarissa looked at Mason. “Was Mason punished too?”
Ellie let out a short, mean laugh. “My son knows how to behave. Dustin is always restless and bad. Besides, my mom is doing you a big favor by watching him all summer. You should thank her instead of complaining.”
Two weeks ago, Alana had begged Clarissa to let her watch Dustin at the lake house for the summer. Clarissa had bought lots of food, left spending money, and bought fun new games for both boys. Now she finally saw who all that money was really for.
Without saying a word, Clarissa threw the hard potato into the trash can and dropped the plastic plate into the sink. “You have two hours to pack your bags and leave.”
Alana turned pale. “What are you talking about?”
“You are leaving,” Clarissa said firmly. “The train back to Columbus leaves at 3:10 PM. At 2:30 PM, I am locking every door and turning on the security alarm.”
Ellie stood up so fast her chair fell over onto the floor. “This house belongs to my brother Parker too! You can’t just throw us out!”
“I bought this house five years before I ever met your brother,” Clarissa said coldly. “The house is in my name only.”
Ellie pointed at Dustin with anger. “Are you really going to destroy your marriage just because that kid didn’t get a piece of fried chicken?”
Clarissa held her son’s small, cold hand tightly. “No, Ellie. You destroyed everything the moment you decided to treat my son like garbage in my own house.”
As Clarissa walked upstairs with Dustin to help him pack, she heard Ellie yelling from the hallway that she was going to call Parker so he could put his wife in her place. Clarissa pulled out her phone. She knew this call might end her marriage, but she had no idea that before the day was over, she would find out something much worse than a cold potato on a plate.
PART 2
Parker answered his phone from a busy construction site in Dublin. “Clarissa, what happened? I am very busy right now.”
“Your mom and sister are packing their bags,” Clarissa said directly. “I just kicked them out of our lake house.”
There was a long pause on the phone. “Clarissa, not again,” Parker sighed. “My mom is old and has high blood pressure. Please be smart and don’t turn every small problem into a huge fight.”
Clarissa closed her eyes to stay calm. “I came home and found Dustin sitting alone on a couch, eating a cold potato. Your mom, Ellie, and Mason were sitting at the dining table eating chicken, cheese, and meat that I paid for. They punished him by taking away his food.”
Parker stopped talking completely.
“Dustin told me they call him a burden and say he doesn’t belong here,” Clarissa continued. “They have less than an hour to leave. If they don’t, I am calling the police.”
Clarissa expected Parker to make excuses for his mother, but he just let out a heavy breath.
“Let them go,” Parker finally said quietly. “I am not going to defend what they did.”
His answer surprised Clarissa, but it did not make her feel better.
When she walked downstairs with Dustin, she saw five big suitcases in the hallway. Alana was holding her chest, pretending to be sick. Ellie was standing in front of the mirror putting on red lipstick.
“Parker is going to leave you for this,” Ellie said with a mean smile. “Husbands come and go, but family stays forever.”
“I just spoke to Parker on the phone,” Clarissa replied coldly. “He said you both need to leave right now.”
Ellie’s smile disappeared, and Alana instantly stopped pretending to be sick. They grabbed their bags and walked out down the gravel path.
As soon as the gate closed behind them, Clarissa went into the kitchen. She threw away the leftover food, washed the dishes, and cooked a warm meal of pasta, sausages, and salad for Dustin. The little boy ate the food very fast.
“Mom,” Dustin said quietly after finishing his plate, “can I tell you something without you getting mad at me?”
Clarissa sat down right next to him. “Of course, sweetie.”
Dustin pulled an old school notebook out of his backpack. Many pages had messy pencil lines, circles, and dates written on them.
“Grandma Alana told me that every line was something I owed her money for,” Dustin whispered. “A glass of milk, a warm bath, or watching cartoons on TV. She said since I wasn’t her real grandson, everything cost money.”
Clarissa felt tears burn her eyes. “How long have you been writing these lines?”