“Come on. Don’t be dramatic. It was a joke.”
David turned to face him.
His voice stayed calm.
“Belinda carried three babies for nine months. Her body went through something enormous bringing your children into this world. If you think her recovery is entertainment, then you’ve become someone I don’t recognize.”
Nobody moved.
David grabbed his coat and walked out.
For several seconds, the only sound came from the television commentator.
Then Marcus stood.
He picked up his jacket.
“Yeah. I’m leaving too.”
Two more men followed.
As they walked past me, they quietly said things like,
“Sorry, Belinda.”
“Thanks for dinner.”
“Take care.”
I couldn’t answer.
I simply nodded.
Richard attempted to laugh it away.
“Wow. Sensitive crowd tonight.”
Nobody laughed.
The guests who remained quickly finished their drinks and left soon afterward.
When the front door finally shut, Richard turned toward me. “Are you happy now?”
I looked at him.
“What?”
“You couldn’t just laugh it off? You stood there acting like I had done something terrible. Do you know how that made me look?”
I could hardly believe what I was hearing.
