Read Online The Living Room by Robert Whitlow - Free Book Online Page A

the two women as they finished their tea. The conversation lagged.
    “I ruined the soufflé and our lunch,” Natalie said glumly when Amy got up to leave.
    Amy stepped forward and gave her a hug.
    “No. The soufflé was delicious, and what kind of friends would we be if all we talked about was silly girl stuff? It helped a lot to be able to tell you about the dreams. It was healthy for me to share with someone I trust.” Amy paused. “But please don’t say anything to Luke, okay?”
    Natalie crossed her heart with her finger. “I promise. And if you like, the next time we get together the only topic for discussion will be nail polish.”

six
    A s she loaded the dishwasher after supper, Amy looked forward to an evening alone while the rest of the family went to the football game. She put Jeff’s plate of food in the microwave. Megan, who spent a long time in the bathroom after the meal, came downstairs to the kitchen. Upon seeing her, Amy’s immediate reaction was to send her back upstairs to wash her face and start over.
    “Why all the makeup?”
    “I want to look nice.”
    “Don’t you think you overdid it with the green eye shadow and extra eyeliner? I’ve never seen you lay it on so thick.”
    “No. I talked to the other girls. We agreed that we don’t want to look like eighth graders.”
    Amy couldn’t prevent the transition from middle school to high school, but she didn’t want Megan to rush the process.
    “You know how eye shadow fades,” Megan continued. “And it won’t show up when it gets dark.”
    “The lights at the football field are bright as day.” Amy paused. “Unless you go behind the stands where it’s dark.”
    “Please, Mom. Don’t hassle me. I’m not going behind the stands, and I’m not committing some big sin by wanting to look my best.”
    Jeff came into the kitchen from work. His clothes were covered with fine white dust.
    “Don’t hug me,” he said to Amy, holding out his right hand. “And will you bring my robe to the laundry room? I don’t want any of this plaster dust in our bedroom. We had to do extensive wall repair in an upstairs bedroom at the Burris house before we could install the window units.” He glanced at Megan. “What’s with all the sparkly green eye shadow?”
    Megan spun around and left the kitchen.
    “You came in on the end of our conversation.” Amy pointed at the spot their daughter had vacated. “Megan and her friends are ganging up on us about getting all dolled up, and she played the ‘We’re all doing it card.’ I was trying to decide if fighting excessive makeup was a hill I wanted to die on or not.”
    “It’s not worth dying. And I have a surprise of my own. I’m going to take Ian to the Pizza Palace after the game. That way I can see what kind of group Megan and her pals hang out with.”
    “She’ll be furious.”
    Jeff shrugged. “I have a right to be there with my son. We’ll make sure to sit as far away as we can.”
    “She’ll think I put you up to it.”
    “And I’ll set her straight if that comes up. It’s important for Megan to know that her father cares about what she does, where she goes, and who she’s with.”
    “I wish you weren’t covered with plaster dust,” Amy said.
    “Why?”
    “Because I’d give you the best hug you’ve had in weeks.”
    “Can I save it for after I clean up and change clothes?”
    “Yes.”

    When Bethany’s mother arrived, Amy and Megan walked outside in silence. The side door of the blue minivan opened so Megan could get in. Amy could see that Bethany was wearing more makeup than Megan, and Crystal, a slender, blond-haired girl with a very pale complexion, had slathered such a mismatched variety of colors on her facethat she looked clownish. A stifling cloud of perfume hung heavy inside the vehicle. Amy couldn’t tell if the fragrance was coming from Bethany or Crystal or both. She moved to the driver’s-side window.
    “Hey, Barb,” she said to Bethany’s mother.