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I Invited All My Family to Dinner and Served Each a Beautiful but Empty Plate with a Design—Only My Granddaughter Received a Full Meal.
I invited the entire family to dinner and served each of them a fine but empty plate with a delicate pattern. Only before my granddaughter did I place a full meal.
Elizabeth Worthington cast a heavy, knowing glance around the table.
Her entire family was gathered. Her son, Sebastian Worthington, with his wife, Clarissa. Her daughter, Victoria Worthington, with her husband, Reginald.
And Catherineher granddaughter, Kateslender as a reed, with quiet, attentive eyes that adults often mistook for fearful.
The air smelled of mothballs from their formal suits and the metallic tang of cold cash.
The waiters, gloved in pristine white, silently set the plates before the guests. Fine china, hand-painteda golden, intricate design along a cobalt rim. Perfectly, deliberately empty.
Only Kates plate held food: a fragrant piece of roasted salmon, bitter asparagus, a creamy herb sauce. The girl froze, shoulders hunched, as if this dinner were her personal failing.
Sebastian was the first to break. His well-groomed face flushed crimson.
“Mother, what is this performance?”
Clarissa hissed at him, placing her slender, ring-laden hand on his sleeve.
“Sebastian, Im sure Elizabeth has a good explanation.”
“I dont understand,” Victoria whispered, staring between her empty plate and her mothers unreadable face. Her husband, Reginald, merely curled his lip in disdain.
Elizabeth lifted a heavy crystal glass.
“This isnt a performance, children. Its dinner. A fair dinner.”
She nodded at Kates plate.
“Eat, Katie. Dont be shy.”
Kate picked up her fork but didnt touch the food. The adults watched her as if shed stolen the meal from themfrom each of them.
Elizabeth took a small sip of wine.
“I decided it was time to dine honestly. Tonight, each of you gets exactly what you deserve.”
She looked at her son.
“You always told me fairness and common sense were what mattered. Heres your common sense. In its purest form.”
Sebastians jaw tightened.
“I wont be part of this farce.”
“Why not?” Elizabeth smiled. “The interesting part is just beginning.”
Sebastian shoved his chair back and stood. His expensive suit strained over his broad shoulders.
“This is humiliating. Were leaving.”
“Sit down, Sebastian.” Her voice was quiet, but it froze him. He hadnt heard that tone in yearsnot since he stopped being a boy and learned to ask for money as if doing her a favor.
He slowly sat.
“Humiliating, Sebastian?” Elizabeth continued. “Humiliating is calling me at three in the morning from some underground casino, begging me to cover your debts because ‘Clarissa mustnt know.’ Then sitting at this table the next day, boasting about what a successful businessman you are.”
Clarissa recoiled, snatching her hand from his arm as if burned. Her gaze turned sharplike broken glass.
“Your plate is empty because youve grown used to eating from mine,” Elizabeth said, voice steady. “You take. You never give back. Your whole life is a loan you never intend to repay.”
She turned to her daughter-in-law. Clarissas expression shifted instantly, plastering on sympathy.
“Elizabeth, were so grateful for all youve done”
“Your gratitude, Clarissa, comes with a price list. Your visits always coincided with new collections at your favorite boutiques. I recall, after your last ‘courtesy call,’ a necklace appearedthe one youre hiding under your hair now. Strange coincidence, isnt it?”
Clarissas face stiffened. The mask cracked.
Elizabeth turned to Victoria. Her daughter was already cryingsilently, tears dripping onto the white linen.
“Mother, why? What have I done?”
“Nothing, Victoria. Absolutely nothing to me. And nothing for me.”
She let the words sink in.
“When I was ill last month, your courier delivered a bouquet. Lovely. Expensive. The card had a printed message. You didnt even sign it. I called you that evening. Five times. You didnt answer. Too busy at your charity gala, I suppose, where you speak so movingly about compassion.”
Victoria sobbed louder. Reginald, silent until now, placed a hand on her shoulder.
“This has gone too far. You have no right to speak to your daughter like this.”
“And you, Reginald, do?” Elizabeths gaze pinned him. “You, who in five years of marriage never learned Im Elizabeth Worthington, not Elizabeth Parker? To you, Im just an inconvenient footnote to an inheritance. A nameless bank account.”
Reginald leaned back, arms crossed, contempt barely hidden.
All this time, Kate sat before her full plate. The salmon cooled. The sauce congealed. She didnt dare look up.
“And Kate,” Elizabeth said, her voice softening for the first time. “Kates plate is full because shes the only one who didnt come here today with an outstretched hand.”
