Others followed.

Martha’s cheeks reddened.

Arthur stopped reaching for his water glass.

Olivia smiled as though she’d delivered a gracious tribute.

My mother had spent years volunteering at the pantry.

She believed in its work.

But she had never asked to become an example of poverty at her daughter’s rehearsal dinner.

Olivia had turned a charitable donation into a public reminder of who possessed wealth and who needed generosity.