The Price Of Lies

Synopsis

Today was the sixtieth birthday party for my daughter's mother-in-law. I stood in the doorway of the kitchen, a plate of freshly cut fruit in my hands. My apron was dotted with grease stains that never quite washed out. In the living room, my daughter Madison clung to her husband, Teddy. She smiled and lifted her glass to make a toast with the rest of the family, looking as if she belonged right at the center of it all. Her mother-in-law, Carly, sat in the seat of honor. Everyone crowded around her, wishing her a happy birthday, and her face lit up with every word. A woman in a neat, old-fashioned dress stepped up beside Madison. She leaned in a little, curious. "Madison, how come your mom isn't here?" Madison's hand stilled for just a second, the wine glass hovering in the air. Then she smiled and shook her head slightly. "My mom died a long time ago. My uncle raised me." She said it so easily. She did not even glance toward the kitchen. And I was right there, just a few steps away. In the pocket beneath my apron, there was a bank card with four million dollars on it. That was everything I had. Every cent came from thirty years of selling sandwiches and from the money I got when I finally sold my shops. I had planned to give half of it to her. But now, standing there with that plate in my hands, I wanted to walk away. I didn't want to leave her a single penny.