The Only Thief At This Table Is You

My mother, Deborah, always preferred for me to run her errands, especially when it came to buying expensive items.

She would inevitably claim her eyesight was bad and that shed missed a digit when transferring the money.

For years, I didn't make a fuss. I simply covered the difference myself, silently transferring my own funds to complete the purchase.

Until my sister, Cassidy, decided to air her grievances in front of me with that patented, sickly-sweet snark.

Mom always sends you the money for those big-ticket items she needs, Cass said, not quite looking at me. Funny how we never see the actual price of the goods. I wonder how much of a margin youre skimming off the top, Audra.

Mom just smiled, a small, knowing little twist of the lips, and didn't bother to deny it. She seemed to be endorsing Casss accusation.

A deep, chilling resentment settled in my gut.

Over the years, the difference Id silently coveredthe mistake shed later dismiss with a light, airy, Oops, my eyes are so bad, I hit the wrong buttonhad easily totaled over forty thousand dollars. Now, I was being labeled a thief for my own sacrifice.

So, when Mom texted me again, asking me to book the annual New Years Eve feast, which she specified should cost four thousand dollars, I didnt hesitate.

I accepted the transfer. Then, I booked a dinner for four hundred dollars.

The table was set, but no one was touching the food. A dozen faces, all wearing varying shades of confusion, stared at the pathetic spread before them.

Dont just sit there, everyone, I said, attempting a cheerful, if strained, tone. Dig in.

Moms face was a study in controlled rage, the kind that promised a torrential downpour later. She couldn't explode in front of the whole family, not yet.

Audra, are you sure theyve brought out all the courses? she asked, her voice tight. Go find the server and hurry them along.

This is it, I replied, my voice perfectly level. I gestured to the table again. Seriously, before it all gets cold.

Clack.

Mom slammed her fork down. Her chest heaved. We have thirteen people here! This is all you ordered?

My Aunt Carol chimed in from the side. Sweetheart, is there a mistake? Were used to a different standard, you know.

In previous years, the table would be drowning in food: King Crab, premium Surf-and-Turf, endless shrimp. This year? Six dishes, making the large table look utterly barren. The only thing remotely seafood was a pathetic little plate of popcorn shrimp. No wonder they were surprised.

No mistake, Aunt Carol, I said, shaking my head.

Moms eyes were red with fury. I gave you the money to arrange this feast! And this is what youre serving the family?

I glanced at the minimal dishes, letting out a heavy sigh. Im sorry, but our funds were limited. This is all I could manage.

Cassidy slammed her hand on the table, standing up so abruptly her chair scraped back. She pointed a finger right at me. Dont play coy! Mom transferred you four thousand dollars for this dinner. This pathetic spread doesn't even top five hundred! Did you pocket the rest, Audra?

I know you love to help Mom with her shopping so she has an excuse to send you money, but this is a new low. Its the holiday feast! Youve gone too far!

The immediate change in my relatives eyes was palpable. The suspicion turned to outright disdain.

Mom layered it on. Audra, I usually dont comment on your little habits, but tonight? On New Years Eve, with the whole family here? This is completely inappropriate.

My Uncle Garys son, Little Ben, started to wail. Daddy! I want King Crab! You said we were having King Crab!

Aunt Carol, trying to look virtuous, shook her head at me. Audra, I always thought you were a good girl. How could you pull a stunt like this?

The accusations started to fly from all sides.

Mom saw her opening. Enough! Go find the server right now and order the rest of the dishes. Well just forget this ever happened.

The relatives immediately played peacemaker, urging me to quickly order the usual upscale meal.

But I stood my ground, my voice dropping to an icy tone. I cant add anything.

Why not? Mom snapped, unable to keep her voice down any longer.

I turned my full attention to her. Mom, did you forget?

You only transferred me four hundred dollars. I used up every cent on these dishes. I even chipped in a few dollars of my own.

A flash of panic crossed Moms face, clearly unprepared for me to call her out so directly. But she masked it instantly.

She cleared her throat, signaling me urgently with her eyes. What nonsense are you talking about? I distinctly sent you four thousand.

Cassidy sneered at me. Youre still lying? I was right there when Mom called you! She said four thousand! Trying to flip a four thousand dollar dinner into a four hundred dollar one to cover your tracks? Thats not how skimming works, Audra.

With Cass as her witness, the relatives contempt for me solidified.

Uncle Gary glowered. Audra, exploiting your own mother for cash? Do you have any conscience?

