Page 20 of Lyrical

The bathroom was silent; Daniel would be out soon. I glanced around to the window Perry was staring through, and yes, my neighbor was coming up the front steps with her poodle waddling behind her in a doggie hooded snowsuit and booties. The little girl was pink and bejeweled and looked like she had a serious steroid problem.

“It’s Michelle,” I said. One of these days she’d get it right. “That’s Sasha’s winter gear. She likes to keep her warm on their walks.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Perry asked.

“You want to steal Sasha’s outfit?”

“Har har. I’m thinking we shouldn’t answer the door.”

The bell rang as she said it, and I headed for it. “Why?”

“Because you’re in a fragile state of mind right now, and you shouldn’t be subjected to her whacked-out advice. Who knows what kind of effect that’ll have.”

I laughed, opening the door. “Hi, Michelle. What’s up?”

“Hello, Jillian.” She picked up Sasha, brushing off her booties before stepping inside. “Perry, nice to see you again.” Michelle shrugged off her coat, setting the dog down. “I had to stop by to…. Hmm….”

Michelle perked up her head to watch Daniel walk down the hall, fresh from the shower. With his wet hair and casual jeans, he reminded me of his teenaged self. Not some man ready to start his adult life.

“And who do we have here? What happened to—”

“Michelle, you remember Daniel?” I said, cutting her off. Jesus, I wanted to slug her. “I told you he was coming home.”

She squinted, then slapped her forehead. “Of course. Now, I recognize you. Guess that little boy playing with bubbles on the back porch is long gone, huh?” She nudged me.

Yes, Michelle, since he was five.

Daniel gave a little nod. “How’re you doing?”

“Just wonderful.” She waved her hands. “Come here, come here. I need a hug.”

She smothered him as Sasha yipped at her feet. She was probably saying, ‘Get this the fuck off me before I die of embarrassment.’

“All finished with business school now, huh? Heard you graduated early.”

Daniel nodded, settling back against the wall. “Hard but worth it.”

Yep, three years of eighteen-credit semesters and summer school, plus a six-month internship, finishing at the top of his class. See: smart.

“Brains and beauty. I bet you’re beating ’em off with a stick. Got a girlfriend?”

“Nope.”

“Good for you. You should be playing the field at your age.” I saw Perry rolling her eyes behind her, and Daniel held back a smile. “So what do you plan to do now with that fancy degree?”

“I’m keeping my options open. I built up a portfolio in Milan with several prospects I’ll be checking out before I make a decision. But eventually, I’d like to run my own IT firm.”

“Oooh, rich too. I smell trouble brewing.” She winked. “Hey, say something in Italian for me.”

He glanced down at Stay Puft marshmallow dog. “Povera cucciola.”

“Ooh la la. What’s it mean?”

His smile broke free. “I really should get going, Mom.” He gave me a peck on the cheek. “See you later, Aunt Perry. Nice to talk to you, Michelle.”

He grabbed the keys off the ledge and hightailed it out of there, bounding down the steps to the car. Michelle watched him leave, shaking her head.

“Hmm. He doesn’t look very Italian.”

---