“I just want to know one thing,” Daddy said. “I gather that Tatiana’s involvement with this charming, well-connected young man has been common knowledge to everyone present . . . with the possible irrelevant exception of myself.”
“Common knowledge?” Mom said.
“They’ve been fucking around for four months and no one has said a word about it!”
“We haven’t been fucking around, Daddy,” I said, hurt.
“These two young people have had carnal knowledge of each other since last spring,” Daddy said. “Is that correct, Tatiana?”
“Lionel, Jesus!” Mom said.
“No, I’m just mildly puzzled that this state of affairs has been considered so trifling that no one thought to bring it to my attention.”
“Some of us like to mind our own business,” Mom said, pushing her plate aside.
“Oh?” Daddy said. “Well, no doubt there are other events of a similar nature about which I am likewise in the dark. What have you been up to, Delia? How many lovers do you have on the side? Your mathematics tutor? The doorman?”
Delia grinned. “Right, Daddy . . . I like older men.”
“Lionel, don’t you remember what it was like to be in love?” Mom said.
“Love?”
“Yes, love . . . remember? That’s what this is all about.”
“It is, is it?” Daddy said.
“Yes, it is, is it,” Mom said. “And will you stop that dreadful ironic tone about everything. You’re throwing a pall on our whole evening.”
Daddy threw his hands up. “Which, of course, is the ultimate sin.”
“What’s happening with your show, Mom?” Delia said in a friendly way. She hates it when Mom and Daddy fight.
“Can I tell about it?” Mom said, casting a wry glance at Daddy. “Am I given permission?”
“Yeah, what’s happening?” I said. I didn’t want to keep talking about Joshua.
“Well, you’ll never believe this . . . but I may go back to it.”
“How? You died,” Delia said.
“Here’s what they’re thinking of. It’s still in the planning stage, so far. Poor Dwight has to go back to the hospital.”
Dwight is Dr. Morrison, the man Myra (Mom) loves.
“His kidneys again?” Daddy said. I could tell he was trying to act nice to get back on Mom’s good side.
“Yeah, they’re acting up, something . . . Anyway, while he’s there, he thinks he sees me.”
“Only they think he’s hallucinating,” Daddy said. He began to mix the salad.
“Right . . . only he’s not. Because there’s a new nurse—that’ll be me—who looks exactly like me, only has different hair, I’d wear a wig or something.”
“Is she you?” Delia asked.
Mom shook her head. “My twin sister.”
“I didn’t know you had one,” I said.
“Neither did I,” Mom said. “Neither did anyone! The reason is, we were separated at birth and each adopted by another family, and neither of us knew we were twins. But Dwight sees the resemblance, and one day he notices a birthmark I evidently had on my thigh.”
“How does he get a look at your thigh?” Daddy said. “I thought you were in the hospital.”
“I’m wearing a short skirt,” Mom said breezily. “Who knows?”
“And Myra had the same birthmark?” Daddy said.
“Right,” Mom said.
“Well, that’s exciting, darling,” Daddy said. “When do you hear definitely?”
Mom gave him a fishy glance. “Do you really think it’s exciting?”
“Of course I do.” Mom always says Daddy is supportive of her career; one, because she makes money and they do things like take trips and, two, because it makes her happy to work and if she’s not happy she gets in a rotten mood.
Daddy got up and went over and gave Mom a hug. I think they do love each other, even though they yell at each other a lot. Deel says love and hate are closely connected. I guess that’s so, but I don’t think I hate Joshua. Not yet. Right now I just love him.
At nine Mom and Daddy got ready to go out and meet Joshua’s parents. “Have a nice time,” Deel said.
“We will.” Mom gave me a hug. “Don’t worry, hon.”
I was a little worried. I went in and called Joshua. He works at a camping store till eight Tuesday and Friday, but he’d just gotten in.
“They just left,” he said about his parents.
“Mine too . . . I’m scared.”
“Don’t be, Rust . . . it’ll be okay.”
“He thinks fourteen is too young,” I said.
“It depends on the person,” Joshua said. “You’re very mature for your age.”
“Do you think so?”
“Sure.”
“He thinks it’s just screwing around.”
“He sounds as dumb as my father.”
“He’s just sort of . . . What if they say we can’t see each other anymore?”
“We will, anyway.”
“I’d hate to have to sneak around and—”
“It’s going to be okay, Rust. Really.”
“Yeah?”
“Sure.”
“How’s your cold?”
“Better . . . Are you okay?”
“Sure . . . I got an eighty-five on the French test.”
“Terrific . . . Hey, listen, the bathtub wasn’t such a bad place, you know?”
“Well, with all the towels . . . You didn’t feel uncomfortable?”
“Uh uh . . . it was nice.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re nice.”
“You too.”
“I wish you were here right now,” Joshua said intensely.
“Ummm.”
“I’m going to pretend you are as soon as we hang up. I’m going to look at the photos.”
Joshua once took some photos of me without any clothes on. That’s how we got the idea of doing it the first time, actually. “Call me tomorrow,” I said.
“Okay,” Joshua said. He lowered his voice. “Sleep tight. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
There is one difference between Joshua and me about sex. I don’t know if this is the difference between boys and girls or just the difference