Emily sat across from her son, Dean, at a modest restaurant table, trying to savor what was supposed to be a special outing. She smiled warmly as the waitress handed them their menus, but Dean barely lifted his eyes from his phone.
“This is nice,” she said, her tone gentle and hopeful. “It’s been a long time since we’ve gone out together.”
Dean responded with a barely audible, “Yeah, I guess.”
His attention remained glued to his phone, thumbs tapping rapidly. Emily tried not to let the indifference hurt. She took a sip of water and kept going. “How’s school? Your classes? Anything exciting happening on campus?”
Dean didn’t answer right away. He glanced briefly at her, then around the room. “I hate that we’re sitting so close to the bathroom,” he muttered. “But I guess with your wheelchair, this is the best they could do.”
Emily flinched at the remark but forced a small smile, determined not to let it ruin the moment. “Still, I’m glad we’re here. It’s been a while.”
Dean shrugged. “Whatever.”
Her heart sank. She tried to stay upbeat, but the disinterest cut deep. As she reached for her water again, her hand trembled, and the glass slipped, crashing to the floor. The loud shatter silenced the room as heads turned. Finally, Dean looked up.
“Seriously?” he snapped. “You can’t even have one dinner without causing a scene? I didn’t even want to come—you kept going on about it! Now look. This is embarrassing.”
Emily’s face crumpled. The words struck harder than she could bear. Tears welled up despite her efforts to hold them back. She wiped her face quickly. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “Let’s just go.”
Dean stood abruptly, pushing his chair back with a loud scrape. He clearly had no interest in salvaging the evening.
But before they could leave, a man stepped forward — the restaurant’s owner. He approached with firm steps, his expression stern and eyes locked onto Dean.
“We’re done here,” Dean muttered dismissively, but the man stood his ground.
“Sit down and be quiet,” the owner said sharply, his voice commanding. Emily blinked in shock. Dean stared, stunned into silence. The man’s gaze didn’t waver — there was no mistaking the anger in his eyes…