Page 22 of Unhurried Hearts

“You’ve got it.”

“Chris. We’re barely friends. No offence,” she adds, “but meeting your parents?”

“First off, ouch. Wearefriends. I like you.”

I unclick her seatbelt and turn so we’re facing each other. The sun is setting, the deep orange hues highlighting the clouds rolling in. Wind forces its way through the almost bare branches of chestnut trees that line either side of the quiet street.

“It doesn’t really matter to me if we are friends or not, though, because I’m interested in more than that.”

Her eyes are round as she lets me say a bunch of words that, in all honesty, are surprising to me.

“God, this day has been weird.” She makes a sound between a laugh and a groan.

“This morning,all week, I thought you didn’t like me at all and now we’re going to family dinner.”

“Yep. We are.”

Before I can get my key in the brass lock, the weathered oak door swings inwards.

“C’mon,” I lean into her ear, “pretend they’re hairdressing clients.”

***

“Well, I know West Isle is small, but this is too funny!”

Seeing Anna in my childhood home is weird enough. Knowing she’s been cutting my mom’s hair for who knows how long is mildly unsettling. It’s like two very different parts of my world are converging.

Anna slices a tomato while wearing an apron I’m fairly sure belonged to my great grandma.

“I can’t believe I never put two and two together, Sam.”

“Guess I should have shown you his picture sooner, hmm?”

My mom turns around and gives me a cheesy wink while I sit at a barstool next to my dad and drink a spiced rum and coke.

Fifteen minutes ago, I was soothing her nerves in my car and now she’s assembling a salad with ease.

Dad looks up from his new issue of Classic Cars magazine, “How long have you worked at that salon, Anna?”

I can’t help but interject. “She’s actually theownerof the salon, Dad.”

“A business owner! And where is it located?”

Mom rolls her eyes.

Anna wipes her hands on a cloth and has a sip of her wine. “On Main Street. The storefront of those studio condos they built. I own one of the condos above.”

Dad’s eyebrows are in his hairline, clearly impressed by the fact that she’s both a business and property owner. I realize I’ve got a dumb smile on my face too. I’m proud of her.

“Do you like to hike?” Mom asks her next, carrying the finished salad toward the dining room where I already added another place setting for Anna.

Everyone grabs their drinks and the rest of the dishes and follows.

“Oh, um, I’ve never really done it. Not properly anyway.”

I pull out Anna’s chair and my mom puts her hand over her heart like some sort of swooning southern lady.

Dad waves his hand, taking his normal spot at one end of the table. “No such thing as improper hiking. Just feels nice to get out in nature. Are you going to take her out soon?” He looks at me, nodding expectantly.

---