Page 15 of Love Hollow at Last
Noah’s dad expertly used a mere corner of a napkin to get some stray grains of rice off the baby’s chin.“Yes.Well, that part, I can’t speak to.Are you going to the party?”
“Of course I’m going to the party,” Noah grumbled.“I don’t know why Nobu is even asking.Or why he’s asking you.”
“Most likely because you did not RSVP,” said Mr.Kato, ever the diplomat.He had inherited the Japanese ability to argue politely.
“Okay, well, it’s not like I would miss it,” said Noah.
His dad smiled.“Well, you miss things sometimes.You’re busy.He and Hunter simply wanted to know.”
Noah pulled out his phone.“I’m going to text him now,” he said.
“Plus one?”
“No,” Noah said.“Just me.I mean, I could ask Grace.”
“Grace has already been invited,” said a voice, and Noah’s mother appeared around the corner.“She RSVP’d right away, of course.”
“Yeah, yeah, she does everything better than me.”
“Except sing, perhaps?”said Noah’s dad.“Or is she an expert in that too?”
“Apparently not,” said Noah’s mother without waiting for him to answer.“And it’s a good thing, too, or she would put our son out of a job.”
Noah served himself some of the Changs’ soup.His mother and father, without speaking, switched places, and his mother began feeding baby Hana.
“In some ways, it might be fun to try another job,” said Noah lightly.He didn’t want his parents to worry about the very real possibility that his career was going down the tubes, but he imagined they had seen the same celebrity gossip everyone else had.
“You could take care of Hana for a day,” said Noah’s mother, a wicked smile on her face.“Generally, all it takes to root out a bit of deep-seated misogyny is a nice long chunk of time during which one is solely responsible for a helpless baby.”
“Now, dear,” said Noah’s dad, patting his wife’s hand.“Hana is far from helpless.If she were helpless, we couldn’t leave her with her uncle.”
“Of course not,” said the proud grandmother, making a shocked face at the baby, who giggled.
“I don’t need to be a nanny to take care of her,” said Noah.“And I don’t think I have too much misogyny that needs rooting out.Thanks, Mom.”
His parents exchanged looks, and his father nodded.
“Well, then.There’s a reading-intervention training Nami wanted to do.It’s after the festival, so maybe you could take one of those days.Your mother and I were going to split them.”
Noah shrugged.“Sure.Whatever.”
14
Aya
“So, about your doctorate,” said Emi.
“You just want me to get one so I can have a couple of letters in front of my name,” grumbled Aya.“Here, stand with the museum in the background and look wistful.”
“I’m not even signed up to attend the Pilgrimage,” said Emi.“Not officially.”
“Stand still,” said Aya.She had borrowed one of Twyla’s old cameras.She always thought it was a shame that Twy had decided to report news, not simply take pictures.Then again, she was forced to do so much at the local paper that her articles often included a picture she’d taken herself.
Emi tried again.“I wouldn’t want you to go out and get a doctorate if you hadn’t already done most of the work,” she said.“But something has kept you in that program for seven years.”
“Eight years, actually,” said Aya through gritted teeth.“Though only six before I took this job.”
Emi shook her head.“Sure, however many years.I know at one point you liked it.So what changed?”
