Chapter 5: Daniel Picks a Side
He came over that evening carrying flowers.
I let him in.
I didn't take the flowers.
He set them on the counter himself, quietly, and then turned to face me.
"My mom told me she came to see you," he said.
"She did."
"She said you threatened her with security footage."
"I asked the restaurant to preserve their footage.
That's not a threat.
That's documentation."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
He had the look he always got when he was trying to find a version of the truth that would make everyone comfortable.
I had loved that quality in him once.
Right now it made my chest tighten.
"She's my mother," he said.
"I know."
"She's difficult.
I know she's difficult.
But she's not —" He stopped.
"She didn't mean for it to go that far."
"Daniel, she left my mom alone at that table.
Her sister came back to watch.
Your mother came to my apartment this morning and told me my mom failed a test and doesn't match your family's level." I kept my voice even.
"And you knew something was being planned and you said nothing.
So I need you to tell me — are you going to stand next to me on this, or are you going to keep explaining her to me?"
He looked at the flowers on the counter.
"She's not going to apologize," he said.
"You know that, right?
If you push this, she'll dig in.
She'll make the next year of our lives very hard."
"That's not what I asked you."
"I'm trying to be realistic —"
"Daniel." I waited until he looked at me.
"Do you think what she did was wrong?"
He was quiet for a long moment.
"Yes," he said finally.
"I think it was wrong."
"Then say that to her."
"It's not that simple with her —"
"It is exactly that simple." My voice didn't rise.
"You tell her what she did was wrong.
You tell her she owes my mother an apology.
And you make clear that if she pulls something like this again, there are consequences.
That's it.
That's all I'm asking."
He looked at me like I'd asked him to climb a mountain barefoot.
"And if she won't?" he said.
I looked at him for a long moment.
"Then I need to know that too," I said.
He left an hour later without giving me an answer.
The flowers were still on the counter.
I put them in a glass of water because they hadn't done anything wrong.
Then my phone buzzed.
A text from a number I didn't recognize.
*You don't know the half of what Karen has planned.
Meet me tomorrow.
— Diane*
I stared at the name.
May you like
Diane was Karen's youngest sister.
The one who had been at the restaurant.
