I Can’t Eat Together With My Family

We were having dinner at my place to celebrate Independence Day. My three childhood best friends merely bought drinks and snacks. Willa Reid claimed that she did not know how to cook. I started preparing twelve different dishes from six in the morning until late in the afternoon. I had just served the dishes when Willa suddenly received a phone call from her roommate. “She doesn’t have a party to go to. Can I get her to join us?” I looked at my tiny dining table that could only fit five people. Before I could speak, Jason George had already pulled my chair out. “Didn’t you say you had some work to do at the office? You should head over now.” My other friend, Liam Anderson, joked, “You’re used to your own cooking anyway. It’s fine to skip this one meal.” Willa immediately shook her head. “Forget about it. I’ll get her to order food delivery.” The three of them immediately persuaded her. “She’s already downstairs. How could we turn a guest away?” My boyfriend, Sawyer John, packed me a little bit of food. “There, I’ve saved your portion. You can reheat it at night if you’re hungry. Why the long face? It’s as if we’re bullying you.” I looked at them as they sat around the dining table that I had bought and used my brand-new utensils. They knew that it was not right to turn a guest away. Yet, they had forgotten that I was the owner of that house. I took my house key off Sawyer’s key ring. “You don’t have to come over tonight.” It was my house. I should not be the one being asked to leave. Chapter 1 Sawyer John’s smile dropped. “What do you mean?” “Nothing. The gathering’s over.” Jason George frowned as he looked at me. “She’s about to arrive. Aren’t you making Willa look like the bad guy if you ask her roommate to leave now?” “We could go to another place instead.” “You’ve already made twelve dishes. Where are we going to change the venue to?” Liam Anderson pointed at the dishes on the table, as if I was the unreasonable one. “Besides, everyone had worked so hard the entire day for this dinner. Do you really have to throw a tantrum just because we’re inviting an additional guest?” Worked hard for the entire day? Jason bought two bottles of soda. Liam brought a bag of chips. Sawyer had only washed six cups, and he broke one of them. As for Willa Reid, ever since she stepped into my place, she never once left the couch while taking endless selfies. She even had to ask me for tissues. I did not argue. Instead, I picked up my phone. “There is a restaurant downstairs, and they have some private rooms left. “I’ll pack the food for you. Let’s save everyone the embarrassment.” Sawyer stopped me. “Alright, drop the act. “You always felt we favored Willa over you. It’s the first time her roommate is visiting. So what if you give in a little?” The doorbell rang at that exact moment. Willa hurried over to open the door. Her roommate, Lynn White, came in with a cake. She was visibly stunned when she saw me. “I thought you were working overtime tonight and skipping dinner.” Everyone immediately fell silent. I turned to Sawyer. He avoided my gaze. Jason pretended to fidget around with the drinks. Liam pretended not to have heard anything. Apparently, Lynn had not shown up unannounced. Instead, they had planned it since the start. However, no one told me that they did not want me to join this gathering. Willa’s face turned pale. “I may have been mistaken. Sawyer said that you might need to work overtime…” “He’s not wrong.” I took out some takeaway containers from the kitchen. “Since you’ve planned this from the start, let’s not change the plan then.” Sawyer finally got angry when he saw me packing all the dishes. “Enough. “We were worried that you’d overthink if we told you in advance.” I put the ribs into the container. “Now, you don’t have to worry about that. “Take the food and leave.” None of them had seen me chasing anyone out of my house before. Jason’s face fell. It seemed like he wanted to say something, yet Sawyer stopped him. He picked up the bag containing the food containers and sneered. “We’ll go. “You'd better not come crying to me after you’ve cooled down.” The three of them led Willa and Lynn out of my place. Before the door shut, Willa stared at me with teary eyes. It was as if she was the one who had been chased out of her own home. Half an hour later, she uploaded a social media post. In the photo, all four of them were sitting around Sawyer’s coffee table as they ate the food that I had cooked. Lynn was not in the photo. She added a caption. [Fortunately, someone was willing to take me into their home.] Sawyer reacted with a red heart emoji. I did not like that post. He only sent me a text message at one in the morning. [I’ll hold on to the pots and pans here.] [Tomorrow, I need you to come over and wash them. Also, do make some hangover cure for Willa.] Chapter 2 The next morning, someone was knocking on my door at seven. I saw Jason through the peephole. Beside him, there was a plastic container