Page 47 of A Smooth Operator

"You've always helped her, Dallas," my mother smiled, feeling out of sorts because Dad didn't snap at her. He was patient as a saint, "And we know you're fond of the girl, but—"

"Helped her? She didn't need my help, Sierra. This girl is smart and does everything on her own. She got a scholarship and educated herself. What is wrong with y'all?" He shook his head. "Oh, and Tommy, you cheat on my daughter again, and you do it in public; I'll kick your ass in public. And Lani, you want to stay with his adulterous ass, then you pay for your own wedding."

He paused and looked at Mama. "You raised them to care about things, Sierra. I told you it wouldn't end well, and it hasn't."

"Don't be dramatic, Dallas."

"I'm not being dramatic, Sierra, I'm being honest. You should try it sometime."

"Dallas, my word!"

Shellshocked, we watched Dad storm away.

Our parents didn't fight, didn't argue. Mama would scold and nag, and Dad would smile and cajole. I'd been wondering what was going on between my parents, and now I knew. He wasn't happy about how Lani and I cared so much about appearances like Mama. He didn’t appreciate that Lani was walking into a bad marriage that Mama encouraged. He didn't like it at all that I'd made sure Echo quit his company.

I stared into my plate of pot roast, hating the family drama.

I should've been hungry after another night of drinking, but my appetite was shot. I knew my problem. I didn't know how to go about fixin' what I had broken with Echo.

"Don't worry about it, Lani. I'll talk to your dad," my mother coaxed my sister.

I pushed my chair out and rose. "Dump his ass, Lani," I quipped. "Tommy, you're my friend, well, maybe you were my friend. Either way, what you are is an asshole. Or maybe, who knows, you deserve each other. You fucked God knows who, and Lani fucked Kenneth when we went skiing in Aspen this past winter."

After dropping that bomb, which caused a whole lot of screeching, I went to find my father.

He was at his desk in his study. He'd opened the good stuff. I could smell the peat of the Octomore scotch, which he saved for special occasions because it was hard to find and expensive as all get out.

I closed the study door after me.

He raised his glass at me, and I shook my head. I was still drunk from last night's whiskey, or was it this morning's?

"Does Echo have another job?" I asked.

"I don't know. She didn't say. But I know she's got a standing invitation to go work at John Hopkins, where her PhD advisor is."

John Hopkins was in Baltimore.

"Dad, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "What the fuck, Remi? Why do y'all dislike this girl so much? Is it because she's half black?"

"Fuck no, Dad. I'm no racist."

"Then what is it? Is it because she's Fern's niece?"

I took a deep breath. "I think that plays a part. She's not one of us."

"Well, thank the Lord for that." He took a sip of his drink. "I expect Lani to shoot her mouth off, but you?"

I got up and walked to one of the tall bay windows. I stuck my hands in my pockets. With my back turned to him, I asked, "Dad, if I dated Echo, would you be okay with it?"

There was a long pause. "No, son."

"Really?" I turned to face my father.

"Not for the same reasons as your Mama or Lani would. This isn't about you being too good for her, no, I think she's too good for you and deserves better. I want Echo to be with someone who's as honest and open as her. You're too caught up in…the thing is, Remi, your uncle Austin showed you the snazzy side of owning a nightclub and all that—he didn't teach you about humility. And it looks like neither did I."

I always thought that Lani was like my mother and I was like my father. She cared about all the fluffy stuff, but like Dad, I believed in hard work and being fair.

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