Page 13 of The Christmas Letters
It’s a lienow,but it won’t be for long.
“Well,” Mom finally says. “That’s quite a story.”
“It felt pretty magical, Mom. I really like him.”
She scoffs. “It’s only been a few weeks. You hardly know him.”
She’s holding back. I can tell she’s holding back.
“And really, Tess—”
Here it comes.
“A paramedic? They make less money than I pay our gardener.”
“Then it’s a good thing I don’t care about money.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Everyone cares about money. You certainly cared when you were using it to gallivant around the world for the past year.”
My jaw clenches. The honeymoon was already paid for—that money was gone whether anyone was there to enjoy the island or not. And I was staying with my mother’s second cousin in Paris, in a tiny flat that was far from luxurious. But none of that will help Mom prove her point, so she won’t hear me even if Idopoint it out. Arguing with her has always been futile.
“Okay. Good chat. I gotta go,” I say instead.
Mom huffs, her annoyance coming through loud and clear. “What am I supposed to tell your father? He’s expecting you to join us.Johnnyis expecting you to join us.”
Another call beeps through, Chloe this time, and my shoulders sag with relief.
“Tell them I’m dating someone else. I’ve gotta go, Mom. Chloe’s on the other line. I’ll call you next week, okay?”
I answer Chloe’s call and put it on speaker before dropping back onto my couch. “Please tell me why I came back to this place,” I say with a groan.
“Whoa. Was Mrs. Greenly really that bad?”
I grab a pillow and press it against my face to muffle a scream of frustration.
“Okay. Bigger than Mrs. Greenly, then. Let me guess,” Chloe says. “You just talked to your mom?”
I sit up. “Seriously? How did you know that?”
Chloe clears her throat. “Chloe, dear,” she says in a voice that is eerily close to my mother’s. “Can you talk some sense into Tess? If you get her to the club tonight, you’ll make me so happy.”
“She called you?”
“Texted,” Chloe says. “Just now. I’m guessing you don’t want to have dinner with Johnny Stager?”
“Mom couldn’t stop talking about his portfolio.”
“Please tell me she was only talking about his investments.”
I laugh. “Fortunately, yes. But I’m sure we aren’t far from her digging into his medical records.”
“He’s a very robust young man, Tess,” Chloe says, mimicking Mom’s voice again. “His sperm count is far above average.”
“Oh, gross. No talking about Johnny’s sperm.”
“I’m proud of you for standing up to her,” Chloe says, sincerity back in her tone. “You did good.”
“I didn’t, though. I lied to get her off my case. That’s hardly good.”