filled with dirty dishes. The pots and pans they had taken last night had all been returned. I opened the door, but I did not let him in. Jason yawned. “It’s good that you’re awake. “Sawyer said that you have nothing going on today, so you should wash these dishes. Tonight, we’ll go to the rooftop for a barbecue. We’ll still need to use these.” I glanced at the dirty plates. “Whoever used these should wash them.” “Enough.” Jason sounded impatient. “Do you know how much time we spent comforting Willa last night? Her eyes were swollen from sobbing. As for you, you were just sleeping comfortably at home.” “Why did she cry?” “You frightened her.” I almost laughed. They were sitting on my couch and eating my food, yet they wanted to chase me out of my own home. In the end, Willa was the victim. Jason pushed the box toward my door. “Regardless, my job’s done here. I have something else to attend to.” “What’s that?” “I need to accompany Willa to buy the barbecue ingredients.” He made it sound like it was second nature. “She doesn’t know which are the right cuts to get, and the butcher will empty her pockets in no time.” I pushed the box back to him. “That’s good, maybe you can bring these back so she can learn how to wash the plates too.” Jason had not expected me to reject him. His face immediately fell. “Dawn, your tantrum doesn’t work around here. “We’ve known you for over twenty years. Everyone knows what you’re actually like. Even though you say nasty things, you’ll cool down in a couple of days.” I stared at him. “Is that why you’ve always felt that it’s fine to treat me this poorly?” He gaped. I had already slammed the door shut. Ten minutes later, Sawyer called me. “Why do you have to make things worse? “Jason came all the way to your doorstep so early in the morning, and you didn’t even let him enter your house. You can’t be this unreasonable.” “He had not come with gifts. He wanted me to provide dishwashing services for all of you.” Sawyer paused for a while. “It’s just a few plates and bowls. Would it kill you to wash them? “Besides, where did you store our grill and picnic mat? Liam will head over to pick them up later.” I walked into the storeroom. The entire camping and barbecue set was there. I was the one who had bought the tent and the barbecue grill. I had even bought a camping chair for every single one of them during sales. Last month, I had suggested that we go on a camping trip during Independence Day, but the three of them had said that they were busy. Sawyer said he had to work overtime. Jason said that he wanted to catch up on sleep during the holiday. Liam was even more direct. He claimed that it was a waste of money to go camping as there were many mosquitoes out there that would feed on our blood. It turned out that it was not because they were not free. When Willa was the one who suggested the camping trip, all of them suddenly had the time to do so. “No, I’m not lending you these.” Sawyer acted like he had not heard me clearly. “What?” “I’m not lending you my belongings.” “You’re just letting the items collect dust in the storeroom. Willa wants to watch fireworks. We’re just borrowing them for a night.” “If she wants to watch the fireworks, you can buy the equipment for her to do so.” Sawyer completely lost his cool. “Dawn, enough! “You only missed one dinner yesterday, and you’re still pissed off about it. It’s as if we’ve murdered you or something. “Willa’s parents aren’t by her side, so what if we took a little more care of her?” I had heard similar statements many times. Willa was afraid of the dark, so Sawyer had to send her home. Willa had a weak stomach, so Jason took note of all her dietary preferences. When Willa had a bad day at work, Liam would drive two hours just to accompany her. However, when I had a high fever, the three of them only gave me a food delivery voucher of a hundred dollars. They said that I was independent, so I would recover with some medicine. I had not been born independent. However, when I needed support, they never prioritized me. After I hung up the phone, I took photos of the equipment I had in the storeroom and marked them for sale on a website selling second-hand goods. Within half an hour, the barbecue grill was bought by someone living in the same neighborhood. The tent, camping lights, and camping chairs were all approached by potential buyers. When Liam came at noon, my storeroom was almost empty. He stood at my doorway and stared at me in disbelief. “You’d rather sell these to strangers than lend them to us?” “Yes.” “Why?” I taped the last delivery box. “Because strangers are willing to pay me. “You won’t.” My phone buzzed at the same time. It was a text message from my landlord. [Your lease is finishing next month. Are you going to sign for a lease for an additional two years?] That house was quite close to Sawyer’s office. While I waited for him to move in, I had to endure a 90-minute public transportation ride every single day for the past three years to get to