I Was Given the Worst Seat at a Family Dinner — But the Night Didn’t End the Way Anyone Thought

And for four years, Melissa—Jenna’s older sister—had made it her personal hobby to remind me that, in her mind, I didn’t belong at any table that mattered.

That night, the night of Eleanor’s birthday, I sat at the polished wood bar of the private dining room with a glass of bourbon in my hand, watching the room fill up with people dressed like they had somewhere more important to be. The restaurant had one of those entrances where the host wore a suit and an expression that said your bank balance was being evaluated before you got the chance to speak. The kind of place where the lighting was flattering and the prices were vicious.