better. That’s a scary thing to have happen,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“Fine. Tami was a bit more shook up, but I think she’s doing better this morning too. Oh, sorry, don’t just stand on the porch, come in.” I waved my hand nervously, trying to cover for my impoliteness. “I’ll put this down here with the rest of the flowers, and I’ll let my mother know that you are wishing her well.” I placed the vase on the marble top of the table that stood in the wide entry hall.
“You have enough flowers to start your own florist! This is unbelievable. Looks like you could put FTD out of business from what’s in this room alone.” Lani seemed shocked as she eyed the other arrangements.
“Isn’t this crazy?” I laughed. “I didn’t even know my mother knew this many people. It looks like a star’s dressing room on opening night.”
Lani giggled, then stepped back toward the doorway. “I should let you get back to whatever you were doing. I wanted to thank you for the other day.” She cleared her throat as if uncomfortable. “I had a good time.” She quickly pulled the door open and stepped outside. “I’m glad your mother is doing well.”
“Are you busy today?”
“No, why?”
“I was thinking that maybe we could go on a hike. If you like hiking, that is...I guess that should have been my first question.”
“I do like to hike, that sounds good.” She seemed excited about my offer. “I have a few errands to run. How about noon?”
“Fine, I’ll have Marney pack us a picnic lunch and I’ll see you around noon.” I put my hand on the door and watched as Lani headed down the steps.
“See you then,” she called.
I nudged the door closed with the side of my anklebone, then turned and leaned back against it. A picnic lunch? I questioned the awkwardness of such an offer, hoping that the idea didn’t scream romantic . It had been a friendly invitation, and surely Lani had seen it that way. I had enjoyed her company on our day trip to New Orleans. She had a congeniality about her; she was educated and interesting to talk to. And hiking was a sport, right? I mouthed the sentence, hoping to convince myself. Besides, Lani wasn’t at all my type in any sense besides friendship. I wasn’t sure what my type was, but I hadn’t found her attractive in that way. She was plump...overweight, even. But we had a lot in common and, aside from a few lumps early on, had gotten along fine.
“Marney, where’s that wicker basket my mother uses for her stemmed flowers?” I tugged on the pantry door, bending down to look below the cluttered shelves.
“It’s in the hall closet, sugar. You gonna pick your mom some flowers?” she asked, popping the heads off of pea pods with a snap and letting them drop into a strainer just below.
“No, I’m gonna use it for a picnic basket.” I took two McIntosh apples from the crisper and a couple of cans of soda from the shelf and piled them on the counter.
“A picnic, eh? Who’s the lucky fella?”
“It’s Lani, AnnLou’s daughter. We’re going on a hike and I thought it would be nice to bring lunch,” I said nervously. I was starting to feel smothered by my secret, as if every decision I made had to be camouflaged and covert. As if I were up to something sinister, something that required a keen wit to mastermind. I felt like an impostor. Regardless of the context, I was lying, I was playing a role, reading the lines as if they were a script, and piece by deceptive piece it was eating away at me.
Maybe Marney and Lani had talked. Maybe Regee had said something to Carl, and Carl to Marney. Maybe Lani and Regee knew each other, or maybe Lani had said something to her mother and AnnLou had said something to my mother. The chain of possibility was without end; there could be any number of things brewing that I was unaware of. I felt as if I had just been stripped of my flesh, as if I were a mass of muscle and tissue that was raw and exposed.
“I
“Fine. Tami was a bit more shook up, but I think she’s doing better this morning too. Oh, sorry, don’t just stand on the porch, come in.” I waved my hand nervously, trying to cover for my impoliteness. “I’ll put this down here with the rest of the flowers, and I’ll let my mother know that you are wishing her well.” I placed the vase on the marble top of the table that stood in the wide entry hall.
“You have enough flowers to start your own florist! This is unbelievable. Looks like you could put FTD out of business from what’s in this room alone.” Lani seemed shocked as she eyed the other arrangements.
“Isn’t this crazy?” I laughed. “I didn’t even know my mother knew this many people. It looks like a star’s dressing room on opening night.”
Lani giggled, then stepped back toward the doorway. “I should let you get back to whatever you were doing. I wanted to thank you for the other day.” She cleared her throat as if uncomfortable. “I had a good time.” She quickly pulled the door open and stepped outside. “I’m glad your mother is doing well.”
“Are you busy today?”
“No, why?”
“I was thinking that maybe we could go on a hike. If you like hiking, that is...I guess that should have been my first question.”
“I do like to hike, that sounds good.” She seemed excited about my offer. “I have a few errands to run. How about noon?”
“Fine, I’ll have Marney pack us a picnic lunch and I’ll see you around noon.” I put my hand on the door and watched as Lani headed down the steps.
“See you then,” she called.
I nudged the door closed with the side of my anklebone, then turned and leaned back against it. A picnic lunch? I questioned the awkwardness of such an offer, hoping that the idea didn’t scream romantic . It had been a friendly invitation, and surely Lani had seen it that way. I had enjoyed her company on our day trip to New Orleans. She had a congeniality about her; she was educated and interesting to talk to. And hiking was a sport, right? I mouthed the sentence, hoping to convince myself. Besides, Lani wasn’t at all my type in any sense besides friendship. I wasn’t sure what my type was, but I hadn’t found her attractive in that way. She was plump...overweight, even. But we had a lot in common and, aside from a few lumps early on, had gotten along fine.
“Marney, where’s that wicker basket my mother uses for her stemmed flowers?” I tugged on the pantry door, bending down to look below the cluttered shelves.
“It’s in the hall closet, sugar. You gonna pick your mom some flowers?” she asked, popping the heads off of pea pods with a snap and letting them drop into a strainer just below.
“No, I’m gonna use it for a picnic basket.” I took two McIntosh apples from the crisper and a couple of cans of soda from the shelf and piled them on the counter.
“A picnic, eh? Who’s the lucky fella?”
“It’s Lani, AnnLou’s daughter. We’re going on a hike and I thought it would be nice to bring lunch,” I said nervously. I was starting to feel smothered by my secret, as if every decision I made had to be camouflaged and covert. As if I were up to something sinister, something that required a keen wit to mastermind. I felt like an impostor. Regardless of the context, I was lying, I was playing a role, reading the lines as if they were a script, and piece by deceptive piece it was eating away at me.
Maybe Marney and Lani had talked. Maybe Regee had said something to Carl, and Carl to Marney. Maybe Lani and Regee knew each other, or maybe Lani had said something to her mother and AnnLou had said something to my mother. The chain of possibility was without end; there could be any number of things brewing that I was unaware of. I felt as if I had just been stripped of my flesh, as if I were a mass of muscle and tissue that was raw and exposed.
“I
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