work. I typed on my phone. [No.] Chapter 3 My landlord immediately gave me a call. “Why aren’t you continuing your lease? I thought you’d already reviewed the contract.” “Some changes took place at work.” “What about your boyfriend? During the last viewing, he said that he would move in after Independence Day.” I was quiet for a while. “I no longer have a boyfriend.” After I hung up, I started to pack my belongings. Half of the closet was filled with Sawyer’s clothes. There was his shaver in the bathroom and his shoes in the cabinet. Even my study was filled with his gaming equipment. Even though he had said that we were not cohabitating, he had taken up a lot of space in my life. On the contrary, I never managed to get a true space in his. That afternoon, Willa sent me a photo. It was a photo of a fresh bedroom. The bedsheets were the light gray ones that Sawyer and I bought together. The lamp that I bought for him was placed on the table. [Dawn, you have such good taste.] [Sawyer said my rental house had some leaking issues, so he asked me to stay with him for a while. I hope you don't mind.] I stared at that lamp for a few seconds. I had bought that for Sawyer’s new house. He had said he would move after Independence Day. After the move was completed, we would meet each other’s parents. However, another woman ended up staying in that house before I did. I did not reply to her text message. Instead, I called Sawyer. It was noisy on his end. They were assembling furniture. “Make it quick. I’m busy.” “Why is Willa staying at your new house?” “Her house’s ceiling is leaking, and the landlord isn’t doing anything about it. I can’t let her be homeless.” “You promised me that it’d be our marital home.” Sawyer clicked his tongue in annoyance. “She’s just staying for a few days. Why won’t you drop the matter? It’s as if we’re already married.” I could hear Liam laughing over the phone. “That’s right, you’re not even engaged! Why are you acting like you’re his wife?” Jason also chimed in. “Dawn, you have your own house. Willa has nowhere to go now. Can’t you weigh the severity?” I grabbed my phone tightly and suddenly recalled how we had viewed that house a year ago. Sawyer was taking measurements of the bedroom, and he had said that he wanted to place two lamps on either side of the bed. One for him to play games, and another one for me to read. A part of me was already certain that Willa had already been given the other lamp. “How long is she staying there?” “We’ll know after her place is fixed.” “Is it going to be a week or a month?” Sawyer grew impatient. “Will the questions ever stop?! “There’s nothing between us. You don’t even have any trust in me. How are we going to get married?” I finally understood. They would always have a thousand and one excuses to prove how inconsiderate, petty, and unreasonable I was. As long as I brought up my feelings, I would be in the wrong. “Fine. “Let’s not get married.” Sawyer was quiet for two seconds before laughing. “Here we go again. “Yesterday, you chased us out. Today, you’re calling our marriage off. Are you done with your act? “Call me when you finally calm down. I don’t have time for your nonsense.” He hung up the phone. He was confident that I would regret it in just days. After all, ever since we were children, I always gave in first whenever we had an argument. When Sawyer forgot about our anniversary, I made up excuses for him. Jason told Willa my secret to cheer her up while claiming that I could take a joke. When Liam accompanied Willa to attend a concert on my birthday, I even made supper for them. They knew I would be upset. However, they also knew that I would still stay despite being upset. My phone buzzed again. It was a transfer notice from my company’s HR. Six months ago, the company wanted to transfer me to South City to head a new project. I was offered a promotion and a huge raise. That time, I had rejected that offer. It was because Sawyer had claimed that we were going to meet each other’s parents in preparation for our wedding. If I left, we would need to delay the progress again. The HR personnel, Jane Pond, asked me, [The position is still open. We’re confirming with you for the very last time if you’ll be able to take up the transfer after Independence Day?] I no longer hesitated. [I can do that. When’s the soonest I’ll be transferred?] Jane’s reply came very quickly. [8th October.] I bought my train ticket and took down the photos of us displayed on my bookshelves. Then, a text message popped up in our group chat. Willa took a photo of the barbecue dinner. Sawyer, Jason, and Liam were raising their cups as they smiled happily. [Thank you to these lovely gentlemen who gave me a home.] Sawyer mentioned me in the group chat. [Stop with your tantrum now.] [We’ll go to your place for dinner tomorrow, and let’s talk it out.] Immediately after, he added, [Willa wants to eat your specialty grilled fish. Remember to buy groceries in advance.] I tapped on my train ticket. I would