Then Jennifer looked at me.
« You’re coming too. »
» No. «
« Grandma. »
« It’s between you and Kayla. »
That’s how I ended up in a country club, wearing the same navy blue dress I had worn to the two girls’ high school graduation ceremony.
Lizzie smiled.
« No. If someone wants a family photo, the whole family will be in it. »
That’s how I ended up at the country club, in the same navy blue dress I had worn for my two daughters’ high school graduations.
Kayla spotted us almost immediately.
She turned completely pale.
Jennifer held out her hand to him.
Graham approached with a relaxed smile.
« You must be friends with Kayla. »
Jennifer held out her hand to him.
« My name is Jennifer. »
Her face lit up.
He shook her hand, then Lizzie’s.
« Jennifer. Finally. I’ve heard so much about you. »
He shook her hand, then Lizzie’s.
Kayla rushed towards them.
« Graham, maybe we should have everyone sit down. »
He looked at me.
« She’s our grandmother. She’s the one who raised us. »
« And who are you? »
Before Kayla could reply, Jennifer said, « She’s our grandmother. She’s the one who raised us. »
Graham nodded.
« Kayla’s mother? »
« No, » Jennifer replied.
Graham’s expression changed.
« Her husband’s mother. »
Graham’s face changed expression.
A subtle, but immediate change.
He looked at Kayla.
« You said it was your mother who raised them. »
His children, already grown, were kind.
Kayla laughed a little too quickly.
« I sometimes simplify my family history. »
Graham didn’t laugh.
His adult children were kind.
It surprised us all.
Allison’s heat only made things worse.
Allison, her eldest daughter, took the twins in her arms and said, « I can’t believe you’re finally here. »
Jennifer smiled cautiously.
» Finally ? «
« We’ve been hearing about you forever. »
Allison’s warmth only made things worse. She wasn’t putting on an act for us; she genuinely believed she was finally meeting the people Kayla had told her about for years.
« How you two drifted apart after leaving college. »
Lizzie asked, « What exactly did you hear? »
Allison shrugged.
« Trips to come see you. Birthdays. College-related stuff. »
Jennifer froze.
« What college stories? »
Allison’s smile faded.
« How you drifted apart after leaving college. »
Lizzie laughed once.
« We’re still at university. »
Allison’s smile faded.
Kayla hadn’t erased them.
Jennifer found Graham near the bar.
She was the one who invented them.
Jennifer found Graham near the bar.
« Can we talk in private? »
Kayla immediately replied, « Jennifer, today is really not the right day. »
Jennifer looked at her.
Graham led them to a small, secluded room.
« I think you’ve had twenty years to choose one day. »
Graham led them to a small adjoining room.
Lizzie followed them.
She came back almost immediately.
« Grandma. »
Inside, Graham was sitting opposite Kayla.
« I don’t need to go there. »
« Yes, you have to go. »
Inside, Graham was sitting opposite Kayla.
He looked exhausted.
Jennifer was sitting next to Lizzie.
Graham asked a question.
I stayed near the door.
Graham asked a question.
« When was the last time you saw them, the day before yesterday? »
Kayla stared at the carpet.
« Kayla. »
I watched Graham do the calculation in his head.
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