Inevitable and Only(55)
Mom’s eyes narrowed. “What fellow?”
Dad looked at Elizabeth. “Ah. Sorry, didn’t realize we were keeping this under wraps.”
“No, it’s fine.” Elizabeth shook her head. “Sorry, Melissa, I didn’t tell you yet. I asked Ross if it was okay.”
“Well, of course it’s okay,” Mom said, with a tight smile. “I’m very glad that you’re getting out and meeting people. So, who is it?”
“Just someone from school,” Elizabeth said.
“I know everyone from school,” Mom said. “Who is it?”
“It’s Farhan,” I said, “she’s going out with Farhan.”
Mom raised her eyebrows at me. “You mean, Farhan who was your—”
“My friend, right,” I said, cutting across her words. “Yeah, I set them up together. Sort of.”
Now Dad was giving Elizabeth a funny look. I wondered how much she’d told him. If she’d said anything about what happened at the Fall Ball.
Mom was still staring at me. “So you and Farhan are just friends? I thought … ?”
“Yes, we’re just friends.” It came out more aggressively than I’d meant it to. This conversation was making my stomach hurt worse. To change the subject, I said, “So, I had my first stage kiss tonight.”
Mom and Dad both froze.
Josh, to my surprise, cracked up.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, annoyed.
He kept laughing, and said, “Ewwwww. You have to kiss?”
Boys.
Elizabeth, on the other hand, looked equal parts shocked and impressed. “Wow,” she said. “Was it—weird?”
“No, not at all. Zephyr has a lot of experience on stage. He’s really good at it.”
Dad wrinkled his nose. “Cadie, I’m happy for you, but I have to say, it makes a father queasy to think about his daughter’s first kiss.”
“It’s not a real kiss, Dad, it’s just a stage kiss. He’s kissing his thumb, over my mouth, not—”
Dad waved a hand as if to clear the air, in a way that reminded me of Robin. “No, no, that’s enough detail. Great. Good for you.”
Mom actually smirked. “Yes, good for you.” Good for you for making your father uncomfortable, she meant.
The image of Elizabeth and Farhan was still swirling around in my head. And the image of Elizabeth telling Dad about her first date here in Baltimore, asking his permission. Not even bothering to tell Mom, because she wasn’t related to Mom, so why should she make an effort?
“Mom,” I said, and I heard myself use a Voice, just like Dad. Innocent Lamb Voice. “Do you have a lot of work tonight?”
Mom frowned. “No, actually. Why?”
“I know it’s late, but would you take me out for a quick driving lesson? Just us. You know, some mother-daughter time?”
It was like I got hit with three javelins to the stomach at once: Dad’s face, falling so hard you could hear it thump. Mom’s, lighting up with such a hopeful expression she looked like a golden retriever begging for treats. And Elizabeth’s, crumpling, although she looked down quickly at her plate to hide it. Because she doesn’t have any mother-daughter time anymore, you idiot. My stomach twisted with guilt. I hadn’t meant to rub salt in that wound.
I couldn’t see Josh’s face, since he was sitting right next to me, but that was fine. I didn’t need to know whether I could’ve possibly hurt him, too.
“Absolutely, mija,” Mom purred. “I’d love to see the progress you’re making.”
Uh-oh. “Well, don’t get too optimistic,” I said, trying to sound as jolly as Dad had a few minutes ago. “I’m definitely still a beginner.”
“I’ll just go grab my coat, and then we can take a spin,” said Mom, pushing her chair back from the table. Half of her tempeh Reuben was still on her plate. “I’ll save this for later,” she added, whisking her plate off to the kitchen.
So I took my half-eaten dinner to the kitchen, too, since my stomach was hurting too much to eat anyway. I pulled out two Tupperware containers—but Mom scraped her plate into the trash instead, giving me a conspiratorial smile. She hated tempeh and sauerkraut. Dad knew that. He must’ve forgotten.
It was nice, for once, to share something with Mom, to know that I’d made her happy. She was actually humming as she went to the closet for her coat. I just couldn’t believe how much both of us were willing to hurt Dad.
When we got into the car, Mom said, “I’m glad to have some time alone together. We really haven’t talked, just the two of us, since—everything happened. How are you—”
“I’m fine,” I said, cutting her off and forcing a smile. “You know what? For tonight, I’d rather not talk about it. I just want to focus on my driving.”
She smiled back at me—a warm smile, a real one. “You’re my big girl,” she said softly. “I’m proud of you.”
I’d thought it would somehow help me feel better, making Mom happy, but my stomach was tied in tighter knots than ever.
I was only called for one scene at rehearsal the next night, and Zephyr wasn’t called at all. So much for our ice cream plan. Oh well, I told myself, it didn’t seem like he really wanted to go anyway.