only leave after another three days. Chapter 4 Before I left, I divided the items at my place into three portions. I classified them into what I would bring with me, Sawyer’s belongings, as well as all the items that the three of them had left over the years. I placed all their items outside my door. In that pile were the sports shoes that Jason had left, Liam’s gaming device, as well as Sawyer’s clothes that used to take up half of my closet space. The property management office called me and asked if those items were trash. I denied it. “Please put them in the lobby and let them collect the items on their own.” Very soon, Sawyer sent me a voice message. [You threw my clothes to the property management office?] [I didn’t throw them away. In fact, I folded them.] [Are you out of your mind? We’re going over at night. Why are you putting them at the entrance?] I stared at my empty closet. Getting rid of a person from my life had been far easier than I had imagined. It had only taken a few boxes. [I won’t be at home at night.] Sawyer did not think much of it. [Are you working overtime again?] [If so, you could make dinner first. We’ll reheat it on our own.] Jason also sent a grocery list into the group chat. [Grilled fish, roast chicken, and grilled shrimp.] [Willa has had a weak stomach these past couple of days. Don’t make anything spicy.] Liam transferred me some money. It was only twenty dollars. [There are six of us tonight. Here’s some money for you to buy groceries. If it’s not enough, you can top it up yourself.] Sawyer sent a laughing emoji. [Liam, you’re too generous.] The few of them were cracking jokes, yet no one asked about my preferences. No one even asked why I would not be around. I did not accept the money transfer. Instead, I left the group chat. After a short while, Sawyer sent me a text message. [Why are you being so immature?] [Who are you expecting to add you back into our group chat after you exit?] I blocked his number. At two in the afternoon, the landlord brought someone over to view the house. The new tenants were a young couple who had just gotten married. The young wife saw the kitchen, and her eyes lit up. “This kitchen is so big. I can finally cook for you.” Her husband immediately shook his head. “It’ll be too tiring for you. If you’re cooking, then I’ll do the cleaning up. I can’t let you do everything on your own.” She laughed and shoved him playfully. It was a very normal sentence. Yet, I stood still for a very long time. It turned out that some people knew how difficult it was to cook. They would not treat their loved one’s efforts for granted. After I signed the lease termination, I called a moving company. The driver helped me to carry the heaviest box and simply asked, “Is your boyfriend not sending you off?” “We broke up.” “That’s good.” He pointed at the truck full of boxes. “A person who truly loves you won’t let you move all of these alone.” I did not say anything. Before I got into the car, I turned around to look at that door for the very last time. Sawyer had once said that once we got married, it would be our second home. Jason said that he would come and have dinner with us if he was still unemployed. Liam said that when we had children, we would still stay in the same neighborhood. They had planned the future very well. Yet, they had never thought that I might not want to be in their future any longer. On the way to the train station, Willa called me from a different number. “Dawn, please don’t misunderstand us. “How about I move out tonight? I don’t want to affect your relationship.” Even though she said that she was willing to move, her pleading tone sounded like she wanted me to ask her to stay. However, I did not give her what she wanted. “Sure. “You can move out tonight.” She was stumped. “But my house isn’t fixed yet…” “That’s your issue. “You can stay in a hotel, look for your agent, or ask the three guys to continue to think of a solution. You’re an adult. You can’t always rely on other people to take care of you.” I heard Sawyer’s voice over the phone. “Dawn, do you have to be this cruel? “Willa’s apologizing. What more do you want from her?” I ended the call and blocked that number too. Before the train departed, I received a few more text messages. Jason asked if I had bought the fish. Liam asked me to buy some drinks on the way home. Sawyer only sent me a text message. [Come home before seven.] [We’ll wait for you before we eat dinner, alright?] I looked at the time and shut my phone off. As the train departed the station, my smart lock app sent me a notification. [An invalid passcode has been entered.] Immediately after, my doorbell camera sent me a photo. Sawyer was standing right in front of my door. He was holding a grocery bag containing the fish. Jason and Liam were holding the drinks, and Willa was standing behind them. They were crowding in front of my door as they waited for me to head home and open the door for them. The next second, Sawyer pressed the doorbell.