Glass Shatters

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Authors: Michelle Meyers
Tags: Science-Fiction, Mystery
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getting an MRI. But first we would want to make sure you have health insurance coverage because otherwise that’s going to be very expensive. If you don’t have insurance, there are some clinics I can look into.”
    I think about my father, about the exhibition of the schizophrenic man. “Iris, if they do find something wrong, or if they find that I have some sort of psychological condition as opposed to a physical one … could they keep me there?”
    Iris scoops the risotto into bowls, steam billowing up into her face. She shakes her head. “Against your will? No, they can’t do that unless you pose an imminent danger to yourself or others.”
    I pause for a moment, still feeling unsettled. “Iris, were you surprised when I disappeared?”
    “Surprised? I guess yes and no. I was worried, of course, worried that something had happened to you …”
    “But?”
    “But you’ve always been a bit unpredictable, a bit spontaneous.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Nothing too significant. Just that you weren’t necessarily the type to tell us if you were going out of town, and sometimes you would be at home but wouldn’t answer the door for a couple days. Geniuses are eccentric. Everybody says that.”
    “I’m sorry.” I feel myself blushing, the blood pooling into my cheeks. “I hope I haven’t been too inconsiderate.”
    “No, you’ve been just fine. We both love you, Charles.”
    “Six months, though.”
    “That’s a long time,” Iris agrees. “I don’t know where you were, Charles, but something happened. I can’t exactly put a finger on it. You seem different.”
    I hear music playing from the other room, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake . Ava must be practicing for her dance class.
    “Ava, dinner’s ready! Come say hi to Charles!” Iris calls out over her shoulder.
    “No!” Ava yells from the other room, slamming the door, and I can tell that I’m still not in her good graces.
    “I brought this for Ava.” I gesture to the leotard. “I didn’t mean to, but I think I must have said something to upset her.”
    Iris stirs some fresh thyme into the risotto. “That’s sweet of you, Charles. She’ll love it. Did you know that turquoise is her favorite color? She used to have a turquoise leotard, but then she left it at the studio one day and we haven’t been able to find one since.”
    “Well, I certainly hope she likes it … do you have anyidea what might have upset her? I really didn’t mean to say anything wrong.”
    Iris sits down at the table. She gestures for me to sit across from her. We tap our wine glasses together, and then she gives a short sigh. “Look, Charles, I know we’ve all been through a lot and that Ava means the world to you, and that sometimes it’s easy to accidentally let things slip out that you don’t mean.”
    “That I don’t mean?”
    “That aren’t true.” Iris bites her lower lip in a way I can tell is habitual. “Charles, when you first were getting to know us, and Ava told you about Rory and what happened to him, you told her that your father had died too, that your parents had died in a car crash when you were eighteen.”
    It takes a moment to sink in, and then it hits me why Ava is so upset.
    “I understand, Charles. Julie and Jess had just disappeared and it’s only natural that you were looking for a way to connect.”
    “I lied to her.”
    “She’ll be okay. Her feelings are hurt, but we all make mistakes sometimes.” Iris squeezes my shoulder, then smiles. “Dinner’s ready. Why don’t you set the table for the two of us? I imagine Ava’s going to eat in her room.”
    I take the silverware and the plates from the counter, setting them on placemats decorated with little dancing ballerinas. I appreciate Iris’s kindness and consideration, but I also don’t understand why I would’ve lied to Ava. It seems out of character, and I can’t believe I wouldn’t have realized that such a significant lie would be sure to backfire.
    I wait for Iris

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