In Fair Verona

XLIV

"Three weeks. Will that be more tragic for you or Auguste?" Phoebe laughs. She's sitting on the couch next to me, reading.

"Well at least Auguste has a girlfriend."

She looks up at me and furrows her eyebrows. "Either you forgot of your girlfriend or you broke up."

"I just think Penny and I's relationship is far different then Ximena and Auguste's."

"No shit. They're having a child at eighteen."

"Speaking of, isn't it her birthday..." I look  down at the date in my phone. "Sometime soon."

"I think you're think April second not March second."

"When's Auguste's?"

"May eleventh."

I frown at the ground. Phoebe doesn't notice when she goes back to reading.

It's already obvious Richard had both my mom and Gwen knocked up at the same time but that's only a month apart.

I'm a June birthday.

"What about Grace?"

"Hers is also in April. We all have early birthdays. Well except Felix, Clement and I."

"Hm," I nod my head.

I stare at the wall out of boredom for a moment before she places down her book and hops up.

"I'm going to pick some things up from the market or whatever that maman goes to. You know the one on the farm?"

I nod my head.

"Anyway, usually they're closed Sunday but maman really needed something and I've got to pick it up. Want to come?"

"What are we picking up?"

"I don't know just something she needs for a recipe this week. We're having a family get together. Speaking of she asked me to grab some groceries for her as well."

"What do you mean family?"

She raises an eyebrow at me.

"Somehow you haven't picked up yet that I'm talking about the Martelle family. I'm surprised we don't call them aunt and uncle. Is that a white person thing?"

She looks to me and stops.

"Yes never mind I'm white and I'll just say it is. Whatever, are you coming with me?"

I shrug.

"I suppose."

"Great now off your bum, let's go."

"One question," I ask.

"Yes."

"You can't drive, I can't drive."

"You can't drive?"

"Did you ask me to go because you wanted me to or you needed a drive."

"Both. I didn't feel like going alone and figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. Didn't feel like having Amber drive."

"Sick of her yet?" I joke because she was here all weekend.

"Cause you are one to judge," she says. "You and Isaac are tied to each others side. Speaking of, maybe he can drive. Oh but no Amber would catch wind and drag herself along."

"I thought Grace was home this weekend."

"Maman dragged her to church."

This family goes to church?

How do I know nothing.

"Auguste?"

"Appointment," Phoebe says and rubs her belly. "For the bebe."

"Keep rubbing your belly and you're going to give Gwen a heart attack. I think she's had enough surprises."

"Ah yes. Who do you think is next?" She says. "You and me are left."

I shrug.

"I mean you're the one with a girlfriend." She plops back down on the couch beside me.

"Maybe not much longer."

Phoebe turns to face me.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. She's... we don't have much in common."

"You have everything in common. If you were gay, you'd be best friends."

"Besides the point, I can't break up with her. I'm too scared."

"That seems to run in this family doesn't it."

"Richard," I say to her.

"The women didn't get it," she says standing up again and preparing to walk away.

"Wait till you have something to hide."

She stops and turns around.

"You suggesting you have something to hide?"

"No."

"Well whatever that's supposed to mean, Grace had something to hide and she handled it fine."

"After hiding it for two years. Auguste told immediately."

Phoebe turns around and crosses her arms.

"Auguste had to and we both know he's more of a wimp." I can tell by her tone of voice she's getting annoyed. "Grace would've been sacrificing her entire relationship with her mother."

"Well sorry if I don't know what that's like," I mutter bitterly.

"Maybe you don't but that doesn't give you any place to assume that it was easy for her."

How am I on the side of argument that is, coming out is easy? What?

"This is dumb."

"Well if you were defending the men in this family I beg to differ."

"No, over my dead body would I ever say Richard is brave. Whatever I was just stating we all can be cowards if we have something to hide. One thing you definitely picked up from you mother is temper."

"No I picked that up from being a woman in a world where everyone assumes the man is the bigger person," Phoebe says. "Grace the same way. Auguste and Richard have never had to deal with that, they're white males. Not to mention pretty stinking rich."

"Yeah I guess I can understand. I didn't grow up in this house, definitely not as a rich white kid."

I have no idea what we're arguing over.

I can assume she doesn't either because she unfolds her arms and sits down, again.

"You sure you aren't hiding anything?" She asks softly.

I shrug.

She nods her head, leans back and picks up her book again. Same position as five minutes ago.

Like nothing happened.