My son invited me to dinner with his wife’s parents։ I deliberately decided to play the role of the “poor” mother — to see who they would think I was, without knowing the truth

The table went silent. Marcus looked at me as if he were seeing me for the first time.

— Your offer, I added, — is not insulting because of the amount. It’s insulting because you decided a mother can be bought.

I stood up, straightened my back, and for the first time that evening, I stopped being “convenient.”

— I am not a burden. I am a choice. And I am not going anywhere.

I left, leaving them with a bill that cannot be paid.