Page 149 of Tell Me What You Want

She lets me know she understands and leans in.

“That damned Betta made him suffer so much. Eric had a very difficult time, and I really thought I’d never see him find joy with a woman again. But you ... I’m so delighted to see him happy that I’d spend all night saying ‘thank you.’”

I demur and take a sip of wine.

“Every time I think of the anguish he experienced, it makes me so upset. Finding his father in bed with his girlfriend, that was a terrible day, just terrible.”

“It’s OK, Sonia; it’s OK,” I say, squeezing her hand on seeing her getting all worked up.

Suddenly, I recognize the woman Eric is talking to. It’s the same young blonde with whom I saw him leave the office a few days ago. Sonia follows my line of vision.

“Oh my God,” she whispers, “what is she doing here?”

Eric takes the young woman by the hand and says something to her. She yanks away and heads toward our table. I have no idea who that woman is. All I see is the bewildered look on Eric’s face, and it alarms me.

“What are you doing here?” Sonia, now standing, says to the young woman.

Eric arrives at the same time, but the blonde doesn’t let him talk.

“Mamá, I don’t care that this stubborn jerk keeps putting me off. I’ve come to get him, and I have no intention of going back to Germany without him,” she declares.

“Love,” Eric says to me, “this is my sister Marta.”

The young blonde with the girlish face turns to me and grins.

“Hi, Jude ... I’ve heard about you, not a lot, but it’s all good. You and I should talk about my stubborn brother.”

“Marta!” exclaims Eric.

“Oh, Eric, zip it. I’m pretty tired of you.”

“You two ... don’t start,” Sonia says, imposing a motherly truce. I’m staring at Marta when Sonia explains, “Marta is my daughter from my second marriage.” Then she turns to Marta. “Judith is Eric’s girlfriend. Did you know?”

Eric rolls his eyes, and I laugh.

“His girlfriend?”

“Yes, my girlfriend,” insists Eric.

“How can you stand this grump?”

“Pure masochism,” I say, and they all laugh, including Eric.

We relax for a minute, but Marta has a mission, and she turns to her brother, giving no quarter. “Good, the introductions are out of the way,” she says. “Now when are you coming back to Germany, Eric? Mamá and I can’t deal with Flyn for much longer, and the nanny will strangle him any day now. That boy is going to be the death of us. And there’s also your surgery. You have to do it. I told you it’s imperative, to decrease the pressure in your eyes. Why don’t you come back so we can get it over with? I’m sure your girlfriend will understand your need to travel.”

I let her know by my expression that I’d of course understand. But the surgery is news to me. I didn’t know he has been putting it off to be with me.

“Why do you have such a big mouth, little sister?”

“Because I’d like to continue having a grump of a brother who can see my sour expression when I’m scolding him.”

“God, when you get in your doctor-patient mode, you really make me nervous.”

“Back at you—when you turn into a stubborn jerk. And just so you know, Flyn pulled another stunt at school yesterday.”

Eric sighs.

“Eric,” says Sonia, “you still don’t want to send him to boarding school? You know I love that boy, but his behavior ...”

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