Wrong Family
comedyEveryoneI said nothing. Maybe they'd forget me. They did not forget me. Auntie Shazia: "The quiet one can bring drinks." Uncle Tariq: "Agreed. Drinks." Grandma: "Not the fizzy ones. They upset your father." MY father? I typed nothing. They assigned me drinks anyway. There was a checklist now. My number had a checkmark next to it.
I muted the chat and went to bed. Big mistake. Morning: 94 unread messages. A seating chart. A debate about chairs. Someone had written "Drinks — the quiet one" on an actual list. Then my phone buzzed. Not the group. A private message. From Grandma. Grandma: "Beta. You went quiet. Is everything okay?"
What happens next?
1 ways forwardI stared at her message. She had noticed one silent stranger in a chat of 14 people. Me: "Honestly? You have the wrong number. I don't know your family. I'm sorry." Grandma: "I know, beta. I knew from the first day." Me: "You KNEW?" Grandma: "Numbers are wrong. Dinner is not. What do you like eating?"