“You may think we’re shallow, but we conduct ourselves with courtesy, especially at the dinner table,” said Lisa’s mother. “If you’re so upset that you can’t be civil, you can take your food upstairs and eat in your room. I realize you’re a guest in this house, but I won’t tolerate any disrespect from you. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” said Shannon. “I didn’t mean any harm.”
She rushed out of room without another word, and the sound of her crying could be heard as she went up the stairs. Lisa’s mother removed Shannon’s plate from the table and disappeared into the kitchen.
“I feel like I’m going to throw up,” said Stephen to Josh. His face was a peculiar color. Veronica tried to comfort him, but Josh dragged him away. As soon as they were gone, Veronica flung her spoon on the table.
“Why are you so nasty?” she said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Lisa.
“You’re horrible,” said Veronica. “You make me sick. You just sat there and watched, like you were enjoying yourself. You could have said something to stop it if you’d wanted to. You’re always breaking up fights between Mom and Dad.”
“So what?” said Lisa. “I hate being caught in the middle, so stop trying to make me feel guilty. Shannon embarrassed Mom for no reason, and I think she got what she deserved.”
“No, you just couldn’t stand that Molly invited her,” said Veronica. “You wanted to go on your nice little shopping trip with your nice little friends, and you didn’t want her to be there. Poor Shannon. No wonder she’s miserable. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to spend time with you either. You’re such a snob!”
“You don’t have to get all possessive of her just because you’re in love with Stephen,” said Lisa. “It’s pathetic how he follows you around like a lost puppy.”
“I am in love with him,” said Veronica. “You can tease me all you want, Lisa. I don’t care. I teased you about Josh when he first got here, but I take it back. You’re not good enough for him.”
“I have absolutely no interest in Josh,” said Lisa. “I’m not dumb enough to think he’s anywhere near as perfect as he’s pretending to be, and I’m sick of looking at his stupid face.”
Veronica gathered up her dishes.
“I’m leaving,” she said. “I hope you’re proud of kicking people when they’re down. You seem to enjoy it. You might actually need them one day, and when you do, you’d better pray they’re a lot more forgiving than you are.”
“Whatever, Veronica,” said Lisa. “You’re just an ignorant little kid. What do you know?”
“A lot more than you,” said Veronica.
She went upstairs. Lisa turned around and realized her mother had heard most of the argument. The look of disappointment on her face filled Lisa with regret.
“Mom, it wasn’t my fault,” she said. “Veronica attacked me all of a sudden, like she thought I was responsible for what Shannon did, but I didn’t do anything. I was just sitting here minding my own business. I wish they would all just go away. They’re ruining everything. How much longer will they be here?”
Lisa’s mother shrugged.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Shannon is a troubled girl. I didn’t expect her to react that way. It will be okay, though. We’ll still have fun tomorrow with Molly, even if Shannon doesn’t come. I’ll invite her again in the morning after she’s had some time to settle down. Who knows? She might change her mind.”
They finished their dinner in silence, after which Lisa retreated to the living room. She curled up in a chair and stared at the fire. It had burned low, and even though it was emitting no more than a faint glow, she could still feel its intense heat flowing toward her. She heard her father’s footsteps. He had missed dinner, of course, but he was going into the kitchen to see if he could find anything to eat.
“The leftovers are in the refrigerator,” she heard her mother say in an exhausted voice. “Andrew, I don’t want to bring this up, but we need to talk. Shannon had a tantrum for no reason whatsoever and practically shouted in my face in front of the other children. It was humiliating. I sent her to her room.”
“Nora, it’s none of your business to discipline her,” said Lisa’s father. “I’m not surprised she’s acting out, considering what’s happening to her mother. I’m sure she didn’t mean to be rude. Just let it go.”
“It was inappropriate,” said Lisa’s mother. “Lisa and Veronica don’t need to learn bad habits. If this arrangement is going to work, we need to set clear boundaries.”
“It’s working fine,” he said.
“No, it’s not,” she said.
Lisa listened in amazement. Her mother was actually confronting her father for the first time in months. She held her breath and waited for him to reply.
“We’ve got enough going on right now without adding this on top of it,” he said after a long pause. “I’m sorry Shannon hurt your feelings, but there’s nothing I can do about it, unless you want me to complain to Arthur.”
“Andrew, this isn’t about me,” said Lisa’s mother. “The girls were screaming at each other during dinner. That hasn’t happened since they were little. I’m not blaming you, but you’re their father, and you don’t seem to know what’s going on in their lives. How do you expect them to develop a healthy perception of themselves if you don’t value them?”
“I do value them,” he said. “You’re way over the line.”
“So are you,” she said. “You’re a wonderful man, but you’re so eager to help Sabrina that you’re letting it get in the way of more important things. You’re wasting your time. She’s not getting better. It’s not your fault. That’s just the way it is. Tell her it’s over, call an ambulance, send her to the hospital,
