Twenty guests made my chest tighten slightly, because I knew that preparing food for that many people required careful planning.
“Twenty?” I repeated.
“Family members, neighbors, a few old friends,” Kevin replied casually. “You know how my mom likes these things.”
I nodded because I truly did know.
What I did not expect was what happened next. I stepped into the kitchen where Dorothy was checking serving dishes while talking to a neighbor about seating arrangements.
“Angela, come here,” she said.
I walked toward her and she reached into the pocket of her apron, pulled out a small bundle of folded bills, and placed them in my hand.
“Go to the grocery store and buy everything for lunch,” she instructed.
I looked down at the money and immediately felt confusion, because the amount seemed too small even before I counted it. When I separated the bills one by one I realized the total was one hundred dollars.
“Only this?” I asked quietly.
Dorothy lifted her head and looked at me with a cool expression.
“You think that is not enough?”
A tight feeling formed in my throat. “Mom, there will be twenty people here today.”
She gave a short laugh.
“When I was younger I could cook a full meal for a crowd with half that amount,” she said, leaning slightly closer to me. “A good daughter in law knows how to manage.”
Those words landed heavily in my chest.
I glanced through the kitchen doorway toward the patio where Kevin stood talking with the neighbors. He must have heard part of the conversation because he shouted toward us.
“Just do your best, Angela. Do not upset my mom.”
I took the money and left the house without another word. The neighborhood grocery store a few blocks away was busy that morning with shoppers moving between aisles while employees stocked shelves and children ran beside their parents pushing small carts.
I opened my wallet again and looked at the one hundred dollars.
A single package of chicken already cost nearly half that amount. Pork was expensive, and even tomatoes had increased in price that week. As I walked slowly through the aisles I realized something uncomfortable.
I had enough money in my bank account to buy everything needed for a proper meal. I could easily add my own money and prepare something generous for the guests. Dorothy would receive praise, Kevin would be satisfied, and nobody would ever know that I had paid the difference myself.