She glanced at her granddaughter.
“Last week, she visited me. Just because. She brought this.”
From her jacket pocket, Elizabeth drew a small, tarnished broocha lily of the valley. The enamel was chipped, the pin bent.
“She found it at a flea market. Spent all her pocket money. Said it reminded her of the flower on my old dress in that photograph.”
She looked at her children.
“You all waited for me to fill your plates. She came and filled mine.” She turned back to Kate. “Eat, dear. Youve earned it.”
Reginald was the first to recover. He smirked, cold and venomous.
“How touching. Straight out of a play. Are you saying your entire fortune now hinges on the price of this trinket?”
“My fortune hinges on my judgment, Reginald. Yours, however, seems entirely dependent on mine,” Elizabeth countered.
“Mother, youve lost your mind!” Sebastian burst out, face reddening again. “Youve orchestrated this circus to humiliate us in front ofa child! Youre manipulating us!”
“Im holding up a mirror, Sebastian. You just dont like the reflection.”
Kate listened. She saw the fear in her uncles eyes, the calculation in Clarissas, the self-pity in her mothers, the anger in her fathers.
They werent hearing her grandmothers words. They were hearing the rustle of money slipping through their fingers.
She understood. Understood the cruel game and the only weapon her grandmother had given her to end it.
Victoria wiped her tears, looking at her daughter.
“Katie, say something. Tell your grandmother this isnt right.”
They waited. Expected her to cry, to refuse the food, to play her usual rolethe quiet, convenient girl.
Kate lifted her head. Her eyes were clear and steady. She didnt look at her grandmother. She looked at her plate. At the cold salmon and hardened sauce.
Then, calmly, she picked up her fork and knife.
With precise, deliberate motions, she divided the salmon into four equal parts. Separated the asparagus into four portions.
Then she stood. Her chair scraped softly.
She carried her plate to Uncle Sebastian. Without a word, she placed one portion on his empty china. Then to Aunt Clarissa. Then to her father, Reginald. The last portion she set before her mother.
Her own plate was now empty.
She wasnt sharing food. She was sharing dignity.
She returned to her seat but didnt sit.
“Thank you, Grandmother, for dinner,” she said, voice quiet but clear. “But Im not hungry.”
Elizabeth looked at her granddaughter, and for the first time that evening, her eyes held no ice, no steel. Only prideboundless and warm. She understood: the lesson had been learned deeper than shed expected.
Silence fell over the table. The salmon on the four plates looked like evidence. An accusation served with cream sauce. No one dared touch it.
Clarissa moved first. She rose gracefully, like a model on a runway, and gave her husband a look of disgust.
“Gambling debts, Sebastian? How vulgar.”
She didnt wait for a reply. She left without a word, each step a whip-crack to Sebastians pride.
Reginald scoffed, turning to Victoria.
“Well, Vicky? Your mothers made fools of us, and your daughter sided with her. Charming family.”
He tossed his napkin on the table.
“Ill be in the car.”
Sebastian and Victoria sat opposite each other. Brother and sister, strangers with the same name. Humbled. Exposed.
Finally, Sebastian looked at his mother.
“Are you satisfied? Youve destroyed everything.”
“I destroyed nothing, Sebastian. I only removed the props. The house was already rotten. It collapsed on its own.”
