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I watched my parents’ eyes widen and their jaws drop, then I disappeared up the staircase, like a ghost who’d avenged her death before they even had a chance to respond.
26
Family Feud
Lucas
The whole drive home, all I could do was replay their expressions in my head, over and over. Natalie’s parents, staring disapprovingly at me from across the table. I went over the entire evening, trying to deduce where things had gone wrong. I considered how this might affect my future with Natalie. Then I remembered that Natalie loved me, and I loved her, and surely that had to outweigh her parents’ disapproval.
As I turned into the driveway of the lake house, I was surprised to find another car parked there: my mother’s.Oh god, it’s Friday... I totally forgot.
My mother had left me a voicemail earlier that week, saying she couldn’t stand my being away for so long and that she and my sister were going to drive up for a weekend getaway—although, she assured me, it would be anactualweekend getaway, unlike mine, which by then had spanned many months. I sat in the driveway a few moments, breathing deeply, bracing myself for this reunion. Surely I couldn’t have two failed family encounters in one evening? And besides, I missed my mom… my sister, not so much, but I knew they were a package deal, and so I took a deep breath before emerging from my car into the cool Minnesota air.
I reached for my keys before realizing the door was unlocked, the door itself slightly ajar, they’d heard me pulling into the driveway. The lights were off.
“Shh…” I heard my mother’s voice hiss in hushed tones. “He’s coming.”
“Mamá, I saw your car in the driveway.”
“Oh, right…” In a louder, more defeated voice, she said, “Isabella, get the lights.”
Suddenly the room was flooded with light, almost making my eyes water.
“Good to see you,mi amor,” my mother said, despite making no discernible effort to hug or even approach me. Isabella sat on the couch, saying nothing. I glared at her, remembering the terrible things she’d told Natalie, but immediately, she averted her gaze, staring out the window despite the total blackness that lay beyond it.
“Isabella, is there anything you’d like to say?” I asked, ignoring my mother. Then, when she didn’t respond, I barked, “Isabella! I’m talking to you.”
She turned disdainfully, as if she were a teenager about to be lectured by an overbearing parent. Even while facing me, she couldn’t look me in the eyes.
“I can explain…” she said, followed by a silence that contradicted this.
“Lucas, let’s not get into this right now…” my mother started.
“No! We’re getting into it. This is the first I’m seeing of either of you in, what, three months? And please, don’t try that “we just wanted to see you” business—I know Mendosa Enterprises just landed a major deal, and this weekend is the warmest of the year…” I looked from my mother to Isabella, then back again. “But I’m just an afterthought, right?”
“Lucas!” my sister exclaimed, in a tone that in another context might have come across as genuine, but in this instance struck me as calculated. “We just want you to be happy, that’s all.”
“Happy? Have you lost your—”
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, loud and quick. I didn’t even have to check—I knew from the sound that it was Natalie.
“Come in,” I called from across the room, walking toward the door. The door opened slightly, and Natalie materialized, looking as beautiful as ever.
“Lucas,” she said, and before I could respond she embraced me tightly. I squeezed her, feeling her shiver and pant. The bus didn’t run this late. She’d come on foot, I was sure of it.
With my arm still around Natalie, I turned to face Isabella. “What was it you were saying again? About wanting me to be happy?”
When Natalie registered Isabella’s presence, I felt her grip tighten and her body stiffen, but despite this, her expression remained perfectly composed.
Isabella scoffed. “Wait, this has to be a setup, right?” Then, looking at Natalie, she said, “Come on, girl, can’t you take a hint? You’re not part of this family, and you—”
“Isabella!” I yelled, louder than anticipated, my voice reverberating throughout the room. She fell instantly quiet, but the smug look was still on her face. I looked over to my mother, who was looking down at her hands.
“Mamá, what do you have to say to all this?” I asked, hoping she might play the voice of reason, the mediator that carried us to our happily ever after.
But instead she shook her head. “I don’t agree with your sister’s delivery, but she’s right. I won’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do know that Natalie isn’t the one.” She said all this as though Natalie wasn’t in the same room, standing just ten feet away from her. I felt Natalie’s core begin to shake. Looking down at her, I saw fresh tracks of tears parading down her face. I held her tighter, bringing both of my arms around her, as though to shield her from their words.
Then, as if suddenly registering Natalie’s presence, my mother directed her attention to her. “Natalie,” she said, “I’m sure you’re a sweet girl. But you have to understand, Lucas is a Mendosa. And, whether you choose to accept it or not, a Mendosa ought to be with someone less… well, frankly, with someone less common.”
