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And for what?
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I take it out. It’s her. I answer it.
“Hello, Mother.”
“It’s late, August. What are you doing up at this time of night?” she asks, her voice smooth and rich down the line.
“You’re the one who called me, Mother.”
“Yes, I did.”
“What do you want?” I ask her, my patience wearing thin.
“I want to talk to you, August,” she says, her voice now icy cool.
Victor was right. I am her favorite. It’s always nice to talk to my parents, but she doesn’t bother my brothers like this.
“Talk to me about what, Mother?”
“Your life.”
“It’s all going well,” I reply. “I’m a pediatrician at this hospital, and I’m settling in. I’m new there. Things are going well.”
“Good to hear,” she replies. “And are you seeing anyone?”
“Wow, that’sstraight to the point, Mother. Even for you.”
“Well, I have been thinking about you, August. And I think it’s time for you to settle down.”
“I really don’t need you interfering with my love life, Mother. And I say that with the utmost respect.”
“Oh, come on, August,” Mother is totally unfazed. Well, I’ve never even seen her fazed by anything ever in her life. “I’m just trying to help. Look, I know a girl. She’s a socialite in the city. She comes from good family stock, and she will be perfect for you. I want to connect you both.”
“No, Mother. I don’t need you to be my personal matchmaker.”
“You need a wife, August. You’re a doctor. You are alone in that penthouse. It’s time for you to find someone and live your life. Let me work my magic. I know plenty of suitable candidates. This will be a fun experience for you. Trust me.”
Oh, she is loving this.
I can imagine her sitting in her office at the Crystal River mansion, practically purring over the prospects of setting me up with a respectable woman from her shortlist.
“No, Mother.”
“It’s just a date, August, not a marriage proposal. I can organize one single date with this girl. One evening. It will be good for you to get away from that hospital for one night.”
I think about Emma in that restaurant tonight, and how resistant she was to me. Am I just hanging onto something that should be long buried in the past? It’s clear that Emma hates me, and she has every right to do so. I did a terrible thing to her mother and, especially, to her. All she wanted was an apology, and she got it tonight. And now she’ll probably disappear, just like she did all those years ago.
Leaving me alone again.
With no one.
I take in a deep breath.
“Fine,” I say down the phone to Mother. “One date. That’s all I’m agreeing to.”
“Wonderful to hear, my son. Trust me, you won’t regret this decision.”
40
