I grab my spoon and scoop up some green bean casserole but don’t eat it yet. “Well, I’m eighteen. I’m a senior. I have a best friend.”
“Eighteen, huh?”
I nod, eating the casserole.
He looks to my mom. “And I see you have a tattoo.”
“I got it a week ago.” I hold out my arm so he can see my left bicep.
He raises his eyebrows when he reads it. “Sacrifice.”
Again, I realize everyone knows Ancient Greek except me.
He reaches across the table to touch it. “It’s fading.”
I nod. “I think the artist may have messed up. I may have to get it reinked.” But my stomach clenches when I say it. I know the fading has nothing to do with the ink and everything to do with Chloe almost dying. I decide not to try to revive it in front of my mom and my father.
My father pulls up the sleeve on his T-shirt. “I have a tattoo, also.”
That’s putting it mildly. I lean over to get a better look. It looks like every natural disaster possible has been inked on his shoulder. There are cosmic reds and greens and bright yellows, blended together into a pattern which almost seems to shift and change in front of my eyes.
“Wow. It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”
He nods and rolls his sleeve back down. “Thank you, Piper.” And he winks at me.
“Did you get it in prison?” I ask because Chloe’s brother told us about all the people who get tattoos in prison.
He raises an eyebrow and looks sideways at my mom. “Prison?”
My mom remains silent.
“I thought you were in prison,” I say. “That you caused the water still explosion out west and you got caught.”
My father actually laughs. I think most people would be furious at an accusation like this, but he laughs. “And let me guess, your mother told you that.”
My mom twists up her face. “Well, what was I supposed to tell her? That you didn’t have time to raise a daughter?”
“You can tell her what you like, Lucia. I’m sure Piper will find the truth on her own.”
I know in that instant everything my mom’s told me about my dad is a lie.
Next to me, my mom slams her fork on the plate. It clatters like a bell, such that, four tables over, people turn and look. “Are we done here yet?”
“Done?” My father laughs. “I’m only getting started. So tell me, Piper, do you have a boyfriend?”
I almost drop my spoon at the question, catching it before it lands on my lap. But I do manage to get a giant drop of sauce on my leg. I wipe it off, licking my finger.
“Piper does not have a boyfriend.” My mom answers for me.
I open my mouth to protest but then stop. I have Shayne, and then there’s Reese. But neither of them are appropriate conversations to have given the present company. So instead, I nod. “Right. No boyfriend.” I glance over sideways at my mom who smiles like a fox that’s gotten away.
“Oh, come on now. A pretty girl like you? Certainly you have young men declaring their undying love for you every day.” And his blue steel eyes meet mine and hold them.
My heart begins to pound; I feel it in my temples. But I hold my face steady and force a smile to my lips. “Only in my daydreams.”
He grins, and I feel like we’ve shared some secret. A secret even I don’t know. “Well, you have your whole life ahead of you.” He grabs his beer bottle and lifts it to his mouth, drinking the remainder down in one large swallow. Even though I don’t drink beer, it’s still impressive.
“Piper has no need for boyfriends.” My mom spears a cherry tomato with her fork and puts it in her mouth whole. She chews it, and we both watch her, waiting until she’s finished. “We have each other and that’s all we’ll ever need.”
My father slaps the table, causing the plates to rattle against the silverware. “Nonsense. Piper, how would you like to come stay with me for a few months?”
My mom rockets up out of her seat. “How dare you? Piper is not going to stay with you.”
My father looks at her, commanding her to sit down with his eyes. She glares at him but settles back into the booth.
“Why not, Lucia? You and I both know Piper would benefit from some time away from you.”
I guess this means my father is aware of my mom’s desire to control me. But I have to admit, the thought of getting away, of getting to know my father a little bit better, is like new flowers planted in a garden. Like tendrils of the life I want to lead are breaking into my world, trying to lay down roots. And I plan to give them as much room as they need.
“Well, for starters, Peter, what would your wife say about that?”
My face freezes at the question. Whether it’s the fact that my father now has a name or that he is married I’m not sure. But of course I’m eighteen years old. Why wouldn’t he have a wife? And there could be other kids in the mix. Half brothers and sisters I’ve never met.
“My wife, if you must know, will tolerate it.” He waves his hand, and a waitress sees it. He holds up his beer bottle, and she turns to get him another one. “She’ll obey whatever I ask when it comes right down to it.”
Obey seems such a strange word. But I think of the way my mom relented with the barbeque sauce. Did my mom stop obeying him? Is that why they split up? “How did you two meet?” I take a sip of my iced tea after I ask, wondering if either of them will bother answering. And then I watch their faces.
My mom sneers, and I’m sure she’ll start in on some story of how she was horribly wronged by this awful man here at the table with us. But after meeting him, I know in my heart this cannot be the truth.
At the question, however, my father’s face softens. “Your mother is quite a charmer, Piper. Did you know that?”
I shake my head and look at her. The sneer falls from her face, and she actually blushes. “No. I had no idea,” I say.
But my dad nods. “Yes. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her.”
My mom laughs, but it’s not the snide laugh which up until now has permeated the conversation. “You fall in love with everyone you see.”
My father angles his head. “Not untrue. I do admit it. I have an eye for beautiful creatures. But of them, your mom rose to the top. If I weren’t already previously engaged, I may have married her on the spot. Instead, the day we met, I took the one moment of bliss I could and left it at that.”
The truth hits me. My mom and dad were never married. And beyond that, I was nothing more than the result of a one night stand. My mom. The woman who acts like Earth will implode if I so much as utter the name of a boy at school. She slept with my father the moment she met him and ended up pregnant.
I turn to her and wait. Wondering what she’ll say. Wondering if she’ll deny it. Or defend her actions. Or anything. But my old mom returns, and she deflects the conversation. “Piper will not be staying with you. You’re a bad influence, and besides, she and I have been talking about moving anyway. Having her out and about will not do at all.”
My father raises an eyebrow. “Lucia—”
She interrupts. “I’m serious about this. I don’t think you want me to be more clear, do you?”
My father shrugs. “Would things be any worse than they are now?”
I have no clue what he’s talking about. But I’m not about to interrupt.
My mom nods. “Yes. Things will be worse. Of that you can be sure.”
The waitress comes over, holding another beer. My father takes it, but, at the same time, my mom stands up. “Piper, we’re leaving.”
I look to my father. His grin has come back, and he lifts the beer in a “cheers” sign. “Darling daughter. It’s been a true joy meeting you.”
I don’t want to stand up. To leave. But my mom’s eyes are on me. “Will I see you again?” I ask.
“Absolutely.” He stands and turns to my mom. “A kiss for old time’s sake?”
