Page 103 of Strings
Constance stares directly at me and takes a deep, satisfied breath even as she speaks to Bella. “ItisSummer Sausage! Excellent!”
The smile fades from my face as she glares at me. She nods to Rosa, and Rosa takes the covered tray from the women and places it in the middle of the table. Rosa’s hand rests on the cover as she waits for Constance to give her permission to lift it. She looks very uncomfortable. Almost sad.
“While you finish your soup, you should know the answer to part two of our mystery theater is on the table in front of you. Let me set the stage.” Constance steps behind Mercer as she speaks, walking in a slow circle around the table.
“Someone at our table has another name. It’s not their given name, but rather what they like to call themselves. Who is it?”
Beads of sweat break out on my forehead. I reach under the table and grip Sebastian’s knee. “We need to go. Now.”
All heads turn to face me. I must have been louder than I thought.
“The game just started. No one is going anywhere,” Constance growls.
Angelica is off-put and nervous as she speaks. “Bella is technically Isabella. Is that what you mean?”
“You’re very close. But Sebastian is closer.”
Constance steps directly behind me and places her hands on my chair. Sebastian glances between his mother and me. My bottom lip begins to tremble.
“Rosa…”
Rosa lifts the lid on the tray and there is a stack of folders on the platter. Rosa hands one to each of the guests.
“You’ll never guess, and I can’t wait for the main course for you to know. A master player is in our midst.”
Sebastian opens the folder. My mug shot is right on top. My hair is long and brown, but it’s clearly me. Sebastian shifts in his chair then looks directly in my eyes. Is that pain I see, or something else?
Constance leans around me and I feel her evil breath on my cheek. “I told you that I protect the ones I love. Surely you had to know I’d want to know everything about the gold digger who wormed her way into my son’s life.”
Sebastian pounds his fist angrily on the table and everyone jumps. “No!” he shouts. “She not a gold digger and if anyone wormed their way into someone’s life, it was me into hers. How dare you!”
His mother reaches out toward him in a panic. “Your hands! Watch your hands!”
Sebastian stretches his fingers out as far as they will reach in front of him and stares at them for a moment. His nostrils flare and then a guttural roar fills the room. “Do you care aboutme, Mother, or do you only care for my money-making hands? Why? Why would you do this to us? Can’t you see that I’m happy? For the first time in my life, I’m actually happy. Why can’t that be enough for you?”
My head hangs low as Rosa removes my soup and places the open folder in front of me. I want to get up and run, but I’m frozen. I’ve never been more afraid than I am at this very moment.
“Sebastian, sit down right now. You are a fool!” she screams. “She’s been lying to everyone for months.”
“I won’t stand for this!” Sebastian responds, leaning on the table to stare her down.
“If you’d rather, I can call the police and they can come get her. I do believe they have a few questions of their own. Either you sit down, or they take her away. It’s your choice.”
Sebastian gazes down at me then glares at his mother. Seeming to ponder his options for a moment, he finally sinks into his chair in a defeated hump of bones and flesh. I can’t bear to see him so broken. This is my fault. The past always catches up with me. Why did I think this time would be any different?
“Sheisa gold-digger Sebastian. She’s been looking for a free ride since the day she was born. You’re too blind with lust to see what’s been in front of your face the entire time. Her name isn’t Talia. This lying, disgusting, scheming snake is Summer Winters.” She snickers. “Catchy name, isn’t it?” Her voice is loud and resentful. It echoes against the walls of the room. She’s making this performance worthy of center stage.
Hearing my birth name on her lips makes me loathe it even more than I did before. At this moment, as Constance relishes in degrading me, I despise my very existence. But more than anything, I hate how Sebastian is staring at me. It’s a sickening blend of pity, disappointment, and terror. As we make eye contact, his head tilts slightly to the side and his eyes are pained. In my head, I can hear him asking me why I didn’t tell him. I want to explain. I want to tell him everything, but it’s too late. I try to open my mouth, but all that comes out is a shaky sigh.
“Summer Winters…” Constance continues, “…daughter of known prostitute and con-artist Silvia, a.k.a. Silver Winters, and heroin manufacturer and lifetime addict Rusty Winters.”
I cringe as she continues, “Summer was born in Detroit, Michigan in a run-down van where her parents were living. We could take a small detour through the rap sheets of her family and all the warrants for their arrests, but let’s keep our focus for now on Nat, the annoying bug, shall we?”
Why would she call me Nat? How would she know? My body shrinks as I crumple myself into a tight ball. I picture myself at the age of six, curled up with the roaches, but I’m not in a closet this time. I’m sitting at a table with them instead.
“At the age of nine, Summer was arrested for theft of pseudoephedrine at a local drug store. She was arrested again at eleven for attempting to steal liquor and cigarettes.”
I feel the tears forming in my eyes, but I refuse to let them escape. No one will see me look weak. I know Sebastian is waiting for me to say something. I feel his eyes boring into me, but I can’t look at him.
