Chapter 10 - THE BARBECUE WAS NOT RANDOM
Cynthia organized the barbecue for Saturday.
Official reason:
Ivan’s forty-first birthday was the following week.
Unofficial reason:
Family business meeting.
I learned that from a guest named Greg Lawson, no relation to me despite surname coincidence. Let's rename him Greg Mitchell.
Greg Mitchell was Ivan’s former business partner.
He told Lena:
“Ivan said after dinner Megan would sign the house papers.”
I stared.
“What house papers?”
“The collateral agreement.”
“I never agreed.”
Greg looked uncomfortable.
“He said you had.”
“Did he say I was signing Saturday?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He said family would be there so you’d stop making everything emotional.”
There it was.
Audience as pressure.
Cynthia had invited:
Greg.
Her brother.
Two cousins.
Ivan’s accountant.
A longtime family friend who was a retired banker.
Not only birthday guests.
People whose presence made refusal expensive.
They planned to put documents in front of me after dinner.
Did they plan the burn?
No evidence.
Did Cynthia plan to provoke me?
Texts suggested something.
CYNTHIA:
She needs to remember what marriage means before you hand her anything.
IVAN:
Don’t start.
CYNTHIA:
Someone has to.
Then Saturday morning:
CYNTHIA:
Make her cook. She settles when she’s useful.
May you like
That sentence made me nauseous.
My labor as sedation.
