Page 117 of No Greater Oblivion

Lettie’s jaw drops in offense. “I am normal!”

Diego raises a hand. “I’m not. Should I sit in a corner?”

“Am I really the only boyfriend you’ve ever brought home?”

“I need everyone to focus! Please?” she urges. “Okay, quick, does everyone remember the ground rules.”

To our shock, Diego speaks up first. “Don’t bring up Karina’s parents’ divorce, if one of her brothers tries inviting us to play cards it’s because they want to con us out of money, and only speak to your grandparents in Spanish otherwise they’ll lose all respect for us.”

Dahlia lets out a little gasp and clasps her hands together. “Oh, perfect! You got all the highlights. Okay, judging by the blue sedan, it’s probably our cousin Emilce and her kids. Her mom’s the weird aunt and we don’t really like her or her husband. He’s a little, uh, what’s the word…an acquired taste? Don’t bring up politics, guns, vaccines, or Chinese food. Ironically enough, they take their Chinese food more seriously than a presidential election.”

She turns and leads us up the stone path to the veranda but halfway there she spins around and says, “And do not tell anyone we live together! Only Karina knows. Everyone else thinks I dorm at BIS.”

This catches me by surprise. “Your family doesn’t know we’ve been living together for the last year?”

She smacks my shoulder with her purse. “Shh!” she hushes frantically. “Keep that to yourself.”

“I’m very confused.”

“My grandparents are so Catholic the Pope calls them for advice. If they find out I’m living with a man I’m not married to they’ll think I’m a hooker. Or worse. Knocked up.”

Neither myself nor my siblings can help ourselves. The laughter comes naturally and without restraint, much to Dahlia’s frustration. She curses under her breath and stomps up to the front door where she produces a key of her own. As soon as the door swings open, the scent of gingerbread and cinnamon hits us in golden waves.

Inside is decorated with as much splendor and attention to detail as the displays we saw on Fifth Avenue. There’s holly and garland everywhere with mistletoe hanging over every doorway. To the right is a formal dining room and to the left a modest parlor with a fireplace adorned with brass hooks and stockings. A staircase directly across from us leads upstairs and a long corridor leads to the back of the house.

Before Dahlia can get a word in, a pair of boys no older than twelve or thirteen rush down the staircase with a pair of toy guns.

“Hey, Dahlia!” one of them exclaims. He lifts his toy gun and fires a foam dart in her direction. “Can I use your credit card to rent a movie in the living room?”

“Carlos, you little shit.” She yanks the foam dart free from the tangles of her thick, wavy hair. “Where’s your mother?”

“In the backyard!” the second answers, shooting off a few more darts in Dahlia’s direction as they dash down the hall. “Who’s that guy?”

“Carlos, Justin!” Dahlia makes as if to run after them when she remembers we’re still with her. “Shit, okay, sorry, give me your coats⁠—”

“Dahlia’s here? Where?” Footsteps echo across the house and Karina appears from the room to my right. She’s wearing a plush reindeer robe and slippers shaped like elf hats. Hair still in rollers, she looks at Dahlia with a mix of excitement and dread. “You’re so early.”

“You said six. It’s eight o’clock.”

They greet each other with a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

“The polite thing to do would’ve been to show up at nine.” She looks over and smiles when she sees the rest of us, an expression of genuine joy filling her eyes with light. “You brought the gang!”

I smile before leaning down to accept her kiss on the cheek. “Hey, Kay.”

Lettie proudly holds up her boxes. “We brought gifts!”

Karina and Lettie greet each other but I hadn’t realized until now that Diego didn’t immediately follow us inside. He must’ve stayed out on the veranda to make a call because he enters a moment later, shutting the door behind him. Karina exclaims and embraces him tightly.

“They brought you too?”

Diego holds her with such tenderness I wonder if she even feels his arms around her. He looks afraid of breaking her. “They couldn’t leave behind the only fun one.”

Lettie spins around. “Hey!”

“Please, take off your coats! God, it’s sweltering in here,” she says. “Brent spent all afternoon in the basement trying to figure out what’s wrong with the boiler.”

“I can try taking a look,” Diego removes his coat but instead of letting Karina hang it up for him, he drapes it over his left arm. “I’m sure it’s something simple.”