Fool Me Once, Fool Me Twice

Family Dinner

“Would you all like a drink?” Robin offers, and I stand up with her.

“I’ll help.” I follow her out into the kitchen and she points to the tall silver fridge.

“There’s beer in the fridge.” I pull the door open and take in all the different food labels. There is no meat and everything is organic. Everything except for the beer and three jars of peanut butter.

“You guys only eat organic food, huh?” I try to make pointless small talk

“Yeah, Rory is allergic to some of the chemicals in pesticides.” Robin nods, pulling glasses from a cupboard above her head.

“Who’s Rory?” I already know the answer, but I’m dreading hearing her say it.

“Rory is our youngest son, he’s upstairs. Natalie’s just gone up to get him.”

“You have three children.” I take a moment to absorb this information and I assess Robin while I do. As much as I hate to admit it, Robin is beautiful. Her hair is long and thick, no grey hair and no visible split ends. Her skin tone is even and her eyes are the perfect contrast to her golden tan. She has thick eyelashes and plump lips; this woman is the image of beauty. I hope I look as good as her when I’m her age.

“How old are your kids?” I ask, placing beers on the counter next to the glasses.

“Natalie is nineteen, Ethan is six and Rory is two.” Natalie is nineteen? That means she was born before I even went missing. My dad had been cheating on my mom for years before he left. “How old are you and Grace?”

“Dad didn’t tell you?” I ask with a frown.

“No, I only just found out about this dinner when you called an hour ago. He doesn’t like to talk about his life before we were together.” She stares straight at one of the glasses.

“Oh, um, Grace is sixteen and I’m twenty one.” I turn away from the counter to face the kitchen, “Do you have a bottle opener?” Robin nods and opens a drawer next to her. She roots around inside for a while, pulling spoons and scissors out before she finds the bottle opener and hands it to me.

“I’m sorry for what I did to your family.” She whispers so quietly I barely hear her say it. I can see tears in her eyes as she takes the beer that I have opened and pours it into a glass. I can’t blame Robin entirely; it was my dad’s fault, too. So instead of blaming her, I hug her. She is shocked at first, but then she grabs hold of me and holds on like her life depends on it.

“Is everything okay in here?” Natalie is stood in the doorway with an empty tray. “Dad sent me in, he says you might need this.” She walks in and sets the tray down next to the glasses. I can get a real look at her now, and I can’t deny that she looks like me and Grace: the thick dark hair that she has cut into a bob, the same face shape and the same nose. The only thing missing is the eyes.

“Everything’s fine.” Robin and I both say at the same time and share a small smile. We put beers, glasses, a bottle of red wine and some lemonade onto the tray and I carry it back into the living room. When I set it down on the low mahogany coffee table, Grace reaches out to take a bottle of beer. I slap her hand away and give her the sternest look I can manage.

“No.” And I hand her a glass of lemonade.

“What? Why?” She moans looking at her drink, disappointed, and then watching Natalie pour herself a glass of wine. “Natalie’s drinking!”

“I am not responsible for Natalie, I’m responsible for you.” Grace is giving me a look that makes me feel terrible for telling her ‘no’. “Fine! You can have one with your dinner; just stop looking at me like that.”