great one. I’m going to let it thaw in the garage for a while, and we can decorate it tonight.” Bjorn rubbed his hands together like sanding blocks. “It’ll be great,” he said. Trish, who had followed him into the hall, walked around him and went upstairs without a word to any of us.
Mother’s eyes followed her briefly.
“I want to learn to force bulbs,” Fleur was saying.
“Oh, it’s simple,” Ashley said, squeezing herself between Fleur and Richard. “Anyone can do it.”
Mother pursed her lips. “True.”
Bach’s
Goldberg Variations
floated in from the study.
“Play Christmas music!” Bjorn shouted to Dad.
“What?” Dad shouted back.
Bjorn repeated himself.
“I can’t hear you; I’m playing
The Goldberg Variations
.”
Bjorn shook his head and went into Dad’s study. “Hey, old man,” we heard him say before he shut the door.
“Are you making the deliveries now?” Richard asked Mother. “Mind if I come along?”
“I would love the company. Fleur, would you like to come too? I can show the two of you off to the neighbors.”
She made them sound like a couple.
I turned to Ashley. “You want to run down to the mall now? This is as good a time as any.”
She looked at her watch. “No, I told Mom I’d be back to help her with the rest of the Christmas baking.” She looked at Richard when she said this.
“Really?” I said, stunned. Ashley never helped her mother with anything if she could avoid it.
“Yeah, see you.” She turned to Mother and the others. “I guess I’ll be seeing you again in a little while.” She knew Mother always gave them a pot of tulips at Christmas, and she wanted to be there. Totally transparent.
I followed her to the back door. “What’s up, Ash?” Might as well be direct.
“What do you mean?” She was retying her muffler, trying to avoid my eyes, but I willed her to look at me. It’s a power I have.
“Well, okay,” she said when she finally stopped fiddling with her muffler. “I have to be honest with you.” She licked her lips nervously, pressed them together, ran her tongue along her upper lip—she was getting ready to lie. “Kate, really, I don’t think you have a ghost of a chance of getting with Richard. I know it hurts to hear it—” Her voice got more efficient. “See, you’ve let your lip gloss wear off.” She pulled some out of her pocket, uncapped it, and was moving to apply some to my lips.
I caught her wrist in midair. “I don’t think lip gloss is the solution here.”
“And that’s what I’m saying. There’s so much—” She caught herself.
“So much wrong with me?”
“No, it’s not that!” She fumbled with the cap of the lip gloss, which dropped to the floor. “It’s just that—” She stopped to retrieve the cap. “I—”
“You’re in love with Rich yourself and you can’t let go. It’s too important to you.” I tried to keep my voice flat.
She looked relieved and clasped both my shoulders. “You understand, don’t you? He’s different from anyone I’ve ever known. He’s so much more mature, for one thing. He’s just so
nice
. I just can’t help myself!” She let out a shrill giggle.
“Yeah, I know—it’s his thighs,” I said.
“Oh, you
do
understand, don’t you.” She gave me a feigned kiss on the cheek and a half-hug. “You understand everything,” she said, leaving me in her wake of freezing air.
I looked at myself in the mirror Mother had hung by the back door. The lip gloss had worn off, just as Ashley had said. It didn’t matter. The overall effect of my face was that of a goldfish looking out of its bowl. Nice skin. Nice hair. Nice person. Smart too.
Mother was pulling brown paper grocery sacks out of a drawer in the kitchen while Fleur and Richard brought in the tulips.
“They’ll need protection from this cold,” Mother said.
I stood in the entranceway watching all of them. “You’ll probably be invited to lunch at Ashley’s,” I said.
They
Mother’s eyes followed her briefly.
“I want to learn to force bulbs,” Fleur was saying.
“Oh, it’s simple,” Ashley said, squeezing herself between Fleur and Richard. “Anyone can do it.”
Mother pursed her lips. “True.”
Bach’s
Goldberg Variations
floated in from the study.
“Play Christmas music!” Bjorn shouted to Dad.
“What?” Dad shouted back.
Bjorn repeated himself.
“I can’t hear you; I’m playing
The Goldberg Variations
.”
Bjorn shook his head and went into Dad’s study. “Hey, old man,” we heard him say before he shut the door.
“Are you making the deliveries now?” Richard asked Mother. “Mind if I come along?”
“I would love the company. Fleur, would you like to come too? I can show the two of you off to the neighbors.”
She made them sound like a couple.
I turned to Ashley. “You want to run down to the mall now? This is as good a time as any.”
She looked at her watch. “No, I told Mom I’d be back to help her with the rest of the Christmas baking.” She looked at Richard when she said this.
“Really?” I said, stunned. Ashley never helped her mother with anything if she could avoid it.
“Yeah, see you.” She turned to Mother and the others. “I guess I’ll be seeing you again in a little while.” She knew Mother always gave them a pot of tulips at Christmas, and she wanted to be there. Totally transparent.
I followed her to the back door. “What’s up, Ash?” Might as well be direct.
“What do you mean?” She was retying her muffler, trying to avoid my eyes, but I willed her to look at me. It’s a power I have.
“Well, okay,” she said when she finally stopped fiddling with her muffler. “I have to be honest with you.” She licked her lips nervously, pressed them together, ran her tongue along her upper lip—she was getting ready to lie. “Kate, really, I don’t think you have a ghost of a chance of getting with Richard. I know it hurts to hear it—” Her voice got more efficient. “See, you’ve let your lip gloss wear off.” She pulled some out of her pocket, uncapped it, and was moving to apply some to my lips.
I caught her wrist in midair. “I don’t think lip gloss is the solution here.”
“And that’s what I’m saying. There’s so much—” She caught herself.
“So much wrong with me?”
“No, it’s not that!” She fumbled with the cap of the lip gloss, which dropped to the floor. “It’s just that—” She stopped to retrieve the cap. “I—”
“You’re in love with Rich yourself and you can’t let go. It’s too important to you.” I tried to keep my voice flat.
She looked relieved and clasped both my shoulders. “You understand, don’t you? He’s different from anyone I’ve ever known. He’s so much more mature, for one thing. He’s just so
nice
. I just can’t help myself!” She let out a shrill giggle.
“Yeah, I know—it’s his thighs,” I said.
“Oh, you
do
understand, don’t you.” She gave me a feigned kiss on the cheek and a half-hug. “You understand everything,” she said, leaving me in her wake of freezing air.
I looked at myself in the mirror Mother had hung by the back door. The lip gloss had worn off, just as Ashley had said. It didn’t matter. The overall effect of my face was that of a goldfish looking out of its bowl. Nice skin. Nice hair. Nice person. Smart too.
Mother was pulling brown paper grocery sacks out of a drawer in the kitchen while Fleur and Richard brought in the tulips.
“They’ll need protection from this cold,” Mother said.
I stood in the entranceway watching all of them. “You’ll probably be invited to lunch at Ashley’s,” I said.
They
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