“A geological timeline would benefit from clear labels.”
Lola gasped.
“Can we?”
“No,” I said.
“Yes,” Amy said.
Lola cheered. I had brought this into my family. There would be no containment.
Dinner began at five thirty. Gloria had arranged the table with cloth napkins and the flowers Amy brought. Lola placed a plastic triceratops beside Amy’s plate as a seating marker.
“You’re honored,” I said.
“What marks your seat?”
“A fork.”
“Appropriate.”
Gloria served enchiladas. Amy asked for the recipe. Gloria claimed there was no recipe. Amy looked concerned.
“She cooks emotionally,” I explained.
“That is not reproducible.”
“Exactly.”
Lola spent the first ten minutes explaining that pterosaurs were flying reptiles, not dinosaurs. Amy agreed with enough precision to earn Lola’s approval. Then the conversation moved to work and the possible professional introduction Evelyn had offered.
“You met your ex?” Gloria asked.
“Yesterday.”
I tried not to react. Amy noticed anyway.
“It was professional and personal,” she said.
“What did she want?” Gloria asked.
“To apologize and offer a contact.”
“Did you accept?”
“The contact, yes. The apology…” Amy considered. “I believed it.”
“That wasn’t the question,” I said.
Her eyes met mine.
“No,” she said. “I did not forgive her.”
Relief moved through me. I had no right to it. I took a drink of water. Gloria looked between us and understood everything. She always did.
“What about you, Dani?” she asked. “How is the certification plan?”
“Improving.”
