Page 12 of Isn't It Obvious?
She reads this new one hungrily, almost in disbelief, still smiling to herself. Not that it’s a smiling matter, becoming a parent when you hadn’t intended to yet—maybeneverintended to—but it’s like Kevin is experiencing her own weird family stuff, just one generation removed.
She had known she liked him almost immediately. Charlie had called it a “competency crush,” and maybe that was part of it. He’s clearly a fabulous designer. But it’s also that he wanted the job at all, after Sanaa made it clear it would only appeal as a passion project for someone who genuinely loved the work because, even though Yael is paying him nearly half of what she’s making from it, it’s not exactly a fortune. And how he’d taken her loquaciousness in stride, even joking back with her in his own clipped sentences. And, sue her, he’s the first new legal adult she’s talked to in ages (save for Ravi, and she doesn’t want to think about that right now; she still hasn’t had a chance to tell Charlie he’d magically reappeared in the one place she wouldn’t be able to get rid of him). It’s nice. Shelikestalking to him.
God, the South of France. If Kevin’s niece grows up to have a cordial quasi-relationship with her mother, it’s nice to think of a beautiful backdrop for the deeply uncomfortable visits. Pretending to know a single solitary thing about her daughter’s life, but over a hearty Bordeaux! Glamorous.
As she reads the last line, she finds her bottom lip between her teeth, her right hand on her chest. It takes her a moment to digest before she can start writing back.
To:Kevin Kissoon
RE:Not Work Thread
My mother left to follow her dream of being a singer. It is PURE coincidence NEVER to be read into that my dad came out to her not long before she packed her bags. She has a beautiful voice and has found some success, but of the constant traveling variety. Cruise ships at first (which made for some interesting visits, to say the least—am I wrong for being a little bit jealous that some scenes of your niece’s familial traumamight play out in the South of France?? bougie!), and then backup singing on tours with artists across a range of genres, but never, ever anywhere near me.
And the thing is, to some degree, I get it (not the coming-out part—I’ve come to believe it was a genuine coincidence, but it sure was a useful way to press my mom’s buttons when I was at my teen angstiest). Marriage is a lot. Being responsible for another human being is a lot. It changes everything. It’s wrong that it’s so expected of people, especially women, that they feel they get trapped into it. I feel sad for them. But also, Margot is an adult. My mom was an adult. It was their responsibility to figure this shit out before they had a kid.
Suresh sounds like a great brother, and so do you. I’m glad that you have each other. And thank you for what you said about Pops.
Yael lies back against her stack of pillows after she sends the email, her eyes still fixed on the screen. Kevin’s response comes quicker this time, like she’s willed it into existence. But it’s only a single line:Do you have any siblings?
Okay, fair. Even over email, even with someone she’s unlikely to ever meet in person, it’s a lot. Yael has a bit of a habit of oversharing with more reserved people—when it works, it works. It’s how she got Sanaa, and later Charlie. But when it isn’t reciprocated, it makes every inch of her skin prick with shame.
That question mark keeps the rising unease at bay. He wants to keep talking, but maybe not about this. So she bites.
To:Kevin Kissoon
RE:Not Work Thread
No, just me. I was always a little envious of people who had them—like built-in friends. But Sanaa and her sister still don’t get along, so who knows. Is Suresh your only sibling?
To:Elle Rex
RE:Not Work Thread
Yes, just him. Weird to think he had 9 years as an only child. I can’t imagine childhood without him. Seems like it could’ve been lonely.
To:Kevin Kissoon
RE:Not Work Thread
It was, sometimes. I had to be good at entertaining myself. Which is probably why my entire life is reading. And why I started a podcast.
To:Elle Rex
RE:Not Work Thread
You’re good at it.
To:Kevin Kissoon
RE:Not Work Thread
This is the NOT work thread. You don’t need to flatter me.
To:Elle Rex
RE:Not Work Thread
I’m not. You made me laugh four times.
