Such a Fun Age(75)
In the most uncomfortable and cheap-looking chair Alix had ever seen, Emira put her hands to her face and cried. There were no tissues on the coffee table (just two remotes and a tube of something called Baby Lips), so Alix carried Catherine to the bathroom and grabbed a roll of toilet paper. With Catherine at her chest, Alix kneeled in front of Emira, and when she put a clump of the tissues into Emira’s hand, she let her own hand linger.
“You’re having such a time right now and I’m laying all this stuff on you, I’m so sorry.” Emira had such a sweetly embarrassing and mushy crying face that Alix felt that she too might turn teary. “I thought it might all be perfect timing but maybe we should deal with this video first and then we can start to think about next . . .”
But Emira shook her head, almost as if she were both happy and spent, and said, “No, I’m sorry, yeah. Yeah, that sounds really good.”
“Really?!” Alix didn’t mean to say it so loud. She placed a hand over her mouth, as she felt certain that Emira’s neighbors had heard her through the popcorn-textured stucco walls. “Yes? Ohmygod, we’d be so happy, are you sure?”
“Oh yeah, for sure.” Emira laughed. “Yeah, I’d ummm . . . I’d definitely like to up my hours.”
“Oh God, that’s amazing news! Okay. Okay.” Alix beamed. “Bri, lovey, guess what?” Briar was unsuccessfully trying to buckle her helmet to the widest part of her stomach. “Bri, you and Emira are gonna do sleepovers next year. Isn’t that so special?”
“Mira?” Briar picked up the Temple water bottle and brought it to Emira. “Mira, let’s put . . . let’s put raisins in here and we save them for later, okay?”
Emira said, “That’s a pretty good idea.”
Alix sat back on her heels. “Okay, so yes. In the New Year?”
Emira wiped her eyes with her pinkies and said, “Yeah, that’s perfect.”
“I promise we’ll iron out all the details and get everything set before then. But I do want to mention one last thing.”
But there were so many things Alix wanted to mention. She couldn’t wait to reach a point in their relationship where she wouldn’t have to sit on opportunities for growth that Emira would hopefully carry with her for the rest of her life. This video you’re embarrassed of? Alix wanted to tell her, It’s honestly not that bad, and it shows how much you love my kid. And this water bottle you’ve been using? It might give you cancer so let’s get you a new one made with glass or stainless steel. And this thing you did by accident? With the plants and the aquarium? It’s so, so lovely and your instincts were spot on. And I know that a couch is a huge investment but it’s one of those things you’ll want to spend money on. And these are the staple items you want to have in your closet. And this is a meal that looks fancy but it’s really not. And this is how to crack an egg with one hand; you practice with a quarter and two Ping-Pong balls. This was not the time to share these things, but with Emira working full-time, Alix would definitely get her chance.
“If it’s all too fresh to talk about, just tell me,” Alix said. “But Peter and I want to help you out with this video.”
Once again, Emira said yes.
* * *
—
And so on Monday morning, Laney Thacker and her camera crew arrived at the Chamberlain house at seven a.m. Tamra took the train in and arrived with coffee and croissants. Emira entered with Zara shortly after, holding two dresses in the colors Laney recommended (mint and cobalt blue). Her hair was straightened and curled in a way Alix had never seen before, and she’d ditched the chunky eyeliner. A simple gold necklace sat on her chest, and when Alix saw it, she thought, Good girl.
As Alix prepared for her first appearance on the local news, buttoning her dusty-rose blouse in the mirror, she looked at Tamra for a final confirmation. “I did the right thing, right?” she whispered. She pushed her hair in front of her shoulders. “Sorry, just . . . just tell me that I did the right thing.”
Tamra’s eyes went small in an exaggerated and confident expression. “Oh girl, yes,” she said. “One hundred percent. This is probably the best thing to ever happen to Emira.”
Twenty-four
When Mrs. Chamberlain opened her front door, Emira heard Zara whisper, “Oh shit, okay.” On top of the grandness of the Chamberlain home, which had once shocked Emira as well, there were lights and cameras set up inside the living room along with glass vases of pink hydrangeas on the side tables.
“Hi, sweetie. Are you awake yet? We have lots of coffee if not. Hi, Zara. Nice to see you again.” Mrs. Chamberlain looked sharp and awake. The sweetie caught her off guard, but they were fresh off a hard weekend, and Emira told herself that Mrs. Chamberlain’s warmth would become more natural. Emira and Zara held Dunkin’ Donuts coffees in their hands, but Zara put hers down and accepted a cold brew from Tamra.
Laney Thacker welcomed Emira into the living room. She gave Emira a hug with her arms overly stretched in front of her body and a white napkin tucked into her collar, so as to not get makeup on her dress. Then she said, “Lovely,” as she took Emira’s dresses from her; she held one in each hand. “We’re gonna go with this one.” She raised the bright, cobalt blue. “Just a little pink on your lips and a super-clean finish on your cheeks, okay?”