did look, I don’t think he would have
stopped. Trouble, indeed.
“A toast!” Mr. Silver yelled and we all came over to him in
the sand. I’d lost my shoes hours before when there was still sun. Now it was
dark, lit by twinkling torches stuck in the sand. Jonah took advantage of the
darkness to stand behind me, to put his hand on my hip and pull us as close as
he dared.
“To my daughter, beautiful and brilliant. She’s going to
design our next home and build skyscrapers in New York, just watch!” Shannon
blushed, waved the applause away, but I clapped so hard I nearly spilled my
drink.
“To my son, Jonah, who finished grad school with top marks
and will be soon be going to Japan to work for another company, but…” he paused
and I felt Jonah stiffen behind me, “but I think he’ll do very well for
himself. I hope he comes back soon, maybe he can give my international division
some advice.”
I felt him exhale a lifetime of tension. He wrapped his arm
around my waist and I don’t know how anyone could have missed it, even in the
dark. My body tensed, but the sky didn’t fall. The applause was thunderous.
“And to Jessica, my daughter’s best friend. Jessica, we’ve
heard more about you some days than we heard about Shannon. As far as Mrs.
Silver and I are concerned, you’re part of our family now. We expect you for
every holiday, if your parents can part with you.” Mr. Silver gave his wife a
conspiratorial look and I smiled politely. They had no idea how easy that would
be. “In fact, we have a surprise for you.”
Mr. Silver raised his glass up the beach and we all turned.
My horror could not have been more palpable. My father and
his wife, Katherine, descended through the sand like two ghosts, pale and
shimmery in the moonlight. Katherine wore a white shift that showed off her
tiny, slim figure and expensive boob job. My father’s arm held her close. They
had drinks in their hands and approached Mr. Silver. Neither of them looked at
me.
“It was so last minute, but we wanted your family to be with
you the way we’d want to be for Shannon.” Mrs. Silver said with such beautiful
enthusiasm. The other Silvers and McCallisters cheered, but it was Shannon that
appeared at my side, grabbed my drink before I did something crazy with it,
like throw it at Katherine’s head.
“Jess, it’s going to be ok,” she whispered, but I couldn’t
breathe. I heard Jonah say my name, but all the noise in my head were
variations of my own scream because my father and Katherine had invaded my
paradise and were gazing around the beach drunk on the pleasure of the money at
their feet. Did they even care why they were here?
“You have such a beautiful house, Tom,” my father said,
slapping Mr. Silver’s shoulder like they’d been friends forever. Katherine
nodded in agreement.
“A beautiful house, a beautiful view.” Katherine leaned
vaguely away from Mrs. Silver when she tried to greet her with a hug.
“And you have a beautiful daughter,” Jonah said between
clenched teeth. I could feel his body tensing against mine, felt him try to
hold me still. “Or didn’t you notice?”
“Jessica?” Katherine kind of laughed. Both of them looked
towards us, surprised I was there, surprised anyone would say such a thing.
Everyone was looking at us then, surprise on Mr. Silver’s face. He looked from
Jonah, to me, to Jonah’s arm around me. Understanding dawned.
“She’s no private jet!” my father laughed and raised his
glass to clink with Mr. Silver and found no glass waiting to cheer with.
I couldn’t, couldn’t stay there and watch this moment taken
away from me. I thought, for such a brief beautiful moment, that I’d been
accepted and then they had to be here, after everything they’d said to me only weeks
before. No, I couldn’t.
“I can’t,” I pushed Jonah away, slipped between him and
Shannon. Before I knew what was happening I was sprinting up through the sand
to the road. Behind me I
stopped. Trouble, indeed.
“A toast!” Mr. Silver yelled and we all came over to him in
the sand. I’d lost my shoes hours before when there was still sun. Now it was
dark, lit by twinkling torches stuck in the sand. Jonah took advantage of the
darkness to stand behind me, to put his hand on my hip and pull us as close as
he dared.
“To my daughter, beautiful and brilliant. She’s going to
design our next home and build skyscrapers in New York, just watch!” Shannon
blushed, waved the applause away, but I clapped so hard I nearly spilled my
drink.
“To my son, Jonah, who finished grad school with top marks
and will be soon be going to Japan to work for another company, but…” he paused
and I felt Jonah stiffen behind me, “but I think he’ll do very well for
himself. I hope he comes back soon, maybe he can give my international division
some advice.”
I felt him exhale a lifetime of tension. He wrapped his arm
around my waist and I don’t know how anyone could have missed it, even in the
dark. My body tensed, but the sky didn’t fall. The applause was thunderous.
“And to Jessica, my daughter’s best friend. Jessica, we’ve
heard more about you some days than we heard about Shannon. As far as Mrs.
Silver and I are concerned, you’re part of our family now. We expect you for
every holiday, if your parents can part with you.” Mr. Silver gave his wife a
conspiratorial look and I smiled politely. They had no idea how easy that would
be. “In fact, we have a surprise for you.”
Mr. Silver raised his glass up the beach and we all turned.
My horror could not have been more palpable. My father and
his wife, Katherine, descended through the sand like two ghosts, pale and
shimmery in the moonlight. Katherine wore a white shift that showed off her
tiny, slim figure and expensive boob job. My father’s arm held her close. They
had drinks in their hands and approached Mr. Silver. Neither of them looked at
me.
“It was so last minute, but we wanted your family to be with
you the way we’d want to be for Shannon.” Mrs. Silver said with such beautiful
enthusiasm. The other Silvers and McCallisters cheered, but it was Shannon that
appeared at my side, grabbed my drink before I did something crazy with it,
like throw it at Katherine’s head.
“Jess, it’s going to be ok,” she whispered, but I couldn’t
breathe. I heard Jonah say my name, but all the noise in my head were
variations of my own scream because my father and Katherine had invaded my
paradise and were gazing around the beach drunk on the pleasure of the money at
their feet. Did they even care why they were here?
“You have such a beautiful house, Tom,” my father said,
slapping Mr. Silver’s shoulder like they’d been friends forever. Katherine
nodded in agreement.
“A beautiful house, a beautiful view.” Katherine leaned
vaguely away from Mrs. Silver when she tried to greet her with a hug.
“And you have a beautiful daughter,” Jonah said between
clenched teeth. I could feel his body tensing against mine, felt him try to
hold me still. “Or didn’t you notice?”
“Jessica?” Katherine kind of laughed. Both of them looked
towards us, surprised I was there, surprised anyone would say such a thing.
Everyone was looking at us then, surprise on Mr. Silver’s face. He looked from
Jonah, to me, to Jonah’s arm around me. Understanding dawned.
“She’s no private jet!” my father laughed and raised his
glass to clink with Mr. Silver and found no glass waiting to cheer with.
I couldn’t, couldn’t stay there and watch this moment taken
away from me. I thought, for such a brief beautiful moment, that I’d been
accepted and then they had to be here, after everything they’d said to me only weeks
before. No, I couldn’t.
“I can’t,” I pushed Jonah away, slipped between him and
Shannon. Before I knew what was happening I was sprinting up through the sand
to the road. Behind me I
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