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“Oh, give it a rest,” I implore. “If you’re here to ask me to fix this by dating their son, you can forget about it. I’m through with playing the part.”
“E, we’re not asking anything of you,” my father insists. “We’re just telling you as your parents that—”
“He loves you, Evelyn,” my mother states. “EJ, I mean.”
I focus on a vacant space near the window and whisper, “What do you know about love? I thought you only specialized in etiquette and breeding, which is a fairly sterile practice.”
“E, that’s unfair,” my father scolds. “First of all, those were his exact words. Second, your mother loves you more than you know.”
“She has a funny way of showing it.”
My mother lowers her lids. “I realize I might come off a little…pushy—”
“That’s an understatement.”
“But it’s only because I want the best for you.”
“How could you possibly know what’s best for me when you know nothing about me? All you care about are the right shoes and purse and table manners and galas and the right school and marrying me off to someone with a large quantity of stock shares. I’m not some doll you can dress up and play life with. I’m your daughter. A person.”
“Ev—EJ,” she utters, stumbling over my name, “I was just…I was trying the only way I know how, raising you and your sister just as I was.”
“But I’m not you or her. I’m nothing like either of you. We’re so different. You care nothing for my interests or my dreams. You’ve only seen your own wishes for me.”
“That’s enough of that,” my father sternly interjects. “Whether you like it or not, you, your mother, and your sister have a lot in common. You’re all beautiful, passionate, driven, and wonderful women. That being said, your mother and I might have been wrong when it came to the direction we’ve been leading you.” He wraps his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “We were only trying to guide you the best way we knew how, but in retrospect, it might have been detrimental. We had nothing but your long-term happiness in mind. You can’t fault us for wanting you to have a secure future. That’s all we’ve wanted for you.”
“Your father and I care for you more than you realize,” my mother states, emotionally fragile. “You’ve made it clear how you feel about me. I accept that, but know that I love you, regardless of any of your decisions.”
“And that includes graduate school,” my father adds. “As much as we think you going would be for the best, it’s your decision. We will still love you.”
“That’s it?” I ask, stupefied. “Just like that, you’re letting it go?”
“No,” my father responds. “But I accept when a negotiation is over, and there’s no more room for debate. You’ve made your opinion loud and clear on the matter, and I’m man enough to submit to defeat.”
He rises from his seat and assists my mother to her feet as well. Assessing that this conversation is coming to a close, I stand, too. They quietly make their way to the door, and I follow to let them out.
“We’re still family,” my father says with his hand on the knob. “That hasn’t changed, and we will always back you even if we might not agree. We’re here for you. Don’t forget that.”
“I won’t,” I say, agreeing to the simple request.
“Here,” my mother says, pulling a small brown envelope from her handbag. “Foster asked us to give this to you.”
“What is it?” My hand tentatively takes the rectangular package.
“I’m not sure. He said he’d planned to show these to his sister, but you needed them instead. He gave it to us right before they left for the airport.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She offers an apologetic and hopeful smile. “Take care, EJ.”
“You, too.”
With that, my father opens the door and escorts my mother into the hallway and down the steps, leaving me alone in my apartment. I take a seat on the sofa and anxiously stare at the envelope in my hand. With trepidation, I unhinge the metal prongs, reach inside, and pull out the flat contents.
His eyes.
His mouth.
Foster’s face.
