Page 32 of Loathe at First Sight

Eve comes walking back in and over to Jo. Resting her arm on Jo’s shoulder, she says, “Man, I don’t know who’s shorter—you or Mom.”

Clearly, Eve got her height from her father.

“Yeah, yeah. Your mom and I are short, but I guarantee you we can both kick your ass.”

Eve puts up her fists and says, “You want to go?”

Jo doesn’t answer but instead does a couple of quick moves that result in her having Eve in a headlock.

Jo looks down at her. “When are you going to learn not to fuck with me?”

Eve cries out, “Uncle Dylan! Help! Get your sister!”

“Oh, no. Unlike you, I do know not to fuck with Jo.”

Michelle gets up from the couch and heads toward the kitchen. “Jo, let her go. I can’t afford a funeral right now.”

When Eve is free, she says, “One day, I’m going to be able to beat you.”

“That’s it, kid. Aim for the stars.”

We just start to do some catching up when Mom calls us all in for dinner. Not wanting to keep her waiting, we all head into the dining room and take our seats around the large table. I try sitting next to Michelle, but when she sees where I sit, she asks Dylan to switch her seats.

Of course, she makes up an excuse. But it’s obvious that she just doesn’t want to sit next to me.

We all start passing around large platters of food so that we can fill our plates. Dad made the lamb, and Mom made a ton of sides—mashed potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese, Brussels sprouts, and rolls. Both of them are damn fine cooks, which would explain why their bar is the number one dinner spot in town.

It’s quiet for the first couple of minutes as everyone starts eating. But it doesn’t take long for the room to fill with loud chatter and laughter. I listen to all the conversations and make a few little statements where I can, but it’s becoming clear that more has changed than I realized.

Dylan is making a decent living at the auto shop while dating any girl he can get his hands on. And he’s looking to try to buy a house.

Michelle is working as a dental hygienist and is navigating having a teenager. And Eve is getting ready to go into high school and has a crush on a boy in her Spanish class.

I think we just found why she isn’t doing well in that particular class.

Jo is working doing construction—which somehow doesn’t surprise me at all.

The only one we are missing is Ronnie. And fuck, I miss her like crazy. With her here, I would be a little more at ease. Yes, all of these people are my family, and I love them more than I love myself. But as they all laugh at their inside jokes and tell stories that I wasn’t around for, it feels more like I’m a stranger, on the outside looking in. I realize that my being gone for as long as I have been has done some damage that I’m now going to have to work hard to undo.

As I’m finishing eating, Eve directs the conversation to me, “So, Aunt Liz, how was LA? Was it as glamorous as people say it is?”

Before I can answer, Michelle gives a snide, “I doubt it.”

“LA was nice,” I tell her. “The weather there is amazing. But it’s crazy expensive.”

“Did you meet any celebrities?” Her eyes light up.

“Uhm, a few.”

Michelle leans into Eve. “She was busy rubbing elbows with celebrities instead of ever bothering to come home. Maybe when her life fell apart, she should have gone to live with her new friends instead of with the people she abandoned.”

Ouch.

“Michelle, do you have something you want to say?” I ask.

Stabbing her fork into the lamb, she replies, “I think I just did. Or did living in Los Angeles take away your hearing as well as your soul?”

I look over to my mom for some backup, but I should know better. She just sits at one end of the table, hanging on every word that Michelle says. Of course. Michelle is her little doppelganger.

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