Page 11 - Too Much and Never Enough - Mary L. Trump

and the hand-drawn calligraphy on the place cards and menus (iceberg lettuce salad, mashed potatoes—Trump family staples—and Wagyu beef filet). The second thing I noticed after sitting down was the seating arrangement. In my family, you could always gauge your worth by where you were seated, but I didn’t mind: all of the people I felt comfortable with —my brother and sister-in-law, Maryanne’s stepdaughter and her husband —were seated near me.
Each of the waiters carried a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white. Real wine, not TRUMP wine. That was unexpected. In my entire life, there had never been any alcohol at a family function. Only Coke and apple juice had been served at my grandparents’ house.
Halfway through the meal, Jared walked into the dining room. “Oh, look,” Ivanka said, clapping her hands, “Jared’s back from his trip to the Middle East,” as if we hadn’t just seen him in the Oval Office. He walked over to his wife, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then bent over Donald, who was seated next to Ivanka. They spoke quietly for a couple of minutes. And then Jared left. He didn’t acknowledge anybody else, not even my aunts. As he crossed the threshold, Donny leapt out of his chair and bounded after him like an excited puppy.
As dessert was being served, Robert stood up, wineglass in hand. “It is such an honor to be here with the president of the United States,” he said. “Thank you, Mr. President, for allowing us to be here to celebrate our sisters’ birthdays.”
I thought back to the last time the family had celebrated Father’s Day at Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn. Then, as now, Donald and Rob had been sitting next to each other with me directly across from them. Without any explanation, Donald had turned to Rob and said, “Look.” He’d bared his teeth and pointed at his mouth.
“What?” Rob had asked.
Donald had simply pulled his lips back farther and pointed more emphatically.
Rob had started to look nervous. I had no idea what was going on but watched with amusement while I sipped my Coke.
“Look!” Donald had said through his gritted teeth. “What do you think?”
“What do you mean?” Rob’s embarrassment was palpable. He had glanced around him to make sure nobody was looking at him and