My mother-in-law, Carmen Finch, started shrieking immediately. My father-in-law, Alden Finch, was right behind her, cursing just as loud.
"City girl thinks she's too good for us! Putting on airs on a day we honor our ancestors — do you have no respect for your elders? No respect for this family?"
My husband snapped out of it and chased after me.
"Catherine, stop making a scene. All the relatives are watching. Just go back in and finish cooking."
I turned and looked at him. He hurried to close the distance.
"Mom and Dad are getting old. Chester Finch and his wife are waiting to eat. You walk out like this, what are people going to say about our family?"
"What are they gonna say? That the princess threw a tantrum." Chester's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Looks like my sister-in-law thinks us country folk aren't good enough for her. Figured she'd ruin the whole dinner."
His wife, Elena Lambert, chimed right in. "Just let her go, Andrew Finch. Some people were raised with a silver spoon. You really think she'd lower herself to cook for poor relatives like us?"
I didn't respond to any of them. I walked straight out of the courtyard, flagged down a passing motor rickshaw, and gave the driver the name of a restaurant in town.
The place wasn't crowded. I found a seat by the window and ordered the spiciest thing on the menu.
Twenty years of swallowed grievances, twenty years of thankless sacrifice — it all seemed to go down easier with the scalding broth.
I ate slowly. There was no rush. What was meant to happen would happen regardless. I didn't need to suffer for their sake anymore.
When I'd eaten my fill, I paid the bill and walked back toward the Finch house at my own pace.
The sky was nearly dark. Most of the relatives who'd come for the memorial had already left. The only sounds came from somewhere near the courtyard.
I'd barely reached the gate when I heard the screaming — raw and shrill.
I pushed the door open. The courtyard was chaos.
Chester and Elena lay flat on the ground in front of the main hall, motionless.
Carmen sat on the ground, slapping her thighs and wailing.
"My boy! My baby boy, how could you just leave me like this!"
Alden stood off to the side, his face drained of all color, trembling from head to foot.
Every pair of eyes in the yard locked onto me.