Page 69 of This I Know
I shake her hand. “Hi.”
“Well,” Mara says, “come inside. Ethan, Avery’s been here before, but I’ll show you around, if you’d like.” She laughs. “It’ll give us some time away from my parents.”
“Sure,” I say.
And so she does. She gives us both a minor tour of the house, making sure to point out the restrooms. Avery hangs by my side, along only for my company, I’m sure. After a while, we end up in Mara’s living room. Avery and I take a seat on the large, curved sofa, where we have a good view of both the TV and the kitchen where her parents are cooking something that smells amazing.
“I like it,” I say to pass the time.
Mara just looks at me.
“Your house.”
“Oh. Thank you.” She nods in agreement. “It’s plenty of house for us. And it’s not like I know anything else, seeing that I’ve lived here my whole life.” She lifts her legs onto the coffee table in front of us, then thumbs to the kitchen. “Do you guys want anything? A drink?”
“No, thanks,” I say.
“I’m okay,” says Avery. She speaks quietly, “Are you glad we came, Mar?”
“Yes,” Mara mouths. Then she lifts her hand and twirls her finger against her head, eyeing toward her parents.
Like clockwork, Mara’s parents arrive in the living room. Mara shoots her finger down. Her mom is holding a platter of appetizers, all of which look great right now. I should have eaten something before we left.
“Here you are, kids,” Mara’s mom says with a huge grin on her face. She’s obviously proud of what she’s serving; I get that. She sets the big tray down in front of us and I have to keep myself from jumping right into the buttery crackers layered with cheese and fresh salmon.
“Thank you,” Avery and I say at the same time. Then we both reach in. Looks like she’s just as hungry as me. And I’m so glad she likes salmon.
“I’m sorry,” Mara’s mom goes on. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“Oh, Mom,” says Mara, not bothering to get up from her place on the couch, “sorry. This is Ethan.”
“Ethan,” the woman says. She shakes my hand with a smile that gradually fades. “I’m Mrs. Kramer.”
“Nice to meet you.”
She nods her head and wipes her palms down the front of her apron. “Well, if you kids need anything, let me know. Dinner will be ready soon.”
And with that, we’re left alone once again, sitting here on Mara’s couch, cupping our hands under delicious individual crackers so as not to spill. I guess one of us should have asked for plates, but with that odd look she gave me during our introduction, I wasn’t going to have it be me.
Avery’s been quiet. She’s eating while watching the TV, slumped comfortably back into the cushions. I glance behind us, over the short room divider and through a layer of fake potted plants. Mara’s mom is back in the kitchen, talking to her husband. Their voices are slightly raised and they’re talking back and forth about something I can’t make out from this far away. Mrs. Kramer holds out her arm in our direction. As I watch, Mr. Kramer shakes his head and walks away.
I turn my head back around.
Avery looks at me, giving me a reassuring smile as though she somehow knows I’m concerned.
“Do you guys like this show?” Mara says, leaning toward the remote control. “Ethan, you like football? I wish there was a game on tonight.” She scrolls through the guide.
“I do,” I say as I take another bite of cracker.
Mara finally settles on something. She leans back and sighs, resting the side of her head against her arm. “Nothing. So, Ethan. Do you, like, know everything about what happened to Avery?”
Avery almost spits the food from her mouth. “Mara,” she says, her eyes wide.
“Sorry,” says Mara, although she doesn’t sound like she is.
I keep my mouth shut.
Avery grabs a pillow and sets it on her lap. “I don’t know how much he knows,” she says. “Yet.”
