After the ceremony, they approached.
My mother said, “Rowan.”
I said nothing.
My father looked at Lila and said, “We’re very proud.”
Lila looked at him, calm as anything.
“You don’t get to be proud of us only when other people are watching.”
Silence.
In the car, Lila groaned and covered her face.
My mother flinched.
My father opened his mouth, then closed it.
I put my hand on Lila’s back and said, “We’re leaving.”
And we did.
In the car, Lila groaned and covered her face. “I cannot believe I said that.”
I started laughing. Real laughing.
When we got home, the apartment still smelled faintly like cinnamon.
She peeked through her fingers. “What?”
I shook my head. “I’m just admiring my work.”
She laughed too.
Then she got quiet. “Was I too harsh?”
I started the car. “No. You were honest.”
When we got home, the apartment still smelled faintly like cinnamon.
“People know the difference.”
There was flour near the stove. A rolling pin in the dish rack. Our ordinary life waiting for us.
Lila dropped into a chair and said, “It was just pie.”