Page 64 of Make Room for Love

“You know, you two are the only daughters I have left.” It wasn’t as though Isabel didn’t think about that every day, buthearing it from her mom was excruciating. “I hope you two can get along for dinner. Your dad and your po po and I hate to see you like this.”

“I know.”

“Your dad and I know that Kevin isn’t like James.” James had been the platonic ideal of a son-in-law. He was working as a surgeon in Seattle now, but he kept in touch often with Isabel’s parents. “But we’ve talked to Kevin, and he’s very nice, and he makes Grace happy. You know your dad and I have let you all make your own choices.”

That was true. Isabel had never shaken off the sense that she had asked too much of her parents in letting her live her life, as a butch lesbian and a construction worker. They had been slightly frosty to Reina at first, although they’d come to like her. They’d been disappointed when Isabel reported that it was over. But the fact remained that when Alexa had become a doctor and married a man she’d met in medical school, their parents’ approval had never been in question.

There was nothing else to be said about Grace for now. And something was weighing on Isabel. “I wanted to tell you something. I’m seeing someone new.”

Her mom smiled. Isabel had told herself it didn’t matter, so her own relief surprised her. “Oh, is she Chinese?” her mom asked. “What’s her name? How long has it been?”

“Uh, she’s Indian. Her name is Mira, and she’s a Ph.D.student.” Isabel told her the prestigious university where Mira did her research, and then realized she was still seeking her mom’s approval. “I met her a few months ago.” It might be too hard to explain that they already lived together.

“Oh, that’s nice. So she’s going to become a professor?”

“If she can get a job. She’s really smart.”

“That’s good. You’re taking good care of her?”

If Isabel were dating a man, her mom would have asked her if her boyfriend was taking good care ofher, but Isabel didn’t mind. “I hope so. I try.”

“Good. Will you bring her to Grace’s wedding?”

Isabel looked away. She wasn’t going to scare Mira off by asking her to meet the family. And on the hypothetical occasion when she did meet them, Isabel would want her sister to not resent her presence, which might be too much to expect. “Maybe. It’s a little early for that.”

“If she’s important to you, you know your dad and I would like to meet her.” Isabel’s mom put a hand on her shoulder. Her parents had never outright saidWe accept you for being a lesbian, but this was their way of saying essentially the same thing. “Your sister, too.”

The water in the stockpot was boiling. Isabel dried her hands and put her arm around her mom. “I know. We add the ginger and scallion to the water now, right?”

They got on with poaching the chicken. Isabel’s dad entered, munching on shrimp chips, and started washing the dishes in the sink. “Can I tell your dad?” Isabel’s mom said. Without waiting for a response, she continued, “Isabel is dating someone new. A Ph.D.student. She’s going to be a professor.”

The next morning,waking up on the too-small pull-out bed—Grace and Kevin had taken the extra bedroom—Isabel’s dread was cut with optimism.

Dinner had gone as well as she could have hoped. She’d asked Grace about wedding preparations, and Grace had replied stiffly, but at least they were talking again. The food had been delicious, and it had been good to see her relatives. Kevin had a full-time job now, working at a store that sold board games. It put Isabel’s mind more at ease about her sister’s future, eventhough she told herself it didn’t matter what Kevin did for a living.

Everything would be fine. She and Grace would reconcile. And then she’d tell Grace about Mira, too. She had asked her parents not to last night, not wanting the best thing in her life to be tangled up in the mess she’d made with Grace. But she would fix things, and her family would be as whole as it could be. Maybe—and this was purely wishful thinking—she could even bring Mira as her date to the wedding.

She had leftovers with a big mug of tea, brought breakfast to her po po, and anxiously took a walk around the suburban block. She—and Alexa—had worked so hard to buy this house for their parents. That had to count for something.

When she returned, Grace and Kevin were eating at the kitchen table. The two of them stiffened when they saw Isabel. Fair enough. “Hey,” Isabel said, feeling like the interloper she was. She nodded neutrally at Kevin, and turned to Grace. “You want to talk soon?”

“Sure.” To Kevin, she said, “I’m going to talk to Isabel. Want to wait for me upstairs?”

They exchanged whispered words. Grace smiled. They pecked each other on the lips, and Kevin got up, taking both bowls with him.

Isabel was never going to get used to her baby sister being an engaged adult, let alone a married one. When Alexa had gotten married, that had been different. But there was no point in thinking about that now. She sat down.

Grace stared at her silently. She wasn’t going to make this easy for Isabel.

“I, uh, I’m sorry,” Isabel said, working hard to look her sister in the eye. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. That, uh—” It was humiliating to have to say it. “That I told you that Alexa wouldn’t have wanted you to marry Kevin. That was really fucked up.”

“Yeah.” Grace’s expression didn’t soften.

The silence expanded. Isabel sighed. “And I’m sorry for saying what I said about Kevin. I might have…underestimated him in the past, and I’m sorry for that. It’s good— I mean, I’m glad he has a job now. And, uh…” She tried to remember what her mom had said. “I can see he makes you happy. I think that’s what I meant, that I know Alexa would have wanted you to be happy. I just didn’t say it right.”

“You’re sorry forunderestimatinghim?” Grace said.

Isabel winced. “I?—”

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