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"Okay. Thank you for being direct." I sat back as the waiter brought our order to the table. "This looks good."
"Yours looks very healthy," he said, a small smile on his face now, easing the tension that had grown between us.
"I try to eat healthy, but your French fries look better than my greens."
"I'll share," he said, pushing his plate forward.
"Really?"
"Absolutely. Take what you want."
"Maybe just one or two," I said as I stabbed two of his fries with my fork and moved them to my plate. I bit into one and the salty warmth washed over me. "This is delicious."
"You can have more."
"It's okay. I just wanted a taste." I picked up my fork and attacked my salad. The salmon was tasty, too, and in the long run, the salad would probably sit better in my perpetually nervous stomach. "Tell me about your life," I said, as we ate. "You were living in New York before this?"
"Yes, I grew up in the Bronx and then moved to Brooklyn about ten years ago. I work out of my studio apartment there."
"What about family? You mentioned you lost your father—what about the rest of your family?"
"I have a mother and a couple of aunts from my dad's side of the family, a few cousins, but we're not close. My mother still lives in the Bronx, but the rest of them are spread around the country."
"Are you and your mom close?"
"We are. It was just the two of us after my dad died. We took care of each other."
"What is your mom like?"
"She's very sweet, works hard, doesn't ask for a lot, hates when someone has to take care of her."
"Have you had to take care of her?" I asked curiously, picking up on a note in his voice.
"The past couple of years she has been battling breast cancer, and she's had some bad weeks. But she is in remission now and doing much better."
"I'm glad to hear that. Will you go back to New York after the show?"
"I haven't decided yet. The change has been good for my work. I've been getting a lot done the past few weeks. I'm really enjoying the city and the entire Bay Area. I'm glad your mother got me out here."
"It's interesting how she kind of adopted you."
"Interesting or irritating?" he challenged. "I've been thinking about your story, how she abandoned you and your sister, and the look on your face when I told you she was supporting my art. You were hurt."
"You're right. It wasn't easy to hear that the person who ran out on me and claimed to have no family could be kind and generous to a stranger struggling with their passion. Where was she when I was struggling? Where was she when I needed a mother?" I gave a helpless shrug. "It's confusing."
"I can see that. It's difficult for me to understand how the woman I knew could have left her children without a word and pretended to be dead. It has to be impossible for you to wrap your head around it."
"Impossible is an understatement. It's why I have to get to the bottom of it."
"Your sister doesn't feel the same way."
"No. Dani is angry. And she doesn't like it when she's not in control of a situation. It stresses her out, and I don't want her to be stressed. She's had some difficulties the past few years trying to have a baby, and she's four months pregnant now. The last thing I want is for this situation to affect her health or her child. I was relieved when she wanted to leave."
"It sounds like she made the right decision."
"But she believes I made the wrong decision, which isn't unusual. She always thinks she knows better than me. Do you have any siblings?"
"I don't. And I can't imagine having an identical twin, although I noticed a few small differences between you."
