THE $200 BIRTHDAY PARTY

PART 1

“You’re organizing my mom’s 70th birthday.”

“I already transferred the money.”

“And don’t you dare embarrass me in front of the family.”

That was the message my husband sent me at 6:03 on a Thursday morning.

My name is Gwen Parker.

I had been married to Brandon for eight years.

I opened my banking app.

Then I stared at the transfer.

Two hundred dollars.

Exactly two hundred.

For thirty guests.

I refreshed the screen once.

Then again.

Nothing changed.

Two hundred dollars.

On the refrigerator was the list Brandon’s mother had handed me two days earlier.

Slow-roasted prime rib.

Stuffed pork loin.

Roasted vegetables.

Imported cheese board.

Dessert display.

Three-tier cake.

Fresh orchids.

White linen.

Crystal glasses if possible.

At the bottom, Rosalind had written one final sentence.

Nothing cheap.

The Duponts are coming.