Seeing their disbelief, I reached for my phone. See for yourselves. The transfer from Mom was exactly four hundred.

Mom had said four thousand on the phone. But the notification showed four hundred. It was her go-to strategy. If I didnt mention it, shed pretend ignorance. If I did, it would be the "bad eyesight" excuse, followed immediately by an emotional attack:

It was just a few hundred dollars! Do you have to remind me? I raised you! You cant spare a dime for your own mother? You are nothing like your sister. Youre an absolute viper!

Aunt Carol, sitting closest, leaned over to look. She raised an eyebrow. Debra, honey, it does say four hundred.

Moms veneer of control cracked. She let out a strained, nervous laugh. Well, Im getting older. My eyes are failing. I must have missed a zero.

She shot me a glare. Why didnt you tell me right away that Id made a mistake?

She begrudgingly sent the rest of the money, her voice stiff with annoyance. Fine. The moneys there. Now, hurry up and order the dinner we agreed on, before you ruin the evening for everyone.

Before I could respond, Cassidy cut in. Mom, why are you giving her the money?

She looked at me with a cold laugh. Youve probably made tens of thousands off Mom over the years!

She accidentally missed one zero one time. Cant you just cover the damn difference yourself? Cass shouted. Did you deliberately pull this stunt just to humiliate Mom in front of the whole family because you couldn't make a profit this time?

Mom gave Cass a faux-scolding look. Cassidy, stop talking nonsense in front of the relatives. She was clearly pretending to chastise her, but the subtextyes, Audra is skimming moneywas loud and clear.

My hand froze over my phone. Then, I tapped Refund. My voice was flat. Since you all seem to believe Im here to make a profit, Im returning the money. Order the meal yourselves. That way, no one can accuse me of skimming.

Moms expression went rigid.

She knew. The usual standard meant a tab easily over ten thousand dollars.

Mom was utterly obsessed with maintaining an image in front of the family. Since her marriage was unhappy, she compensated by hosting this yearly feast, a performance to prove her life was perfect and she was financially flush. Before, I was the one silently subsidizing her pride. But I was done.

Cassidy rolled her eyes, scoffing. Oh, now youre going to play the saint? If youre refunding this money, you need to refund all of it. Everything youve pocketed from Mom over the years!

We have the whole family here, she announced dramatically. Lets settle the books right now. How much have you actually stolen?

Moms face paled. She quickly grabbed Casss arm. What are you doing? Its the holiday! We can talk about this later, at home.

No! Im talking about it now! Cass ripped her arm free.

Her eyes were blazing with resentment. Dont think I havent noticed. You use the shopping excuse to secretly slip Audra cash and subsidize her life!

Were both your daughters! How can you be so blatantly unfair? she screamed. We have to figure out right now, in front of everyone, how much youve given her. And you need to transfer the exact same amount to me!

Seeing the venomous look on my sisters face, I finally understood. This was never about Moms honor. It was about Casss perceived shortage. She thought Mom was secretly favoring me, and she was throwing a public tantrum to get her equal share of the "compensation."

Uncle Gary immediately backed Cass. Debra, you always claim to treat your girls equally. How can you play favorites with Audra?

Cassidy, your Uncle Gary supports you! You have to fight for whats yours!

The other relatives eagerly took Casss side, though I knew they were really just enjoying the spectacle.

Moms complexion went from pale to ashen. She forced a weak smile.

Stop encouraging the children! You all know I treat my daughters the same, she stammered.

Ill just go order the dinner

She tried to stand up.

Cassidy threw her arms out, blocking her path. Mom, are you running away because youre guilty?

Mom let out a nervous chuckle. My phone broke the other day. I lost all my texts. I couldnt settle the account even if I wanted to!

How about this? Ill send you twenty thousand...

My sister cut her off with a cold laugh.

You think twenty thousand dollars is enough to shut me up? Youve subsidized Audra way more than that over the years!

Besides, its not about the money! Its about fairness!

Her words rang out with manufactured conviction, and Aunt Bethany, the social media junkie, was the first to clap.

Well done, Cass!

You need to speak up when youre wronged! Weve got your back.

Aunt Bethanys face was alight with excitement. She raised her phone and pointed it right at our table.

She was a micro-vlogger with a few thousand followers. I immediately understood her plan.

I quickly pulled up her channel on my spare phone. Sure enough, she was live, though only a handful of people were watching.

Dissatisfied with the viewer count, Aunt Bethany started speaking louder, hyping up the crowd and encouraging the other relatives to egg on the confrontation.

Seeing the family on her side, Cassidy stood taller, her confidence soaring.

