My stepdaughter never liked me, and she hadn’t spoken to me in months — maybe even a year. Then, out of nowhere, she calls, sounding all upbeat, asking to meet at a fancy restaurant. I thought maybe she was ready to try to rebuild our relationship. That’s all I ever wanted, so of course, I said yes. We meet up, and she’s there, looking happy but also a bit nervous. Right away, she’s ordering the most expensive things on the menu — lobster, steak, you name it. But what bothered me was that she didn’t really want to talk. I’d ask a question, and she’d give short answers, barely looking at me. She kept glancing at her phone and over my shoulder like she was waiting for something. Then, the bill arrives. Before I could hand over my card to pay, she whispered something to the waiter and then mumbled she had to go to the washroom. She slipped away, leaving me sitting there with a huge check. I paid the bill, feeling crushed, like I’d been used. I walked out, but then I heard a SOUND behind me. ⬇️ See less

It had been ages since I’d heard from my stepdaughter, Hyacinth.

When she called out of the blue and invited me to dinner,

I thought maybe this was it—the moment we’d finally make amends. Little did I know, she had something far more surprising in store.

I’m Rufus, 50, and my life has always been steady, maybe a bit too steady. I’ve got a quiet office job, live in a modest house, and most evenings find me with a book or the news on TV. Excitement? Not much of it, and I’ve been content with that. But if there’s one thing I’ve never been able to get a handle on, it’s my relationship with Hyacinth.

We’ve always been distant. Ever since I married her mother, Lilith, when she was a teenager, there’s been a gap between us. Over time, I stopped trying as much, figuring maybe that’s just the way things were going to be. So when she called, sounding unusually cheerful, I was both hopeful and wary. “Hey, Rufus,” she said brightly. “How about dinner? There’s this new place I want to check out.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond at first. We hadn’t spoken in so long. Was she reaching out to patch things up? If she was, I was all in. I’d wanted that for years. So, with a hint of cautious optimism, I agreed. “Sure, just tell me where and when.”