She smiled at all of them and said, “Before anyone leaves, I should probably mention I already paid.”
My father-in-law stopped halfway out of his chair.
“What?”
“The check. About twenty minutes ago.”
She nodded toward the server, who happened to be walking by.
“I asked her to bring it to me while everyone was deciding on dessert.”
Nobody knew what to say.
My mother-in-law forced a laugh. “Well, that wasn’t necessary.”
“I know,” my aunt said. “But I was curious.”
“Curious about what?” my father-in-law asked.
She folded her hands on the table.
“Whether tonight was really dinner with family or whether it was another one of those evenings where everyone suddenly develops wallet problems at the exact same time.”
The server nearly choked trying not to smile.
My brother-in-law stared at the tablecloth.
My aunt wasn’t angry. That was the part that made it land.
“I knew about the purse in the other car before you said it. Last Christmas it was a forgotten credit card. Before that it was a bank app not working.”
Nobody interrupted her.
Then she reached into her purse and set four gift cards on the table.
“I bought these on the way here.”
My mother-in-law frowned. “What are those?”
“Gift cards to this restaurant.”
She slid one to each of them.
“The next four family dinners are covered. Consider it my contribution.”
The silence was incredible.
My father-in-law looked down at the card like it might explode.
After a moment my aunt stood, kissed my mother-in-law on the cheek, and picked up her coat.
As she walked away, she added, “The only condition is that one of you actually pays the bill when it arrives.”
Months later those gift cards were still sitting unused in my in-laws’ kitchen drawer.
Nobody seemed eager to organize another expensive family dinner.