Family dinner

Nina

Did I ever mention how badly I hate family dinners? The Amber family dinner it’s always an elaborate affair, Different extended relatives, cousins, maternal and paternal sides, and even those married into the family and those affiliated as well everyone who wants a piece of the Amber fortune gather together in one place to reminisce and to talk about things they've missed, in other words, it’s a hellhole, a gathering relations show off the things they've achieved recently, make fun of other relative losses, gossip about whose family is failing pretending to be in good terms but at the same time looking for weaknesses of the other that they can latch their sharp teeth onto. Everyone’s praying for what the others stand for and at the same time also hypothetically wishing the other more winnings.

They were all a bunch of hypocrites each of them seeking to out-do the other and at the same time get to the top of the food chain, and guess who's at the top,  yeah you guessed right my family, imagine the number of people waiting for our fall from grace,  it is why father is so strict and doesn't tolerate any mistakes, to him there is no room for any mess up, it is how we are still at the top even up to this moment regardless of everything they've conspired against us,  that and my father’s tough personality.

“I’m glad you could make it, dear sis, I almost thought you wouldn’t”, May said as she approached me with her mom.

“Like I had a choice”. I was practically threatened.

“Ugh,  Nina dear that dress is awful, couldn’t you at least wear something presentable and not this bland attire you’re wearing, you’re the daughter of a respectable man, you should dress and act like one”, Ophelia, May’s mom, My stepmom said, shaking her head at the dress.

“What’s wrong with my dress, besides it’s just a family dinner”.

“A family dinner with sharks, snakes, and vipers,” Father said, he took a look at me and shook his head, another disappointment to add to my tab.

“Where is your fiancée Nina, I thought he would be beside you,” Ophelia said triumphantly.

“Oh didn’t  May tell you, maybe she could find the time too since she was busy banging my fiancée or should I say, ex-fiancée “.

“Nina, watch your tongue, this is a public gathering”.

“I should watch my tongue, Nobody said anything when May chose to have an affair with my fiancée”, I said angrily.

“We are not having this conversation right in front of these lowlifes who are waiting for any titbits to grab onto, behave yourself Nina”, Father said.

“These lowlifes are your family, Edward, don’t you forget that”, my favorite person in the world said.

“Nana”, I screamed and hurried over to her side, finally someone who was on my side.

“How is my little granddaughter doing”.

“I’m fine,  Nana”.

“Isn’t it a little early to start criticizing little Nina and right in the presence of the people whom you deemed as lowlifes”, Grandma tuts.

“You always do spoil her, Mother, that’s why she’s this way”,

“I can treat my granddaughter however I like, especially when it’s obvious she’s not receiving enough love from her own family”.

“You’ve always treated her differently, even much better than my daughter and my daughter is far better than her”. Ophelia snapped. 

“I only have one granddaughter and it is not May, not with the way she’s behaving like a tramp, like a mother like that”.

“Oh, you did not just say that”.

“Enough!!”Father snaps “ We are drawing attention to ourselves, none of you will disgrace me tonight, not even you Mother, I organized this dinner to celebrate my wins and not open the door for mockery by my extended families, are we clear?!”.

“Yes”, we all grumbled.

“Good, Now let’s get this dinner over with”.

Indeed let’s get this done once and for all.