And Our Parents

Part 18 (L-O-V-E)

Bright and early on Patriots' Day, more commonly known as Marathon Monday, the family gathers at a small but elegant brunch joint in Coolidge Corner. It's strangely reminiscent of that first breakfast, back in February, when Becky met Freen – well, not met her, but learned who she really is. The same forced formality, accompanied by the same burning pain that Becky feels at being forced to sit in public at a table with her mother.

However, this time, Elena is there, Irina is not (she's already off with some of her school friends, watching the race from the finish line), and Becky and Freen ended up next to each other at the table instead of across from each other.

A lot else has changed, too.

For instance, at the first brunch, Becky was extremely hung over, coming off the high of hooking up with a stranger in a club only to have her pride turned to shame when she discovered her unexpected relation to said stranger.

Now, Becky's fresh back from an unbelievable beach weekend with Freen. The shopping was great. The sun was great. The sea was great. The sex was phenomenal.

Yet, she feels an odd wave of nostalgia for that first day.

Back then, even though she was nauseous with dehydration and with the revelation that her attractive stranger from the club was soon to be a part of her family, she retained one very, very important power, that she has long since surrendered.

Choice.

As miserable as she was back then, she still had several paths to choose from, one of which would've been to wisely remove herself from the entire situation, fly back to LA until the wedding day, and never let her attraction get the better of her. She could've hit the dating apps in full force and produced a suitably respectable wedding date, which could've grown into a long-term relationship. Or who knows, she could've spent her time finding a therapist instead and learning to love herself and arrived at the wedding single and self-secured, and maybe, maybe finally made peace with her mother.

Now, she's fucked her future stepsister more times than she can count, been caught in the act by her brother, added feelings into the mix despite numerous warning signs that the relationship is heading for a disastrous end, and somehow managed to tear up her relationship with her mother even worse than before, even though Carolyn still hasn't found out about Becky and Freen.

Yet, in spite of all that, Becky is happy. Stupid happy. Giddy happy.

Ever since they came back from Rockport, it's like she's floating on a cloud of bubbles. Bubbles from the Atlantic Ocean sea foam, which are replaced by bubbles in the champagne at brunch. She's not free, but she's fizzy.

Ignorance is bliss, after all, and Becky decides that even willful ignorance will suffice in this case. So she decides to keep her rose-colored glasses on and enjoy the rest of the roller-coaster ride, pretending she can't plainly see where the track ends and runs into a pit of spikes and lava.

This is all on her mind while she works her way through her fifteen-dollar omelet.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Elena announces suddenly.

"I'll join you," Freen says.

"Me too," Kenny mutters, and stands up as well.

Becky glares around at them, suspiciously, before the three traitors scamper away.

Constantine slowly rises, glances at Becky, and doesn't bother to give an excuse, he just walks away.

Becky and Carolyn are left alone.

They avoid each other's gaze and pick at the remains of their food for a few minutes, until Carolyn places down her fork with finality.

"It appears as though we've been set up," she says. "Might we make the most of it?"