Chapter 25 - THE SECOND DINNERTwo years after the first dinner, there was another.
Not at Sylvia’s.
At Monique’s apartment.
Small table.
Six chairs that did not match.
Pizza.
Paper plates.
No chandelier.
Nina came because she chose to.
Vivian sat across from her.
The girls were ten.
Old enough to remember.
Young enough not to organize every gathering around history.
Charles brought salad.
Sylvia brought dessert.
I brought nothing breakable emotionally or otherwise.
At one point Vivian said:
“I like your sweater.”
Nina looked suspicious.
“Why?”
Vivian rolled her eyes.
“Because I like it.”
Nina accepted that.
Halfway through dinner, Charles started to comment on the pizza being cheap.
He stopped himself.
Actually stopped.
Then:
“This is good.”
Monique looked at me.
I looked at her.
Neither smiled.
We did not reward basic restraint like a miracle.
Afterward Sylvia asked Nina:
“May I hug you?”
Nina said:
“No, thank you.”
Sylvia’s face fell.
Then she said:
“Okay.”
That was more meaningful than an apology letter.
Ten minutes later Nina walked over and hugged her on her own.
Briefly.
May you like
Sylvia cried after Nina left the room.
Quietly.
