Page 92 of Notes About Vodka

"Guilty as charged," Val replies, and they all laugh. My tension eases a little.

Breakfast goes smoothly. Sorta.

As the conversation flows, I feel my shoulders gradually relax. But I’m still stiff. My spine is sore from all the week’s adventures.

The laughter grows louder, the stories more vivid, and I find myself genuinely smiling as the tension melts away. They talk about childhood memories, favorite holiday traditions, and laugh as Leigha recounts her disastrous karaoke performance.

I sit quietly and pick at my pancakes and scrambled eggs.

Dad asks Val about his life in Russia, and Barbara shares stories about their last family vacation to the Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg.

I try not to be mad as I listen to Barbara bragging about allthe things they do with Leigha. I've never been to Tennessee even though I used to ask my dad to take me all the time when I was a kid. Nor have I been to Savannah, where they are going next. The disappointment still lingers, mixed with a dull ache of being left out of the new memories he’s making.

Or was that before he got sober-ish and found Jesus.

Val talks about growing up in Sochi and his classes at NYU, and my dad is immediately hooked when Val starts describing the mountains, fishing, and how they make their own beer, or piva.

Leigha groans about her hangover, cracks jokes about last night's karaoke disaster, and flirts with the waiter. "You know," she says with a wink, "I only sing badly when there's an audience." The waiter chuckles, and Dad shakes his head. "Leigha is my untamable daughter," he mutters, making everyone laugh but me.

"So, Val," Dad says, leaning forward as he stirs his coffee. "What made you come to New York?"

Val hesitates for a second, then answers, "I always loved visiting the bigger cities in Russia. When I had the opportunity to come to the city to learn English in high school, I couldn’t pass it up. Plus, NYC has really great food. I stayed because NYU has great hospitality and science pathways."

"Science, huh?" Dad says. "I always loved chemistry and math. I’d stand behind Laura when she was a kid and solve her math problems in my head. Then I would shout out the answer while she was still working."

And you were always wrong dad.

"I love science, too," Leigha chimes in, rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses. “Chemistry is my favorite.”

Lies, she failed chemistry because she hated it so much and wouldn’t go to class.

Barbara laughs. "You always had a flair for the dramatic,Leigha," she says. "I still remember your meltdown during the science fair in tenth grade."

"Hey," Leigha protests, "that volcano was rigged!"

No, you added too much reactant to a structure that was too narrow. That is why your product exploded all over the judges.

The conversation continues, moving effortlessly between jokes and stories while I occasionally make a comment.

Val shares anecdotes from his childhood, like the time he and his cousins built a raft that sank immediately in the Black Sea. Dad tells a story about fishing trips from his own youth, while Barbara adds in her own, stories.

By the time we leave, Dad claps Val on the back and says, "Good to know my daughter has great taste."

Val smiles, his dark brown eyes crinkling with amusement as he says, "I think I got the better end of the deal."

I'm blushing as we step outside, my mind replaying the morning's conversations and the surprising ease of it all. I think about how naturally Val fit in, how he laughed with my dad, teased Leigha, and answered Barbara's questions with genuine curiosity. It feels like a glimpse of something I've always wanted: my family and my heart existing peacefully together.

It was never like this with Sam. Sam always wanted to control the conversation, upping whatever the other person was saying. And when he and daddy would start arguing, most nights I just walked on back to my single-wide home in the trailer park.

I feel a lingering warmth, a sense of cautious hope that maybe, just maybe, my family and Val could fit into the same world.

Val just grins and whispers, "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"It was horrible," I reply. He doesn’t need to know why I didn’t enjoy myself completely. Some secrets are supposed tobe just that, secrets. "But I'm glad you met them. Sorry I have to leave..."

“It’s okay, Laura. Spend time with your family. I need to go and ready anyway before work tonight. See you there?”

"Ummm," I look up at Val. "Actually, I'm off tonight as well. I'll be back tomorrow."

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