I hit call and wait for her to answer, hoping she doesn’t ignore my call. She picks up on the fifth ring, which tells me she considered not answering.
“Logan,” she says in a cool and measured voice.
“Hi, Mom, I need to talk to you about something.”
“Okay.”
“It's about Saturday. I've reserved a table at Romano's in Long Island at noon. I want you and Dad to come.”
“What's the occasion?”
“I want you to meet Jasmine's mother.”
The silence that follows is so complete, I check my phone to make sure the call is still connected.
“Jasmine's mother,” Mom says.
“Yes. She's an important person in Jasmine's life, and if Jasmine is going to be in my life, our families need to know each other.”
“Logan, I don't think that's necessary.”
“It is necessary, Mom. You haven't spoken to me properly, and neither has Dad. I told you the truth about how I feel, and you punished me with silence. That ends now.”
“I wasn't punishing you. I was processing.”
“You can process at lunch on Saturday. Romano's. Noon. Dad too.”
“I see.” Her voice is tight. “And what exactly do you expect to happen at this lunch?”
“I expect everyone to sit at the same table and have a conversation like adults. I'm not asking you to love Lorraine. I'm not asking you to apologize. I'm asking you to show up.”
“I'll talk to your father.”
“Thank you.”
“Don't thank me yet, Logan. I'm agreeing to come to lunch. I'm not agreeing to anything else.”
“That's all I'm asking.”
She hangs up. I put my phone down, lean back on the couch, and close my eyes.
Jasmine comes out of the bedroom in my t-shirt with her hair piled on top of her head. “How did it go?”
“Dom is in. Your mother is in, and my mother is thinking about it.”
Jasmine’s brows shoot up. “My mother agreed?”
“She said if your mother says one word about you not being good enough, she's going to make everyone at the table very uncomfortable.”
She laughs. “That sounds like Mom.” Then she sits down beside me on the couch. “I hope your mother agrees.”
“She will. She won't want to, but she'll come because staying away means losing control of the narrative.”
“You know your mother well.”
“I've had twenty-eight years of practice.”
She leans her head on my shoulder. “I'm terrified.”
