Page 88 of The Baby Dragon Bakery
“You do, too,” he said. He squeezed her thigh. She was wearing a sweater dress and little heels, her hair pulled back in a fishtail braid that Beena had done for her. “Ready?”
“Let’s go,” she said.
He drove her to his parents’ place, the house he’d grown up in. It was strange coming back here after so many years, but it must have been stranger still for Theo. All those memories.
She thought back to the day he had fallen from the apple tree; all that blood, all those tears. She shuddered, holding Theo’s arm tighter as they made it to the front door. Theo took in a deep breath, then knocked on the door.
A moment later, the front door opened to reveal Amaya, Theo’s mother.
“Theo, hello!” she said, smiling. “And you must be Lavinia. Come in.”
She was a thin woman with warm brown skin, and she ushered them in. Her outfit was simple and elegant, a midiskirt and turtleneck sweater. Lavinia saw, when she entered the house, that it was similarly decorated in a clean and sophisticated fashion.
“Hey,” Theo said. Amaya squeezed his arm.
“Thank you for having us,” Lavinia said, wondering if she should hug Amaya or not. Probably not, since she hadn’t even hugged her own son.
“Of course,” Amaya said, taking their coats. “It’s been so long.”
She led them into the house, and Theo’s father, Rishi, appeared.
“Theo,” he said, shaking Theo’s hand. It was jarring for Lavinia to see; she was so used to Theo hugging her parents hello, yet his own parents were so cold. Rishi shook Lavinia’s hand next, then said, “Come, let’s eat.”
He led them to the dining room, the sound of their shoes clicking on the tile floors. Amaya returned after putting away their coats. The table was already set, the food in closed dishes. Amaya must have set the food out just before they arrived because—when she lifted the lids—steam rose from the dishes.
It was a good thing she and Theo had been on time. Lavinia had prepared for tonight to be different than what she was used to at her own home, but that didn’t stop the experience from being unsettling.
“Please, begin,” Amaya said, gesturing to Lavinia. She nodded, plating rice and a beef curry onto her plate, which she thought was an interesting choice. Theo didn’t like beef curries; Beena never made them if she knew Theo was coming over.
After Lavinia had served herself, the others took their helpings as well. Theo’s plate hardly had any food on it, andLavinia waited for Amaya to scold him, urging him to take more the way Beena and Garrett did, but Amaya was silent.
“Water?” Rishi asked Lavinia, holding up the crystal pitcher.
“Yes, please,” she replied, holding out her glass.
He poured her water, then asked, “Tell me, what do you do?”
“I’m in veterinary school,” Lavinia said.
Rishi’s eyes brightened at that. “A wonderful profession,” he said. “Quite competitive, too, from what I hear. You must be terribly clever.”
Lavinia didn’t know how to respond to that. “Oh, uh, thank you,” she said, smiling.
They ate dinner, and it was worse than she had expected, though she did have low expectations to begin with. His parents were normal, polite and nice, even, but they were just so quiet.
She could hear the clattering of the utensils against the plates, and every little noise was amplified. It made her want to be quiet, too. She felt awkward. The room was almost stifling.
Worse, Theo was so drawn into himself. She hadn’t seen him like that, not for a long time, not since they were kids. It reminded her of the first day she had visited him after his knee injury, how depressed he had been.
It was horrible to see him like this again, as if he was bracing himself for blows. She didn’t realize it would be like this, or she would have never suggested coming.
Amaya and Rishi didn’t seem to care about Theo much. They asked Lavinia questions about her work at the Animal Hospital, what courses she was taking for her veterinary degree, but she could tell it was because they were impressed by her career path.
“You’ve got such a good head on your shoulders,” Amayasaid. “You could teach Theo a thing or two.” She smiled as if she was teasing, but Lavinia did not think she was.
“I don’t think Theo needs any tips from me,” Lavinia replied, her smile tight. “He does well on his own.”
Rishi chuckled, as if she was being silly, and Lavinia’s eye twitched. She tried not to show that she was upset or angry, but the emotions simmered inside of her. Clenching her jaw, she took a long sip of water, hoping to cool down.
