What a fine thing to say. Won't press charges.
Just a few words, and she had nailed me to the pillory for good, as if I really had done something shameful.
It was the old trick of making an example out of one man to warn the rest. It stained my name, and it froze whatever was left of my heart.
I looked at my son for a long moment, and swallowed every word I might have said.
Then I quietly took out my phone, scanned Daphne's payment code, and transferred the ten thousand dollars.
The instant the transfer went through, Daphne smiled.
"There, Dad, that's more like it. As an elder, you should be thinking about your children, not sucking your kids dry all day long."
"Consider this money a lesson. Just be more careful from now on."
Then she raised her phone, turned to face every employee in the restaurant, and said loudly:
"Everyone see that? Anyone who takes something from this store, no matter who they are, no matter the relationship, gets fined, no exceptions."
"Even my own father-in-law. He took one bottle of water today, and he gets fined ten thousand all the same."
"Anyone who tries it after this, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
The few servers glanced at one another and said nothing.
My son checked the time and announced flatly:
"All right, closing time. Everyone head home."
The staff filed out one by one.
Then it was just the few of us left in the restaurant.
Seeing that my face had gone dark, my son softened his tone a little.
"Come on, Dad, the staff were all watching. I had to keep it professional, I couldn't play favorites with you."
"Once we close up, let's all go out for a nice dinner as a family. Don't be upset."
I gave a small shake of my head.
"No."
"You all go."
They were the family, after all.
I was just a thief who owed ten thousand dollars for drinking a bottle of water.
That meal, I truly couldn't have stomached.
Andrea shot me a look and sneered.
"In-law, don't tell me you actually think you've been wronged."
"We elders are supposed to have a spirit of sacrifice. While we still can move, doing a little more for the young people, chipping in some money, it's all just what we owe them."
"Never mind that you really did take the store's water and deserved the fine. Even if you handed those young people ten thousand for nothing, so what? Do you really need to pull a long face over such a little thing?"
A spirit of sacrifice?
I looked at Andrea, and suddenly I very much wanted to ask her: where exactly was her spirit of sacrifice on display?
Was it in these five years of idling around, never once coming to help at the restaurant?
Or in the way she'd drag her old girlfriends in every few days to eat and drink for free, bossing the staff around until everyone was sick of it?
Or was it the times she lost money at cards and walked straight up to the register to grab cash and go right back to gambling?
If that was what she called a spirit of sacrifice, then I really did fall short of her.
I looked at her and nodded.
"You're right. It really was my fault."
My mistake was placing too much weight on this son.
So much weight that I lost myself.
So much weight that I gave up everything.
Luckily, there was still time.
This ten thousand dollars would be a new beginning.
