I felt the gazes fall on me one by one.
Some guests frowned. Others exchanged uncomfortable glances. A man in the background cleared his throat as if he didn’t know where to look.
Doña Carmen was the first to react.
“What… Is this?
His voice wasn’t loud, but he had an edge that could cut through the air.
I looked at her calmly.
“The food, Mom.
“The food?”
She lifted the lid of another plate, as if hoping to find something different. But there was nothing else.
His face began to turn red.
“Where’s the chicken?” Where is the meat? The vegetables?
I took a breath slowly.
“I bought everything I could afford with the money you gave me.
The murmur began to grow among the guests.
“How much did he give him?” A lady asked.
I took out the folded bill that I had kept in the pocket of my apron.
“One hundred pesos.”
The words floated in the air.
Someone let out a small whistle.
An older man shook his head.
“A hundred pesos cannot feed twenty people here or anywhere else.
Doña Carmen looked at me as if she wanted to pierce me with her eyes.
“You’re lying!”
I softly denied.
“No.
Then I picked up the small grocery bag I had brought with me.
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