Chapter 16
Since she was meeting her mother and two aunts for lunch, Sam dressed with special care. She wore the long swatch of dark auburn hair and one of her new tops with black leggings and a short skirt. Not that I care to impress my aunts, she assured herself. They weren’t the kind of people she enjoyed talking to. Their opinions were as rigid as her parents’. But there was some part of her that wanted to attract attention. She finished dressing and stared at the bathroom mirror. Maybe it was because she’d been seen as the ugly duckling in her family for so long.
At the gallery, Sam informed Peter about the upcoming lunch. “I’ll try to keep it to one hour.”
“Don’t worry. Take all the time you need. How often does your mother make the trip down here?”
“Thankfully, not often. I can’t even get my parents to attend our art openings. And as far as my sisters are concerned, forget it. They let me know this is one part of town they stay away from.”
“It’s their loss. Don’t give it another thought,” Peter assured her.
Shortly before her mother and aunts were due to appear, Sam tidied up in the bathroom. When she came out, she saw Peter standing by the gallery front door.
He turned with an incredulous expression. “They’ve arrived in high style. Come and see.”
Hurrying over she saw a long black limousine parked at the curb. The uniformed driver climbed out, came around the limo and opened the door for his passengers. Five people emerged–the two aunts, her mother and her two sisters. What were Andrea and Karen doing here? A surge of anger shook her as she stared. It would’ve been considerate if her mother had mentioned inviting them. Maybe she wanted to surprise her this way. Putting on a façade of composure, Sam walked over to the group.
“Well, I wouldn’t have recognized you, Samantha,” Andrea declared, giving her youngest sister a head-to-toe appraisal. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had plastic surgery or something.”
Andrea’s voice dripped with derision. Ignoring her, Sam turned to the others. “Nice to see all of you. Why don’t you come in and look around while I get my things?” She dutifully kissed her aunts on the cheek and ushered everyone inside the gallery.
Her mother and sisters were dressed in the latest fashions, as usual. Andrea wore a pale turquoise sheath and matching jacket while Karen was garbed in a peach outfit almost identical to her older sister’s. Her mother wore a lavender suit with a gold and lavender scarf draped around her neck. All of them had their blonde hair in neat chignons and sported diamond earrings. Her aunts were more sensibly attired in navy suits. The bevy looked like they belonged in an upscale store like Bloomingdales.
At least Peter was there to help. He greeted her mother and asked to be introduced to the aunts. He’d met her sisters before and made small talk while she picked up her handbag and joined them.
“We can walk to the restaurant. It’s only a few blocks away,” Sam said.
“Nonsense,” her mom declared. “I’ve hired the car service for the day. He’ll take us there and wait while we have lunch. Then he’ll drive us to Bloomingdales to do some shopping.”
Sam almost laughed. Their destination did not surprise her.
She’d made reservations for four at Melina’s Greek restaurant. Walking inside, Sam spied her friend, the owner, and hurried over. “There’ll be six for lunch instead of four.”
“No problem.” Melina smiled and turned to the others. “Please follow me.”
After handing out menus, Melina proceeded to let everyone know the specials for the day. “We have a soup called Fasolada, which is made of beans, tomatoes, carrots, and celery. Our main dishes are Chicken Zephyres, which is seasoned chicken sautéed with eggplant, squash, tomato, and onions and comes with Mediterranean couscous. Ionian Tuna, which is grilled yellow-fin tuna finished with an orange-saffron citrus sauce and comes with lemon potatoes, rice pilaf, and vegetables. And Moussaka, an eggplant casserole.”
“There’s nothing here I can eat,” Andrea exclaimed. Turning to Melina, she said, “Can the chef prepare a salad plate for me with no cheese, red meat, or any other type of Greek product? A broiled breast of chicken without seasonings would be okay on top of the salad.” She closed her menu with a loud snap.
“I’ll have the same thing,” Karen said, closing her menu too.
“That sounds like a good idea,” her mother concurred. “I’ll have salad and chicken breast. Greek food never agreed with me.” She turned to her older sisters. “Does Greek food interest you?”
The sisters looked at each other as if silently discussing the issue. Then Aunt Evelyn glanced at the menu for a long moment. “The vegetable soup seems all right. I’ll have that with some crackers. Jean, would you like the same thing?”
