Over his shoulder, he mumbles, “I think we’re done for the day.”
I really don’t like the way this is playing out.
“Garth, wait.” I’m not sure what I want to say, but I don’t want to leave it like this. I need to lighten things up.
“I’ll kick your ass if you hurt her.” I smirk.
He smiles and shrugs. “And what happens if she hurts me?”
Since that hasn’t even occurred to me, I don’t have a ready answer, so I say the first thing that pops in my head.
“Then she’ll be the one getting the ass kicking.”
*
Garth and I head upstairs and say good-bye. I walk to the kitchen for some water and do a double take when I see Vivs sitting at the table playing cards with Max.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in New York?” I know she and Raj had planned a romantic getaway to the Big Apple. Well, actually New Jersey, where Raj has an uncle who lives in Teaneck. But they had plans to hang out in the Village with some friends.
“Don’t ask,” Vivs sing-songs. She slaps a card down and yells, “Uno!”
Max jumps up from his chair “No, Sissy! Not gonna happen.” And he slams down a multicolored card. “I’m changing it to red! Take that, sucka!”
“Whoa! Excuse me, what did you say?” I seriously can’t believe that just came out of Max’s mouth.
“I said, ‘Take that, sucka,’” he repeats, with a little less enthusiasm. “Graydon says it all the time.”
“Well, just because Graydon says it doesn’t mean you can. It’s just not a nice thing to say to someone.” I consider calling Shirleen to share this little nugget about her perfect son. Maybe later. I turn to Vivs. “How did you get here?”
“I drove with Laura.”
“She’s here too?” I can’t remember the last time the girls were home for Presidents’ Week.
Vivs puts down her final card. “Red Maxazillion!” she yells, and then whispers, “Take that, sucka.”
Max giggles and starts gathering up the cards. I give Vivs a disapproving scowl.
“So where’s Laura, upstairs?”
“She’s at Town Hall helping this guy set up for his show tonight.” Vivs tosses this at me as though I should already know. I’m so not in the mood for this.
“What guy? What show? You girls think you tell me things, but you don’t. And why aren’t you in New York?”
Vivs sighs and gives me her “I’m barely tolerating you” look.
“I’m not in New York because Raj blew me off to help work on the plans for the new addition to the library at school and Laura has been dating this bass player and his band is playing Town Hall tonight. There, all caught up.” She turns back to Max to start another game of Uno.
There is so much mind-splintering information in that one sentence that it takes my almost-fifty-year-old brain a few seconds to process it all. I pick the most shocking thing to attack first.
“Laura is dating a musician?” Oh, my God. Where did I go wrong?
“She only started seeing him about a week ago. He’s nice. The band sucks, though.”
“How come she can say ‘sucks,’ but I can’t say ‘sucka’?” Max jumps in.
“Max, can you go play with your helicopter while I talk to Sissy, please.” It’s a command more than a request.
“But we just started a new game.”
“We can play later, bud. I’m here till Saturday.”
Max seems satisfied with this promise and runs up to his room.
Now that I’m alone with Vivs, I grab a bottle of water and a yogurt from the fridge and join her at the table.
“Okay,” I sigh, “from the beginning, please. What is Raj doing?”
Vivs sighs and shuffles the Uno cards with vigor.
“He got asked to work on the plans for the new library at school. So he bailed on New York.”
“Isn’t it a big deal for him to be asked to do that?”
“Yeah, but we’ve been planning this trip since Christmas. He chose work over me. That’s just not a good sign for our future.”
I nearly burst out laughing. For someone so smart, Vivs can be so obtuse, not to mention self-absorbed.
“Sweetie, he didn’t pick work over you. He picked a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity over a trip that can happen pretty much any time. Surely to God you see that.”
Vivs finishes shuffling and puts the cards back in the box.
“I guess I do. I mean, I do. I’m just bummed. And I made him feel guilty about it, so now I feel worse. Am I the biggest bitch on the planet?”
Not the biggest, I think but do not say.
“Not even close.” I stand and walk around to her side of the table to give her a hug.
“Just make sure you apologize to him. I mean, it’s pretty huge, what he’s doing.”
She nods. “Maybe I’ll make him some cookies. Or you know he loves the Five Napkin Brownies.”
I decide to change the subject before I get roped into making them.
“So tell me about Laura’s new guy.”
She shrugs. “I really don’t know that much. His name is Travis, he’s a creative writing major, he’s my age, and he plays in this band that’s pretty popular on campus, although I don’t know why. Their music is so average. The lead singer is this hot Asian guy. I’m surprised she didn’t go after him.”
I can’t imagine Laura “going after” anyone.
“What’s the name of the band?”
“Sucker Punch.”
“Eww.” I can’t stop my reaction.
“I know, stupid name, stupid songs. I don’t know what people like about them. But Travis seems okay. I promised Laurs I’d go with her to see them tonight. I’m dreading it.”
“How bad can they be? They have a gig at Town Hall,” I offer.
“Yeah. On a Monday.”
She has a point.
“Wanna come?”
“Seriously?” I can’t believe my daughter is asking me to hang out at a concert.
“Sure, why not? You can tell me if he’s any good on bass.”
Bass players were never my specialty, but the thought of going to hear a rock band is mildly pleasing. I haven’t revisited the shame of my youth since Max was born. I wonder if I can convince Ron to go.
“Maybe. Let me talk to Ron and see if I can get a babysitter.”
I pick up my phone and notice a text from Don.
Hey, is everything okay? I didn’t mean to freak you out by asking to go for coffee on Valentine’s Day.
Truth be told I wasn’t freaked out, but it was a bit of a wake-up call for me. I had made a promise to myself that night that I would dial down the flirt.
You didn’t. I’m just crazy busy.
Well, my offer for coffee stands.
Good!
Back in reactor mode where I belong, I start to make plans for tonight.
*
I secure Chyna to babysit, and reach out to see if anyone else wants to join us for dinner and a “show.” That’s how I present it, anyway. The Tuccis are in, and it only takes a little begging to convince Nina that she and Garth should give their binge-watching of some series on Netflix a rest and come out to have fun. I feel like I need to see Garth and Nina together to get a sense of what’s really going on. I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m the only one creating drama in their relationship.
As I’m cleaning up the lunch dishes, Laura comes in the back door and rushes to give me a hug.
“Mom!”
“Hey, sweetie. Such a nice surprise that you guys are home.” I hug her back.