My rich in-laws have been avoiding paying for supper by “forgetting” their wallet for years. They thought my mom would fall for the same trick when they invited her to a posh restaurant, but they were unaware that she was ready. Their plan completely failed this time.
Growing up, my parents taught me that a person’s character isn’t calculated by what they have, but by what they give.
We weren’t rich by any means, but we never pause to help others or pay our share.
Then I married my partner, and oh, did I learn the existence.
My husband’s family had everything money could buy: a big house in the nicest part of town, luxury cars in a heated garage, and vacations in places I’d only knew in magazines.
But despite their wealth, they had a strange habit that knotted my stomach every time we met: they never paid their share at restaurants.
“They did it again,” I said.
“Your dad literally pretended he got a phone call!”
Dan sighed, shoulders slumped as he pulled out his credit card. “I know, I know. They’ve always been like that.”
“But they have more money than they could spend in a lifetime! Your mom’s purse costs more than our monthly rent.”
“Believe me, I’ve tried talking to them about it. They just… I don’t know. That kind of money doesn’t mean much to them, so they don’t see anything wrong with it.”
“Oh, I left my wallet at home!” her mother said.
“I have to take this call,” her father shouted.
No one called them out. Neither friends predicted to pay the bill nor their business partners, who grumbled about it later.
Then the invitation came.
“Mom is going to celebrate her 60th birthday with a dinner at that fancy Italian restaurant downtown,” Dan told me one night.
“She told me yesterday. She wants the whole family to come.”
“When is it?” I asked.
“Next Friday. Which is good news for us since we’ll be out of town, but the thing is, since we can’t go, they want to invite your mom.”
I froze. “My mom? Why?”
“She said she wanted to get to know her better,” Dan said.
Here’s the English translation of your text:
My mother-in-law had never shown much interest in becoming acquainted with my mother. In fact, she had noticed several times that they didn’t have much in common.
Dan and I had planned a weekend getaway to Mexico months ago—a rare chance to congratulate our anniversary without interruptions. The dates matched, and our tickets were non-refundable.
“We have to inform her,” I said.
My mother answered on the third ring.
“Hi, sweetheart! How are you?”
“Mom, Dan’s parents want you to attend his mother’s birthday dinner…”
“Yes! She sent me a message an hour ago. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Mom, I have to tell you something important about Dan’s parents…”
But my mother laughed. “Honey, don’t worry so much.”
“Mom, I’m serious. They always do the same thing. They’re going to order the most expensive things on the menu and then vanish when the bill arrives.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Your mother-in-law seems very interested about her birthday. I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Don’t worry, dear. I’ll look after it.”
When I hung up, I turned to Dan.
“I don’t think she took me seriously… she’s walking right into a trap.”
I looked at him. We both knew it wasn’t true.
The night of the dinner, Dan and I were at our guesthouse, three hours away.
Not until the next morning did I get a message from her: Had a wonderful night. Call me when you get home.
As soon as we returned on Sunday, I called her.
“So? What occured?” I asked.
“Well, it was quite an amazing night.”
According to my mom, the evening began pretty predictably.
My in-laws arrived at the restaurant dressed to the nines, my mother-in-law dressed up with jewelry that could have financed a small country.
“They ordered everything, honey. Everything,” my mother said.
“They had appetizers I couldn’t even pronounce, bottles of wine that the waiter had to bring out from some special case. Your father-in-law had the wagyu steak that was literally covered with gold flakes.”
“And you?” I asked.
“Oh, I just had pasta and water. I wasn’t very hungry.”
“Well, when the bill arrived, it was like watching a play where everyone knew their lines. Your mother-in-law unexpectedly remembered she’d left her purse at home. Your father-in-law patted his pockets and pretended to recognize his wallet was in the car.”
“Your brother-in-law, Tyler, said he needed to check on his babysitter, and his wife followed him. One by one, they all vanished, leaving me there with a bill of over $1,500.”
“Mom!” I almost whispered. “Tell me you didn’t pay that!”
“Of course not,” she said way too calmly. “I called the waiter and ordered dessert.”
Here is the English translation of your text:
“The chocolate soufflé. And a glass of your most expensive port wine. The waiter looked baffled, but I just smiled and said I was still celebrating.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“But… I don’t understand, Mom. If they did their usual vanishing act and you didn’t pay the bill, what occured?”
“Well, when the waiter brought me the dessert, I asked him to call the manager. His name is Robbie. You might have heard me mention him.”
“Robbie? From your teaching days?”
“The very same! He was that sweet boy who always brought me an apple, remember? Now he owns three restaurants.”
“We had a lovely chat,” Mom continued. “We caught up on old times. I told him I was waiting for my dinner companions to come back with their wallets, and he found it hilarious.”
I smiled. “Oh, I think I see where this is going.”
“Robbie and I took a little plan,” Mom said. “He called your in-laws and very politely declared them that their group had left without paying, but not to worry—they could come back and pay the bill. Otherwise, he’d have to contact the authorities for a dine-and-dash situation.”
“He really did. And he put it on speaker so I could hear. Your father-in-law began spitting out excuses about going to get cash from an ATM. But Robbie just said, ‘Well, sir, that’s wonderful news. We look forward to seeing you shortly.’”
“Like their designer pants were on fire,” my mom said.
“Your mother-in-law was practically purple with rage. But what could they say? They’d been caught red-handed.”
“Robbie added a 25 percent ‘collection fee’ for their little disappearing act. In total, it came to just over $2,000.”
I sat in stunned silence before roaring with laughter. “Mom, you’re my hero.”
“The best part was this morning,” she added.
“Your mother-in-law called me to thank me for coming to her celebration. And she said,
‘For your information, at family dinners, we always pay. We always have.’”
“Some people only learn when there are consequences, honey. I think your in-laws just got a very expensive lesson.”
After this celebration, something miraculous occured. Whenever we went out to eat with Dan’s family, my mother-in-law loudly declared at the start of the meal: “Tonight, everyone pays separately.”
