“I’m not going in there. Not without you.”
“We’ll be right in!” I shouted to Mom, who stormed into the house.
All of a sudden Christy laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You,” she said. “You’re just like her. You get the same look when I make us late.”
“Yeah, sorry.”
“No, it’s cute. Well, it’s cute on you.”
“That’s because you love me.”
“I love her too. But it’s different.”
“We’d better get a move on,” I said. “Hell hath no fury…”
“Like a mother-in-law scorned?”
I grinned. “Something like that.”
* * *
Mom had mastered her temper by the time Christy and I changed into dress clothes and joined everyone else in the back yard. I introduced Christy to the Coulters first. They introduced us to Mark’s mother and stepfather. Finally, I introduced Christy to Gina. I held my breath as they shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
“Do you mind if I give him a hug?” Gina asked.
“No, not at all,” Christy said.
“She’s beautiful,” Gina whispered as she did. Then she released me and stepped back. “Thank you,” she said to Christy. “We’ve been friends a long time.”
“I hope we still are,” I said.
“Of course you are,” Christy said. Then she slipped her hand into mine.
Gina lowered her eyes and hid a smile.
At that point Mom and Elizabeth saved us from awkward small talk. They brandished cameras, and Elizabeth chivvied us toward the laurels by the pool. Chris cracked a joke, which earned a glare.
“Crash and burn,” my dad teased, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Don’t start,” my mom warned him. “Paul’s already on my shit list. You can join him if you’d like.”
“No, ma’am.”
“Good. Then stand over there, next to Erin. Paul, you and Christy get on her other side.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, the perfect counterpoint to my father.
“Good job, son.”
Mom gave us a dangerous look. “I’m warning you. Both of you. I’ve had just about enough of Hughes men today.” She looked at Christy. “Are you sure you want to sign up for this?”
“Make a break for it,” Chris Coulter said. “I’ll distract ’em so you can get away.”
“Dad!” Gina and Leah blurted together.
Christy’s hand tightened around mine. “I worked too hard to let him get away.”
“That’s the spirit!” my dad agreed. Then he caught my mom’s scowl. “I mean, let’s get this show on the road. Paul, stand by your sister.”
* * *
The graduation ceremony was the usual. The usual people made the usual speeches with the usual jokes and the usual encouragements to Do Great Things. Then the school superintendent presented the usual awards. We sat and listened for nearly an hour before they handed out the first diploma.
We clapped and cheered when Leah received hers. Mark sauntered across the stage a few minutes later, and the student section erupted with applause. He laughed and waved to the crowd. Erin received her diploma with less fanfare, but we made as much noise as we could. At that point our part was done, but the ceremony lasted another hour.
Erin, Leah, and Mark found us in the parking lot afterward, and we drove to the restaurant, a Japanese place that Leah had chosen.
“Ooh,” Christy said, “I love hibachi.”
“Have you been here before?” Gina asked her.
“No, but I used to eat it all the time when we lived in Japan.”
Our group was big enough that we needed two tables. Our parents sat with a random couple on one side, while the rest of us sat on the other. Their chef was American, but ours was actually Japanese. He went from impassive to friendly when Christy spoke to him in his own language. They talked for several minutes as he prepared his knives and the grill, and I did my best not to look as proud as I felt.
“How long did you live there?” Gina asked Christy after the waitress had taken our drink orders. “Long enough to learn Japanese, obviously.”
“Only three years. But I went to a Montessori school off-base, and most of the students were Japanese.”
“I speak a little Spanish—”
“More than a little,” Kara said from Gina’s other side. “She’s practically Mexican.”
“They aren’t Mexican,” Gina said stiffly. “They’re Latinos. And most of them are from El Salvador, Honduras, or Guatemala. They’re completely different countries.”
“Jeez, Sis, don’t get your panties in a wad. I was just trying to stick up for you.”
“I can stick up for myself.”
“Evidently,” Kara sniffed. She returned her attention to the conversation on her other side.
Gina rolled her eyes and said to Christy, “You don’t have sisters, do you?”
“No, only brothers.”
“You’re lucky.”
“I think so. But I was the only girl, so it was a little lonely at times.”
“At least you didn’t have to share the bathroom.”
They chatted and got to know each other during dinner, and I gradually relaxed. Everyone else did too, especially at the other table, which kept the bartender busy.
Toward the end of the meal, Chris and my dad started trying to one-up each other and pay the bill. Mark’s stepdad stayed out of it, until the waitress delivered a fait accompli with the credit card receipt for him to sign.
“Hold on,” Chris asked her, “how’d he manage that? When’d he give you a card?”
“When he first came in, sir.”
“Easier that way,” Mark’s stepfather said. “Avoids the argument.”
“We’ve been suckered,” Chris said.
“Bushwhacked!” my father agreed.
“Better luck next time, gents.”
Everyone thanked him for dinner and then we lingered at the table for a little longer, until Mark stood.
“Thanks again for coming, everyone. We have an after-party with our friends, so… we’d better say goodnight.”
We headed out to the parking lot, where his parents said goodnight and left as well.
Chris waited until they were safely in their car before he said, “You all wanna head back to our place?”
Dad glanced at Mom, but they’d obviously been expecting it. “Fine by us,” he said.
“Thanks,” Kara said, “but I think we’re going home. I’m dead tired, and Victor starts his shift in a couple of hours.”
They said goodbye and headed to their car.
Mom turned to us and smiled. She was in a much better mood than before, and I silently thanked the gods of the vine.
“Do you want to come to Chris and Elizabeth’s with us?” she asked. “Or we can drop you at home.”
“It’s a beautiful night for a swim,” Gina said.
I knew better than to answer without Christy’s input.
“Please?” Gina added. “I won’t have anyone to talk to if you don’t.”
“Hey, what’re we,” her father objected, “chopped liver?”
“She means someone her age, you old ninny,” her mother said. “She doesn’t want to talk to us.”
“No, I do,” Gina insisted.
“But not really,” my own mother said.
“No, not really. Sorry. It’s nothing personal.” She looked at us again. “Please? I really enjoyed talking to you at dinner.”
I glanced at Christy and left it up to her.
“Of course,” she said. “We’d love to.”
* * *
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked as we turned into the Coulters’ neighborhood. My parents were talking in the front seat, but I still kept my voice low. “We don’t have to.”
“I want to,” Christy said. “I kind of like her. Besides…”
“You want to check her out?” I chuckled. “Nude?”
“You know, sometimes I really don’t like you.”
“When I read your mind?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Gina’s a lot like Leah,” I said, “and I know how you feel about her.”
“I don’t want to do anything,” she added, “but I like to look.”