A Dance of Life

47

"She nodded a lot, yeah?" Pat says as she buckles her seatbelt in the driver's seat.

"Yeah, she did, but she was nice," I reply. "Wasn't what I expected."

"And what did you expect?" She starts up my dad's rental car and reverses unto the road, before putting the stick to drive and moving forward.

"Are you my take home psychologist?" I chuckle. "I'm joking. On a serious note, I expected her to be cold and snotty; not really listening to me, you know?"

"Yeah, I think I understand what you mean."

"Pat?" I say slowly, hoping she'll know where I'm going with it.

"Annelise," she sighs, and I know that I have her.

"I know you'll give me a hundred reasons why you don't need to talk to a professional about the way you feel toward your family, but you can't keep it inside like this. You don't even have to talk to me, as long as you talk to someone... before you turn thirty."

She bursts out in laughter and glances at me. "Before I turn thirty? I can do that."

"Promise? I'm not going to forget this, on your thirtieth birthday I'm going to ask you and make sure that all this anger is gone."

"Alright, Annelise," she relaxes. "I'll stop pushing it under and deal with it, but not anytime soon. You know there's no way I'm going to let anything distract me from you, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," I roll my eyes playfully. "How's Diana as a roommate?"

"She's not too bad, really," Pat laughs. "I'll admit I was skeptical and surprised when she told me she wanted to do it, but so far so good. She's in good spirits, and I think it makes her feel more grown-up."

"I think it's also cause she's going to miss you," I tell her. "She's going to be moving away soon and you've grown on her. It'll be easier if you just came over to the Airbnb, you know?" I say under my breath. "We're all there and we all miss you."

"Is Nathan actually staying there?" She asks, surprised at the notion.

"On and off," I tell her. "He's slept there, I think four times. Hangs out with Lucas mainly, though."

"Are you jealous?" She giggles. "Let's grab lunch, Ellie. Lean proteins, and greens, and all that jazz."

"Lead the way, darling, I'm all for it."

She instructs the GPS to guide us to the nearest restaurant, which is a few meters away. She parks the car and we exit, paying for parking before we enter.

"Wow, when was the last time we came here?" She asks with wide eyes as we take in the interior. "It's suddenly so fancy."

I nod, staring at velvet couches and stained glass tabletops. Small chandeliers hang from the ceiling every six feet, and the aroma of well-flavored food scents the room. We walk up to the reception and request a booth.

"Maybe I should quit at the diner and work here," Pat whispers into my ear as we're being ushered to a booth. "They might appreciate my business expertise more."

"Go for it," I whisper back. "Just make sure you find out before you quit."

We slide into the booth we're guided to, sitting opposite each other, and take the two menus from the waitress. I flip through absentmindedly, waiting for something to catch my eye.

"How about this... Chili Chicken, with some black rice, and some steamed vegetables?" Pat asks, still flipping through the menu.

"Have you ever had black rice?"