Declassified

Declassified Part 9 Slumming It

      Thalia took a bite of her bread, listening to her friends talk. "You have to do what makes you happy, Jillian." She pointed out after she swallowed.

      "I know." Jillian agreed, frowning. "It's just hard because I want my mom to be happy, but I feel like I have to sacrifice my happiness for hers. I love work, and I don't want to get into a relationship yet, but I know my mom really wants me to get married and have children." She paused before smiling. "And she'd prefer if those babies were Chinese."

      Claire laughed, and Lindsey smiled. "Does she really care if they're Chinese?"

      "Absolutely." Jillian told her, picking up her drink. "I try to tell her they're going to look Chinese anyway, but she wants me to find a nice Chinese man." She paused. "She always specifies Chinese, but I think Asian in general will satisfy her."

      Claire shook her head ruefully. "My mom isn't as vocal about it, but I know she'd like me to marry someone black."
      "Really?" Lindsey asked, looking surprised. "I don't think my mom cares either way."

      "I think race plays a bigger role in your life if you don't fit the status quo." Claire pointed out. "We live in a predominantly white culture."

      "Exactly." Jillian agreed. "I think my mom worries that if I don't marry someone Chinese I will lose touch with my heritage. I'll have children who only identify with white culture, even if they look like me."

      "That makes sense." Thalia agreed. "Your family definitely impacts your culture and how you move within that culture."
      "I don't know." Lindsey swirled a piece of chicken around her plate. "I think relationships should be about love." She grinned. "Or at least about sex."

      "It's not just race that matters though." Thalia said thoughtfully. "I think it's about heritage and culture. Alex's heritage means a lot to him. I know his grandparents really liked the idea that Alex was dating someone Russian."

      "Are there a lot of redheaded Russians?" Claire asked playfully.
      Thalia laughed. "Actually, there is one part of Russia that has a lot of us."
      "I didn't know that." Jillian said. "I figured you were Irish, or maybe Scottish."

      Nobody said anything for a moment, and Thalia could tell they were unsure about how she would react to a reference to her potential ancestry.

      "I think so too." Thalia admitted after a moment, looking at her pale arms, smiling. "Somewhere without a lot of sun." She paused. "I doubt that I'm Russian, but Alex's grandparents love that I speak the language."

      "Because you and Alex can teach your kids Russian." Lindsey predicted.
      Thalia felt her cheeks heat up. "We've just started dating." She reminded them. "We're nowhere near that sort of thing."

      "Not just." Lindsey reminded her, looking curious. "When do we get to meet him? You're spending all your time with him and we don't get to meet the mystery man?"
      Thalia blushed. "Oh, I don't know." She shrugged, embarrassed. "It hasn't been that long."

      "It's been a month." Claire pointed out. "When do we get to meet him?"
      "I don't even know what he looks like." Jillian added.
      "Oh, he's so cute." Lindsey told her. "I've seen pictures."

      Thalia shook her head. "It's not about looks though." She told them truthfully. "He's smart and funny and...." She smiled. "We have a lot of fun together."
      Claire smiled at her best friend. "I love that you're part of a 'we', Thalia."

      Thalia blushed again. "It's not a big deal." She insisted. "When you meet him... I just hope you guys like him." She said seriously.
      "I'm sure we will." Claire promised, squeezing her hand.