Page 179 of Don't Leave Me

“What is it with you and those accents, Han?” she laughed at me, then turned back to Jack. “It’s lovely to meet you, Jack. Please, come in,” she took his hand and shook it, then guided us inside.

“Your father is picking up dinner on his way home. I told him to go easy on you two. I know love makes you do crazy things sometimes,” my mom smiled at Jack with a wink – she was going a little overboard with the friendliness, which I guess was better than the opposite.

“How did he respond when you told him the other day?” I asked cautiously. “He didn’t leave me a long, angry voicemail so I thought that was kind of a good sign?” I shrugged as we all walked into the kitchen.

“He did what he always does: he went sulking in his office and drank all night. He hasn’t mentioned it since,” my mom responded, obviously tense. “Let’s show Jack around, shall we?” she perked up.

Not talking things through and passive-aggressiveness was a specialty in my family. I wouldn’t be shocked if my dad pretended everything was perfectly fine when he got home.

My mom showed Jack and I around the house, stopping in our huge library and then scurrying off to get us all some wine. She was being a perfect, hospitable host and it didn’t surprise me one bit.

“Your mum is very pleasant,” Jack smiled at me, taking a seat next to me in the leather couch in the middle of the room.

“It’s all just a perfect act,” I mumbled, not realizing the irony of my statement until after I said it.

“You’ve learned from the best then, hm?” Jack sat back, looking defeated.

I put my hand on his thigh. The sheer irony thatIhad to comforthimwas not lost on me. “I love you, Jack,” I said quietly, putting my other hand to his cheek. “That’s not an act.”

My mom suddenly walked in, clinking three wine glasses together in one hand and a cold bottle of white in her other hand. I positioned my arm around Jack, still comforting him but also putting on the act he was referring to.

“Your father is picking up Thai. Jack, do you have any preferences?” Mom inquired as she set the glasses down on the coffee table in front of us and began to fill them all up.

“I’ll eat anything,” he responded happily, flashing his dimples at me.

“Hana is so picky. As a child she would only eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She hasn’t eaten meat since she was what – 12?” Mom went on, taking a glass and waving it around as she talked.

“Eleven. Not since the summer in Tennessee when grandma and grandpa slaughtered Pippy,” I frowned at the memory.

“Always so sensitive,” Mom rolled her eyes.

“Pippy?” Jack’s eyebrows were raised with concern.

“A pig that I loved. My grandparents lived on a farm. It was traumatic,” I reached for a glass of wine.

Jack did the same.

“Jack, where did you grow up? England?” my mom inquired, completely changing the subject.

“I was born in London but spent the most of my childhood living in Wales. I went back to London for university,” Jack explained, his tone so friendly and pleasant.

“Hana said that you went to NYU?” she interrogated further.

“Yes, I received my master’s degree in Fine Arts. About…four years ago,” he nodded, putting his hand on my thigh – I could tell he was nervous.

My mom’s eyes lit up. “That’s wonderful. My sister Jennifer went to NYU for the same thing.”

My heart dropped immediately. How had I been so stupid to forget that aunt Jenny went to NYU for her Master’s in art? She didn’t graduate, but she was half way done with the program when she dropped out. I had finally found it – Jack’s way to get to my mother’s heart. I felt disgusting.

“Hana never mentioned that,” Jack said with a surprise. “TheAunt Jenny?” he asked me curiously – I had talked about her briefly when we first met.

“Yes,” I nodded, fidgeting with the ring on my finger.

“Yes, mycrazysister,” Mom sighed, taking a big gulp of her wine.

“Don’t talk about her that way, mom. She wasn’t crazy,” I retorted quickly, offended should anyone say anything bad about my dearest, favorite, amazing aunt Jenny.

My mom rolled her eyes again, clearly exhausted by the whole conversation. She continued to ignore me and changed the subject again.

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