He left without a glance at Kate. Victoria remained, alone at the vast table, facing her mother and daughter. She stared at
You Drive Me Up the Wall!… I Can’t Eat Right, Can’t Dress Right, Can’t Do Anything Right! — Pavel’s voice broke into a shout. — You can’t do anything!… Can’t even earn proper money!… We never get any help from you around the house!… — Marina burst into tears, — …And there are no children…, — she whispered. Belka — a white-and-ginger cat of about ten, perched atop the wardrobe, silently witnessed yet another “family tragedy”. She knew, she could sense, that Mum and Dad truly loved each other… But she didn’t understand why they said such cruel words that hurt everyone. Mum, sobbing, locked herself in the bedroom as Dad lit one cigarette after another. Belka, seeing her family falling apart, thought, “There must be happiness in this house… and happiness means children… we need to find some children…” Belka couldn’t have kittens herself — she’d been spayed years ago, and as for Mum… the doctors said she could, but something just wouldn’t work out… The next morning, after her humans left for work, Belka, for the very first time, slipped out the window to visit her neighbour Pawsy — for advice. — Why would you want kids? — scoffed Pawsy. — Ours come with children, and I have to hide from them… they smear lipstick on your face or squeeze you until you can’t breathe! Belka sighed: — We just need normal children… If only we could find some… — Hmmm… That street cat Molly’s had a litter… five of them… — mused Pawsy. — Take your pick… Taking her chances, Belka leapt balcony to balcony to the street. Shivering nervously, she squeezed through the railings of a basement window and called out: — Molly, could you come out for a minute, please… From deep within came desperate squeaks. Carefully crawling through, eyes darting in fear, Belka began to cry. Under the radiator, on the hard gravel, lay five tiny, sightless kittens, nudging the air and wailing for their mum. One sniff told her: Molly hadn’t been back for at least three days. The babies were starving. Fighting tears, Belka gently carried each kitten to the entrance. Trying to calm her hungry, squeaking brood, Belka lay down beside them, anxiously watching the end of the yard, waiting for Mum and Dad. Pavel, silent as he met Marina after work, brought them home. As they reached the doorway, they froze — there was their Belka, (who had never set paw on the street alone), and five multicoloured kittens clambering to nurse from her. — What on earth? — Pavel was stunned. — A miracle…, — echoed Marina, and together they scooped up the cat and kittens and rushed inside… Watching Belka purr happily in a box with her new babies, Pavel asked: — But what do we do with them? — I’ll feed them with a dropper… once they’re bigger, we’ll find them homes… I’ll call my friends…, — Marina whispered. Three months later, still stunned by the turn of events, Marina sat stroking her “cat pack” and murmured, over and over: — Things like this just don’t happen… this just doesn’t happen… Then, she and Pavel broke down in happy tears; he swept her into his arms, and they both laughed and chattered at once: — I’m glad I finished building the house! — Perfect for a child to get some fresh air! — And let the kittens run in the garden! — There’ll be room for everyone! — I love you! — And I love you even more! Wise Belka brushed away a tear — life, it seemed, was finally coming together…
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THE MOTHER-IN-LAW Anna Petrovna sat in the kitchen, watching the milk quietly simmer on the stove. Three times she’d forgotten to stir it, and each time she remembered too late: the froth would rise and spill over, and she’d wipe the stovetop in irritation. In those moments, she realized: it wasn’t about the milk. Ever since her second grandchild was born, it was as if everything in the family had gone off the rails. Her daughter grew weary, lost weight, and spoke less. Her son-in-law came home late, ate in silence, and sometimes retreated straight to the bedroom. Anna Petrovna noticed all this and thought: how could anyone leave a woman alone like this? She spoke up—first gently, then with more edge. At first to her daughter, then to her son-in-law. But she began to notice a strange thing: after her words, things in the house didn’t get lighter—they got heavier. Her daughter defended her husband, her son-in-law grew more withdrawn, and she herself went home with the feeling she’d once again done the wrong thing. That day, she went to the vicar not for advice, but because she simply had nowhere else to go with these feelings. ‘I suppose I’m just a bad person,’ she said, not looking at him. ‘I do everything wrong.’ The vicar was sitting at his desk, writing. He put down his pen. ‘Why do you think that?’ Anna Petrovna shrugged. ‘I wanted to help. But it seems all I do is make everyone angry.’ He looked at her kindly, without judgment. ‘You’re not a bad person. You’re tired. And very anxious.’ She sighed. That felt like the truth. ‘I’m scared for my daughter,’ she said. ‘She’s so different after giving birth. And him…’ she waved a hand. ‘It’s like he doesn’t even notice.’ ‘And do you notice what he does?’ asked the vicar. Anna Petrovna thought. She remembered last week, when he quietly washed the dishes late at night, thinking no one noticed. Or on Sunday, when he took the pram out for a walk, even though it was clear he just wanted to lie down and sleep. ‘He does things… I think,’ she said uncertainly. ‘But not the way he should.’ ‘And what is “the way he should”?’ asked the vicar calmly. Anna Petrovna wanted to answer right away, but suddenly realized she didn’t know. In her head: more, more often, more attentively. But specifically what, she couldn’t say. ‘I just want it to be easier for her,’ she said. ‘Then say that,’ the vicar responded gently. ‘But say it to yourself, not to him.’ She looked up at him. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘I mean that right now, you aren’t fighting for your daughter—you’re fighting with her husband. And fighting means tension. Everyone gets tired of that. You. Them.’ Anna Petrovna was silent for a long time. Then she asked: ‘So what should I do? Pretend everything’s fine?’ ‘No,’ he said. ‘Just do what helps. Not words, but actions. And not against anyone, but for someone.’ On the way home, she thought about this. Remembered how, when her daughter was little, she didn’t lecture her but just sat beside her when she cried. Why was it different now? The next day she showed up without warning. Brought soup. Her daughter was surprised, her son-in-law awkward. ‘I won’t stay long,’ Anna Petrovna said. ‘Just came to help.’ She watched the children while her daughter slept. Left quietly, without saying a word about how hard things must be or how they ought to live. A week later, she came again. And a week after that. She still saw her son-in-law wasn’t perfect. But she began to notice other things too: how carefully he lifted the youngest, how he tucked a blanket around her daughter at night, thinking no one saw. One day, she couldn’t help herself and asked him in the kitchen: ‘Is it hard for you right now?’ He looked surprised, as if no one had ever asked him that. ‘It’s hard,’ he said after a pause. ‘Really hard.’ And that was it. But after that, something sharp disappeared from the air between them. Anna Petrovna realized: she’d been waiting for him to change. But what needed to change was herself. She stopped discussing him with her daughter. When her daughter complained, she didn’t say, ‘I told you so.’ Just listened. Sometimes she took the children so her daughter could rest. Sometimes she called her son-in-law to ask how he was. It wasn’t easy. It was much easier to get angry. But slowly, the house grew quieter. Not better, not perfect—just quieter. Without the constant strain. One day her daughter said: ‘Mum, thank you for being with us now, not against us.’ Anna Petrovna thought about those words for a long time. She realized something simple: peace isn’t when someone admits they’re wrong. It’s when someone is the first to stop fighting. She still wished her son-in-law was more attentive. That wish didn’t go away. But living alongside it was something more important: wanting peace in the family. And every time the old feelings came up—indignation, bitterness, the urge to say something sharp—she asked herself: Do I want to be right, or do I want life to be easier for them? The answer almost always told her what to do next.
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The Recipe for Happiness… Everyone in the block watched as new tenants moved into the second-floor flat—a family headed by the manager of the local factory workshop, an important business in a quiet English market town. “Why do you think they chose to live in these old red-brick flats?” wondered retired Mrs. Nina Andrews aloud to her friends. “With his connections, surely they could have landed a place in a new development.” “Don’t judge by your own standards, Mum,” chimed in her thirty-year-old unmarried daughter Anna, sporting bright makeup. “Why would they want something new when these Victorian terraces have high ceilings, grand halls, spacious rooms, and a massive balcony—like in a country house. Besides, they got a phone line the very first week—not everyone in our block even has a phone; just three out of the nine flats!” “You’re always gabbing on the phone!” scolded her mother. “You’re a nuisance to the neighbours. And mind you don’t start pestering the new lot—they’re proper and busy people.” “Oh, they’re not so serious! They’re young, and they have a little girl—nine years old, Natasha,” Anna replied, giving her mum a wounded look. “They’re practically my age, just five years older at most.” The new neighbours turned out to be polite and cheerful—Lydia worked as the school librarian, Ivan had been at the factory for ten years. Anna became the neighbourhood news source, chatting with the ladies in the courtyard each evening as her mum listened in. “How do you already know all this, Anna?” they would tease. “Oh, I pop in to use their phone! Unlike some people, they actually let me,” Anna retorted, referencing the times neighbours refused to open their door, suspecting she’d yak away for ages to her girlfriends. So Anna befriended the newcomers and made herself at home, often calling friends and colleagues for long chats, showing up in new outfits or cosy dressing gowns, clearly hoping to grow close to the family. One day, she noticed Ivan pointedly closing the lounge door when she entered to use the phone. The same thing happened again and again. Anna would flash a smile at Lydia and peek into the kitchen to thank her after her calls, but Lydia would just nod and politely ask her to shut the door on her way out. “I can’t—my hands are covered in flour,” Lydia would explain. “Our lock snaps shut on its own—it’s French.” “Oh, what are you baking now? More pastries? You always have something fresh coming out of the oven… I never learnt to bake,” Anna gushed. “Just making some sweet cheese