Page 45 of Married to Lies

No one replied.

21 Rei

Conrad still hadn’t reprimanded me for going on a date with Quentin, and it was eating me alive. Was he stewing, or did he really not know? And if he didn’t know, when would he find out?

That, paired with the impending Christmas dinner at my parents’ house, had my gut churning.

I stood at the end of the sidewalk and looked up at the suburban house I grew up in, string lights pinned along the eaves. Then my gaze turned down to an inflatable gingerbread man deflated in the front yard like a sad little brown puddle in a sea of dormant grass.

I wished I could trade places with the inflatable and stay outside instead. But the ensuing guilt trip would be unbearable. Besides, I couldn't miss time with my niece.

With a deep breath, I continued up the sidewalk, lined with plastic candy canes, to the front door where a giant red-and-green wreath burst forth like the innards of a jack-in-the-box. Curling ribbons sprang from it like a Christmas explosion.

I pushed the door open, the wreath brushing over my cashmere sweater, and chaos greeted me. First light, then smells of different foods cooking, and then a forty-pound ball of energy, otherwise known as my niece, Lucy. She crashed into my legs, screaming, “REIREI!”

Laughing, I bent and scooped her up. “It’s good to see you too, Lulu.” Once she was propped on my hip, I brushed her fine blond hair out of her face with my fingertips. “What did Santa get you?”

She smiled and started talking about the Christmas present she found under the tree this morning. It was easier to focus on her than everything else, so I looked into her light-blue eyes, listening raptly to every word.

“My pink Lamborghini go fast!” She swished her arm for emphasis, and that’s when I noticed the small red car in her hand.

“A Lambo already?” I asked, pretending to be shocked. “Do you have a license?”

She giggled, squirmed down from my arms, and jetted to the massive orange twisty track I saw built in the middle of my parents’ living room. Several cars were already lined up against the launcher.

With Lucy occupied again with her toys, I had no choice but to face the adults. Dad and my brother spared me a wave and looked back at the TV, where a football game was playing.

“Don’t you think they need a day off?” I asked.

Dad huffed. “They make enough money to play three-sixty-five.”

My brother nodded. “It’s not like they’re saving lives or anything,” he muttered, a nod to the fact that he was a doctor and had been on call the last several years.

“Hi, Rei,” Mom said, coming around the island to hug me. “It’s been a while. Did you forget where we live?” She gave me a pained look with her light-blue eyes.

“I’ve been busy with work,” I said, reminding myself that I didn’t need to feel guilty. The phone worked both ways, and she could just as easily drive to me.

From the kitchen, my brother’s wife, Eleanor, said, “I didn’t know what busy was until I had Lucy!” Her blond hair was perfectly pinned back with a deep-red bow. Under her apron, she wore a matching dress and heels. She looked like a model.

Mom said, “You’re so right. I must have had things to do before I had kids, but I can’t remember for the life of me what they were.” She grabbed my hand, tugging me toward the kitchen. “Come help us with dinner.”

“I could watch football with the guys,” I suggested, trying not to be salty.

Mom laughed. “Here, you can chop the vegetables for the crudité.”

Eleanor glanced over at me. “Hi, Rei. You’re looking very put together today.” She smiled brightly.

“Um. Thanks.” That’s what every girl wanted to hear.

I started chopping carrots into sticks and stared at the back of my brother’s head. When I was younger, I used to argue that it wasn’t fair that men got to sit down while women worked away, but it was no use. Not with Mom’s traditional values and Dad’s appreciation for being able to sit on the couch and have food served to him on a silver platter. Or any color platter, really.

“Try this knife instead,” Eleanor interrupted my mental tirade. “You can rock with it, like this.” She demonstrated a kind of seesaw motion on the curved blade.

I bit my tongue and took the knife. “Thanks.” The carrots were getting chopped just fine before. But I rolled my shoulders back, trying to relax. She was just being nice. Or trying to.

From the pot where she was putting together her famous chocolate pudding dessert, Mom said, “Rei was always a little lost in the kitchen. I think she lives off takeout now.” Her tone implied her disapproval. “All that sodium.” She tsked.

“Yes!” Eleanor said, all the while effortlessly managing several pots on the stove. “You know, I was just reading about all the horrible effects of sodium on the body. That might be why you look a little puffy, Rei. Extra water weight.”