Rufus hadn’t heard from his stepdaughter, Hyacinth, in what felt like forever. When she suddenly invited him to dinner, he saw it as a chance to finally reconnect. Still, nothing could have prepared him for the surprise she had planned that night at the restaurant.
He was fifty, his life calm and predictable. He worked an office job, lived modestly, and spent evenings quietly with a book or the evening news. Steady was the word—maybe too steady. But the one puzzle he’d never solved was his relationship with Hyacinth.
From the moment he’d married her mother, Lilith, years ago, their bond had been complicated at best. With Lilith gone, the silence between them had only grown more pronounced. So when Hyacinth called out of the blue, cheerful and inviting him to a fancy new restaurant, Rufus felt a cautious hope bloom in his chest.
The place she’d chosen was elegant, far beyond his usual dining spots. He arrived feeling slightly out of place. Hyacinth greeted him with a bright smile, though there was something forced beneath it. As they sat and ordered—a lavish spread, chosen mostly by Hyacinth—he tried to make conversation. She responded in clipped phrases, glancing frequently at her phone. The evening passed in awkward starts and stops, their attempts at small talk falling flat.
As the waiter brought the check, Hyacinth abruptly stood, claiming she needed to visit the restroom. Minutes ticked by with no sign of her return. Confused and a bit irritated, Rufus finally paid the hefty bill himself and prepared to leave, resignation sinking in.
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