Belongs To Him

22 | Distance between them

Alina Windsor

Holy man. I think I underestimated this dinner to Kingston. It's not that my parents didn't like him, it's the reminder that they didn't actually like each other.

Even though across the long table from each other the tension was there. I could tell dad hadn't been home in a bit and Mia confirmed that suspicion asking how he was doing lately.

Everyone was more distracted by Beth talking about her trip to Alaska next year. But my mom seemed unamused and I knew it's because she wanted Beth to have a baby. But her and Tom were taking their time.

My mother being my mother, doesn't understand that. She only knows the celibate life, married and then immediately having children. That's how she was raised, in a big family and taught to have one of her own.

She was still brooding about me and Kingston too. I wondered when she'd snap or rip at one of us. But for now it had been clear. She slapped a smile on his face but it only seemed to be there for my parents when they realized who he was.

I still don't even really know.

"Dad how's Mr. President?" As Reagan asks the question one would presume a joke. It's interested in a family like ours, how it's generally serious. My dad smiles at it though, being the presidents 'buddy'.

He looks down at his roast and then up to Reagan tilting his head, "Now that's classified information Miss Windsor." He teases and glances back over at Mom, who sat unamused.

"Helen?" He asks her outright in front of all of us. The tone in his voice hinting to some type of problem lingering. She looks at Kingston who sat observing like the rest of her children.

Then she looked back at him and stood with her napkin in hand throwing it down on the table and stormed out the dining room.

The silence was loud, an awkward loud. And under the table I felt Kingston's hand squeeze mine as I didn't quite know what to say.

"I'm sorry Kingston," my father begins. "I'm going to go check in with my wife." I could hear my mother mumbling off in annoyance in the kitchen. I knew that dad going in to talk would be worse and as he left. Matt was too late to stand and ask him to stop.

"I say we go get ice cream," Mia suggests glancing at the six of us. I could see the worry in her eyes and I knew she didn't want to witness yet another fight. Or that she didn't want Kingston to see it either.

The only bad fight Tom had seen was at his own wedding. My parents showed up together like some big mistake. They fought during the speech's distracting the guests and upsetting Beth.

"I'm not leaving the two of them alone" Matt warns. Glancing back over at the doorway, we could already hear them begin to bicker.

As I could hear them clearer now, I just stared at the plate in front of me. It was ceramic and a dark red with lines detailing. A blue and white patterned napkin underneath it. The roast with potato's and green beans I'll never eat on the side sitting in the center. The silverware looked shiny, though it's old.

The tablecloth had been the same floral one since I was just about 10 and the marker stain from me is hidden underneath the lemon centerpiece.

"You had to embarrass me as usual! In front of Kingston on top of that, our son in law-"

"I was not embarrassing Helen, oh my god!"