The next morning I came in early, same as always, to go over the previous day's receipts.
A little past eleven, a commotion broke out at the restaurant's entrance.
I looked up.
Austin came marching in with the whole class trailing behind him.
He had on a designer suit, his hair slicked back and shining, and he was swinging a set of BMW keys in one hand.
And on his arm was my ex-girlfriend, Eudora Fox.
Eudora and I had gotten together back in high school, and through all four years of college we'd been solid.
But after graduation, everything changed.
Instead of taking a job, I'd chosen to start my own business.
Back then I ran myself ragged every single day, worn down to nothing, and life was miserable.
Just as the restaurant was finally getting off the ground, I was about to share the good news with Eudora.
That was when she suddenly told me she wanted to break up.
I asked her why.
She said:
"When we were students, I stayed with you because you had good grades. I figured you'd amount to something after graduation and give me a good life."
"But it's been over half a year since we graduated, and you spend every day scrambling around for nothing. You haven't gotten anywhere."
"What I need is a man with real ability, a man who's going somewhere. Not a loser like you who works himself to the bone and has nothing to show for it."
Now, watching Eudora cling to Austin's arm with that cozy little smile, it clicked all at once.
No wonder that all these years, every time Austin floated the idea of a class reunion, Eudora was the first to jump on it.
She'd cast Austin as that man with ability, the one who was going somewhere, and she wanted to ride him up.
The moment the group walked in, every head swung toward me where I sat in the lounge area.
"Denys, you've got some nerve. The second you heard Austin was picking up the tab, you couldn't wait to get here first. Been drooling over this meal for a while, huh?"
"It's disgusting. Same thing every time. Beats everyone else to the restaurant, wolfs it all down, then bolts the second he's done, not even a thank-you. Textbook freeloader."
"It's only because Austin's generous that he gets invited year after year. If it were me, I'd have blocked him ages ago."
They came right up to me, piling on one after another, tearing me down without mercy.
Like I was some pathetic little parasite who couldn't survive without leeching off Austin.
Even Eudora, up on her heels, looked down her nose at me.
"Denys, all these years later, and look at you, still the same broke, sorry mess. Not an ounce of progress."
"Thank God I dumped you when I did. Chained to a penniless nobody like you, I'd never have four dishes on my table in this life."
With that she lifted her hand, flashing the sparkling diamond ring on her finger, showing it off to me.
"See this? Austin and I are engaged. He gave me this ring."
"Look at him. Young, successful, doesn't blink at spending. Every single year he treats the whole class to a place this upscale."
"And you? You're destined to be a freeloading dog your whole life. No matter how hard you try, you'll never measure up to one of Austin's fingers."
I looked at the ring on Eudora's hand, and I couldn't help but smile.
Just yesterday, I'd had someone dig carefully into Austin's background.
And once they did, I found his situation was far messier than I'd ever imagined.
Oh, Eudora, Eudora.
I found myself starting to look forward to it. To the look on your face once you find out exactly what kind of man this fiancé is, the one you schemed so hard to marry.
