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Like I was a kid. My parents were all for independence — except when they weren’t. Some of my good mood evaporated.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“Think about it, Christina. He has a lot going for him. He’s polite, handsome, with a good future…”
“Better than Daniel’s amazing cousin?” I chirped.
She exhaled. “Fine. You do what you want. But may I remind you, we still haven’t seen your grades from last semester.”
“Oh, right,” I said vaguely. “Sorry about that. I’ll send them to you.”
“It’s been almost two months. They came out in December, didn’t they?”
“End of December. Sorry. I keep forgetting.”
“I don’t know why colleges don’t mail grades home anymore. Of course, with your sister, we never had to worry. Straight A’s all the way through.”
“I know, Mom. You don’t have to worry about me either.”
Alexis glided out of the dressing room like a full-feathered swan while the saleswoman fluttered around her. She caught my eye and gave me an encouraging smile.
“Okay,” my mother said. “I hope we can trust you. Make us proud, baby. Love you.” She blew me a kiss over the phone.
“Love you too.” I hung up.
My parents called me “baby,” though God forbid I ever act like one. Alexis was “princess.” If you asked them, they'd swear they called me princess too.
*****
The check landed on the cafe table between our plates, and I slid it toward me.
I was still figuring out my duties as maid of honor and sister of the bride. And I was trying to pull back from being Pizza Girl. But buying my sister lunch after a morning at the bridal shop seemed like a no-brainer.
“I got yours,” I told Alexis, as she fished her wallet out of her purse.
“Thank yousomuch.” She beamed as I laid the bills down. I kept the one with Patrick’s message. Her eyes drifted toward my bulging wallet. “Honey…” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re carrying a lot of cash.”
I snapped my wallet shut and put it away. “So? It’s easier to keep track of that way.”
“Did you get a new job this semester?” She looked at me expectantly. “I didn’t know.”
“Just little things here and there. Odd jobs,” I mumbled. Marcus flashed through my mind, showing me his calendar in the snow, asking too many questions. “There’s this guy at school — I clean his apartment sometimes.”
“You’re working as a housecleaner?” Alexis looked startled.
“Hey, it’s honest work.” I popped my sandwich crust into my mouth. I was such a liar.
“You’re right.” She looked remorseful and squeezed my hand. “Girl, let’s set aside some time for us before the wedding. Just you and me. This morning has been so fun, but I’d love to really talk.”
I swallowed the last of my mocha. “Absolutely.”
As the server took the check, my sister pulled out her phone, scrolling through her calendar. “We can do two weeks from now…no, not that weekend. How about the end of February…oh, I’m sorry. I have a Women in Law retreat.”
Always Alexis’s schedule. Always on her terms.
“I have a lot going on too.” I whipped out my phone, pulling up my calendar. It was dotted with commitments and appointments, but it wasn’t jammed the way it used to be.My choice,I reminded myself. “How about one of the weekends of spring break? March 15, March 22—”
“Ugh, no, I’m so sorry. Last weekend in April? That’s the only time I can do it.”