You always talk about treating us equally, but youve been blatantly favoring Audra behind my back. Do you think Im stupid? she yelled.

Today, Im getting justice!

Mom looked at me, her eyes pleading for help. She wanted me to intervene.

I sighed internally.

Despite my anger at her behavior, this was our private family mess. I could handle the relatives knowing. But with Aunt Bethany live-streaming, the nature of the crisis had changed. The voyeuristic excitement generated by the relatives was already drawing in more viewers. I didn't want our family breakdown to be Aunt Bethanys viral clickbait, or to have a mob of strangers weigh in on our dysfunction.

I interrupted Cass. Lets just take this home. We need to eat.

I gave her a meaningful look, but Cass clearly didn't get it.

She sneered. The beneficiary has no right to speak here! Im the one being treated unfairly. Am I wrong to demand an explanation?

If we go home, you and Mom will never admit to the favoritism. This has to be settled now!

Cass was relentless, and Moms face grew darker.

Then, a sudden calm descended over Moms features. She looked up at me.

Audra, youre right. Using the shopping excuse to secretly subsidize you was unfair to Cassidy.

I froze. I was about to demand when she had ever subsidized me, when she continued:

All the text records are gone, and years of small transactions are impossible to calculate.

But Id estimate that the total is around two hundred thousand dollars.

How about this: you transfer Cassidy one hundred thousand dollars, and we can all move past this.

She turned to Cass, ignoring my stunned silence.

Cassidy hesitated for a moment, then gave a reluctant nod. Fine, I guess that works.

So, her objection to the twenty thousand dollar offer was just that the number was too low.

Mom looked back at me, silently urging me to make the transfer.

To save face, she was forcing me to admit to a non-existent crime and then forcing me to pay my sister for it.

I couldnt help but laugh, a sharp, bitter sound.

Cassidy rolled her eyes at me. What are you waiting for? Transfer the money.

I locked eyes with Mom. You say I skimmed over two hundred thousand dollars over the years. Show me the proof.

Mom looked away. I told you, all the texts are gone. How could I possibly show you?

She leaned in and whispered to me. Just transfer the money to Cass. Its a holiday. Youre making a scene. Well get the money back from her when we get home.

She assumed I would fall back into my rolethe quiet, accommodating daughterjust like I had when shed made the wrong transfer amount.

But this time, I was completely resolute. I wouldn't concede. If I did, the relatives and the growing audience online would forever believe I was a thief who exploited my own mother. Id be labeled a thief and Id lose ten thousand dollars for real.

I raised an eyebrow. No proof? Then on what basis are you saying I skimmed anything?

The viewers on the live stream were confused. Aunt Bethany quickly typed out a summary, explaining the situation. As expected, the comments immediately started piling on, assuming I was the selfish daughter who stole from her mother.

Cassidy pounded the table. Mom just admitted it! And youre still denying it?

Youre just counting on the fact that Mom lost her texts, so you dont have to admit anything, are you?

The relatives joined in, urging me to just pay up.

Audra, youre sisters. Dont ruin the family over a little money.

I said, simply and coldly, I didnt do it. I wont transfer the money.

Cassidys eyes welled up instantly.

The next second, a stinging slap landed across my cheek.

My face was instantly numb. Mom pointed at me, feigning righteous indignation. You are so selfish! Your sister is willing to overlook the specific amount and accept just one hundred thousand to settle this, and you value money more than your own family!

My heart turned to stone.

Fine, I said, rubbing my throbbing cheek. Cassidy wants to calculate the profit I made off you? Lets calculate. If I actually made a profit, I will transfer every cent of it back.

Cassidy scoffed. Easy to say when there are no records. How are we supposed to audit the transactions?

I held up my shattered phone. Dont worry. Moms records might be gone, but mine arent.

At that, Moms face went white.

Before I could open my text messages, Mom lunged, snatching the phone from my hand and slamming it against the floor with all her strength.

I didnt want to show the transfers because I didnt want my daughters fighting over money! she said, her voice shaking with fake nobility.

Youve clearly benefited more than your sister, yet youre still too greedy to share even a fraction of your gain. You disappoint me deeply!

If I didn't know the truth, I might have been fooled by her masterful performance.

I picked up the phone. The screen was spider-webbed, the phone totally dead.

Mom subtly let out a sigh of relief. She thought she had won. Without the phone, there could be no audit.

Calmly, I reached into my bag and pulled out a thick stack of printed papers.

When Mom saw what they were, her face completely changed.