I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. But my heart was already racing.
When she came back with the check, I tried to act normal. I smiled politely. “Sorry if we were a bit loud. We’re heading out. My grandson noticed your birthmark, that’s why he keeps staring.”
She walked away without a word.
Outside, the cold slapped us in the face. I knelt to zip Ben’s coat when I heard quick footsteps behind me.
“Ma’am.”
It was her. The waitress.
Her face was pale and her hands were shaking slightly. “Could I speak to you? Alone?”
I looked at Ben, then back at her. Something in her eyes told me this wasn’t just about manners or an apology. There was weight behind her words, the kind that doesn’t come from embarrassment. It comes from something deeper.
I hesitated. “Ben, stay right here on the sidewalk, okay? Don’t move.”
He nodded without asking questions, just watched us with those wide, curious eyes.