buns for breakfast, but I won’t have time in the morning—that’s why I’m baking now,” Lydia smiled, turning back to her dough. Anna grimaced and left, annoyed her friendship wasn’t warming up. Later that evening, Ivan said, “Listen, Lyds, I know it’s awkward to refuse her, but our phone is permanently tied up every evening and my mates can’t get through. It’s not fair.” “Yes, she’s gotten a bit too comfortable, coming in as if she lives here and gossiping away,” Lydia agreed. That same night, Anna showed up again—dressed to the nines, made up, and perched on the hallway chair chatting away. After ten minutes, Lydia asked, “Anna, will you be long? We’re expecting a call.” Anna nodded and hung up but pulled a chocolate bar from her pocket and grinned, “I brought treats! Come on, let’s have tea—my treat for getting to know you.” She laid the chocolate on the kitchen table, but Lydia hesitated. “No, please—take it away. Natasha has allergies; she can’t have sweets. In our house, chocolate is a strict no-go.” “What? But I was just being kind,” Anna blushed, stung. “No need for grateful gifts, and do us a favour: don’t come by so often—unless it’s for a real emergency, the doctor or fire brigade. That’s different. Even in the middle of the night, we’d understand. But just for chatting… best not,” Lydia managed politely. Anna took her chocolate and left without a word, feeling slighted, and convinced herself Lydia must be jealous of her youth or charm. “She knows I’m younger, prettier—that’s why she snubbed me,” Anna griped to her mum. “I only wanted to be friendly, but she wouldn’t even pour me a cup of tea—and I brought my own chocolate.” “Silly girl,” Mrs. Andrews sighed. “You shouldn’t force your way into someone else’s home. If they don’t want your calls, that’s their right. They’re a decent family, not a public drop-in centre, and you were firmly shown the door. Don’t make it about jealousy—find yourself a husband and get your own phone, then let your neighbours come calling on you!” Anna’s last attempt at getting close was to pop round with a notebook to ask Lydia for her cheese bun recipe. “Could you give me your sweet cheese bun recipe? I really should learn…” “Better ask your mum,” Lydia replied, surprised. “Our mums know lots—I always just mix by eye, I don’t use strict measures. My hands know what to do. Sorry, I’d really better dash.” Anna blushed again and trudged home. She knew her mum’s battered old recipe book was in the kitchen, full of handwritten gems—salads, pies, even fish terrine. Half the book was devoted to cakes and baking. But Anna didn’t fancy baking, and her mum had long since given it up due to her blood pressure. Still, Anna retrieved the notebook, leafed through indifferently, then found the recipe she needed, surprising her mother. “Are you actually planning on baking?” Mrs. Andrews gasped. “Why does that surprise you?” Anna snapped the book shut. “Has something happened with Slava? I thought you’d parted, just like all your other beaus.” “Why would you think that? He’ll come running back whenever I want,” Anna grumbled. “Well, then why not want it?” her mother chuckled. “And what recipe are you after? I’ll help if you like.” “I can manage,” Anna replied quickly. A few days later, when her mum got back from her evening walk, the smell of baking greeted her. “Good Lord, what’s that? Pies baking? You must really be in love,” her mother exclaimed. “Don’t shout so the whole block hears! Come in and have a taste. They’re cheese buns, traditional ones.” The kettle steamed, the table was set, and a plate of golden cheese buns awaited. “You’ve still got it,” her mum said. “We haven’t baked together in ages and I thought you’d forgotten—but you did it. Well done.” “Don’t just say that—tell me honestly. Are they all right?” “You’ve got a tongue, haven’t you? Try one!” her mum laughed. Anna flashed back to her Dad—those were his words: “It’s edible.” The highest praise. “Right then, I’ll invite Slava round for tea soon—serve him these. Think he’ll like them?” “He’ll love them! I won your Dad by baking these—he was besotted with both the buns and me,” her mum grinned. “Keep baking and invite him. I’ll go watch telly at the neighbour’s—good to see you finally have your priorities straight. You won’t win hearts just by dressing up and curling your hair.” Soon, Slava became a regular visitor. The rows faded, Anna spent more time in the kitchen, with Slava helping and their laughter echoing through the flat. When Anna told her mum they’d registered for marriage, Mrs. Andrews nearly wept with joy. Anna blossomed, slimming down before the wedding. Slava teased, “You’ve stopped baking! Will you make a cake for our wedding at least?” For the home wedding, Anna, her mother, and aunt spent two days preparing festive dishes, though there’d only be about twenty guests—all family. The newlyweds moved into their own big room in the three-bedroom flat. That year, telephones were finally installed for all households. Anna, now content, called everyone at first, but always kept her chats short: “Sorry, Rita, got to dash—my dough’s rising and Slava’s heading home. Bye!” She hurried to the kitchen, where the dough was lifting under its own yeasty cloud. Anna was expecting, her maternity leave just a month away, but the young wife never rested—she cooked, she baked, keeping her husband happy. She adored cheese buns, especially homemade, and so did he—after all, what could be sweeter than a home filled with warmth, laughter, and the smell of baking?
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