Grandma just wanted a quiet birthday dinner, but the family had other

plans—plans that included ditching her and making me foot the bill.Grandma,

always sweet and thoughtful, simply wanted a small dinner for her 85th birthday.

But Aunt Linda and the rest of the family insisted on taking her to the

fanciest steakhouse in town. While Grandma enjoyed the attention,

my cousins were scheming behind the scenes, planning to let me pay for everything.

When the bill came, the family pretended to be broke, all hoping I’d cover

the $800 tab. But what really set me off was when they left Grandma alone

at the table when she went to the restroom. They didn’t even have the decency to stick around,

I took care of the bill, made sure Grandma wasn’t worried, and spent the rest

of the evening with her. Meanwhile, my family’s plan backfired—I’d alerted

the restaurant manager, who just happened to be a college friend, and he made

sure they were charged for their share, plus interest for their bad behavior.

By morning, my relatives were panicking over the charges, but I wasn’t having

any of it. Grandma called to thank me, and I promised her next year’s birthday

would be a peaceful one, just the two of us. No family drama.