I wanted to surprise my son Dmitry by visiting his restaurant. I was wearing a simple but neat dress. I was proud of my son and eagerly awaited the moment when I would see the place he had created through his hard work. However, what should have been a joyful visit turned into a humiliation that I could not forget for a long time.
When I entered, the restaurant was full of guests, laughter and the clinking of glasses. The aroma of delicious food filled the room. I found a cosy table by the window and sat down, enjoying the atmosphere and imagining Dmitry probably working somewhere nearby.
I had just taken my first sip of tea when a young woman with an arrogant expression on her face approached me. Her expensive jewellery sparkled in the lamplight, and her clothes were clearly designed by famous designers.
‘Excuse me,’ she said in an irritated tone. ‘This table is reserved. You’ll have to move.’
I looked around for a reservation sign but found nothing. Embarrassed, I replied calmly,
‘Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.’
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked appraisingly at my modest dress.
‘To be honest, I think you’d be more comfortable somewhere else. This is a high-class restaurant. You don’t want to look silly, do you?’
Her words hurt me deeply. I felt my cheeks flush. Without saying a word, I gathered my things and quietly left the restaurant.
As I walked to the bus stop, my heart was breaking with pain. This restaurant was the result of my son’s hard work, which I had helped and sacrificed so much for over the years. And now I felt as if I didn’t belong here.
I decided not to tell Dmitry what had happened. He was busy, and I didn’t want to disturb him. Perhaps it was just an unfortunate incident.
The next day, I prepared a special lunch. All morning I cooked Dmitry’s favourite dishes and carefully arranged them on the table, using the best china. This was an important day — I was finally going to meet my son’s fiancée.
When the doorbell rang, I smoothed my dress and opened the door with a smile. My heart skipped a beat.
Standing in front of me was the woman from the restaurant.
She recognised me too, and her confident smile faded slightly, but she quickly pulled herself together and pretended to be seeing me for the first time.
‘Mum, this is Karina,’ Dmitry introduced her happily, putting his arm around her shoulders. ‘The love of my life.’
‘It’s very nice to meet you,’ Karina said in a sweet voice, although I noticed a hint of arrogance in her eyes.
‘It’s nice to meet you too,’ I replied with a polite smile, trying to hide my tension.
We sat down at the table, but the atmosphere remained tense. Dmitry didn’t notice anything, enthusiastically talking about their future. But I noticed how Karina deftly took the initiative in the conversation, drawing attention to herself every time.
And then Dmitry dropped some unexpected news:
‘Mum, Karina dreams of opening her own café. We were hoping you could help out a little financially.’
I tensed up.
‘A café?’ I asked cautiously.
Karina perked up.
‘Yes! It’s such a wonderful opportunity. I just need a little support.’
Before I could answer, she suddenly got up from the table.
‘Excuse me, I’m going to the bathroom,’ she said and quickly left, clearly avoiding the subject of money.
I turned to Dmitry.
‘Are you sure about this? It’s a serious financial risk.’
Dmitry sighed:
‘Mum, I know you’re worried, but Karina has big dreams. She wants to be independent.’
I thought for a moment and finally said:
‘Dmitry, I don’t trust her. She treated me terribly yesterday at your restaurant.’
Dmitry frowned:
‘What do you mean?’
I told him what had happened, hoping he would understand me. But he just shook his head.
‘Why didn’t you say anything then? Now it looks like you’re trying to find an excuse.’
I wanted to answer, but then Karina came back. She immediately realised that something was wrong.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked with feigned concern.
‘Mum doesn’t want to help us with the money,’ said Dmitry.
Karina’s eyes flashed dangerously.
‘Why?’ she asked sharply.
I replied calmly:
‘Because I don’t trust you.’
Karina feigned surprise:
‘Oh, dear, you must have misunderstood me. I would never allow myself to offend you.’
Then she turned to Dmitry with fake tears in her eyes:
‘If your mum doesn’t accept me, maybe we shouldn’t be together?’
Dmitry looked confused, but after a moment of hesitation, he stood up:
‘Let’s go, Karina.’
And they left.
I remained sitting in silence, feeling pain in my heart. But deep down, I knew the truth would come out.
A month later, I received an invitation to the café opening. Dmitry wanted to prove that everything was fine between them. I decided to go, but I had a plan.
At the opening, I convinced Karina to go outside to talk, and there she unwittingly admitted that she was using Dmitry for money. She didn’t know that I had connected a voice recorder to the restaurant’s speakers in advance.
When we returned inside, the room was silent. All the guests had heard everything. Dmitry was pale.
‘Karina, I heard everything,’ he said coldly.
Karina’s face turned pale.
‘Dmitry, it was a joke!’ she pleaded.
But it was too late. The truth had come out.
A few days later, Dmitry invited me to dinner at a restaurant.
‘I’m sorry, Mum. I should have listened to you,’ he said.
I smiled gently:
‘It’s okay, son. Sometimes lessons are painful, but they make us wiser.’
Dmitry raised his glass and said solemnly:
‘To my mother, Tatyana. The woman who always believed in me. Thank you for everything.’
Tears welled up in my eyes as the guests began to applaud. For a moment, I lost my son, but the truth helped bring him back.