Her sister nodded. “That’s fine with me. I had a large breakfast, so I’m not really hungry.”
Why did she bother taking them to a Greek restaurant in the first place? Annoyed at their lack of imagination, Sam said to Melina, “I’ll have one of your marvelous sampler plates with pita.” She was determined to at least enjoy the wonderful food here.
“We didn’t want to miss seeing you before we left for home,” Aunt Jean murmured, looking at Sam. “You certainly look different than the last time we saw you.”
“Yes, I’d say it’s an improvement.” Aunt Evelyn nodded vigorously.
“Well, I don’t know about that,” her mother said, pursing her lips. “It’s disconcerting when someone you’ve known for a long time decides to revamp their appearance for no reason at all. Even your father agrees with me on that issue.”
“You missed a wonderful shower on Sunday,” Karen said, changing the subject. “If I would say so myself, the food was exceptional, and the gifts were fantastic. Don’t you think so?” She turned to Andrea with a big smile.
Not bothering to answer, Andrea stared at Sam. “Where’d you get your hair done? That’s quite a color job. Must have cost you a pretty penny. I guess the gallery business is looking up for a change.”
Sam decided to answer the last part of her question and forget the first part. “Yes, we’ve had a great year. With the addition of the fine crafts gallery, business has really expanded.”
Melina hurried over with glasses of water and a basket of bread. “Your meals will be out in a few minutes. Is there anything else you’d like to drink? We have wine, beer, and soda, plus coffee and tea.”
“Nothing for me,” Andrea said in a definitive tone. “As far as the bread, I don’t eat any. How about the rest of you?” She glanced at the others as if daring them to disagree.
“I don’t eat bread,” Karen chimed in.
“No bread for me,” her mother asserted with a superior look.
The aunts seemed conflicted. “Why don’t you leave it and maybe we’ll have some with our soup,” Evelyn said.
“Just leave it,” Sam said, wearying of the whole subject. She couldn’t wait for this lunch to be over.
During the rest of the meal, Andrea dominated the conversation with Karen murmuring agreement at every stage. Sam hadn’t realized before how much her middle sister had cloned herself to copy her older sister’s every move and habit. Had Karen done this as a survival method when she was young? It gave Sam food for thought. When Sam was born, Andrea was twelve and Karen was nine. The two older girls did everything together and disregarded her very existence. She was never able to break into the cozy twosome, and eventually, she stopped trying. Her mother was clueless about the dynamics in the family and since Andrea was always her favorite, took little interest in Sam’s endeavors. Her father, busy with his business interests and golf, was rarely around. If it hadn’t been for her paternal grandmother, a tall, imposing woman with red hair like her own, Sam wouldn’t have received any attention. At least Grandma Wilma doted on her. When she died, she left a hefty sum of money to Sam, which pissed off her older sisters. They never forgave her.
Melina came over to clear the table. She looked at Sam and said, “That was a very nice man you brought in for lunch last week. He seemed to enjoy the food here.”
Sam froze at her words while her stomach churned. Without meaning to, Melina had opened a can of worms. “Uh, yes, he did like the food,” she murmured.
Sharp-eyed Andrea took the bait eagerly. “So who’s this new admirer of yours, Samantha? Is he tall, dark, and handsome? I can’t wait to hear all about him.” She leaned forward with a chilling smile, her mocking tone belying her words.
Thinking quickly, Sam replied, “He’s short, fat, and horribly boring, but he is wealthy and one of our best customers at the gallery. If you attend our openings, I’ll be sure to introduce you.” She stared at Melina with a look that said her friend wasn’t to contradict her. Fortunately, Melina got the message.
“Too bad,” Andrea purred, venom sparking from her green eyes as she knifed Sam with a sharp stare. “We’re all waiting with bated breath for you to snare someone, anyone, so you don’t have to spend the rest of your life in that nasty little hovel you call home. Aren’t we?” She glanced about the table for expected approval.
Sam had had it. She’d tried to be patient. She’d tried to ignore her sister. This was going too far. A spurt of fury brought her to her feet. “Andrea, I’m waiting with bated breath for you to swallow your big fat tongue so you can’t open your big fat mouth and spout stupid nonsense. And as far as your big fat wedding is concerned, you’ll just have to go ahead without me. I wouldn’t go to that thing if you paid me.” Turning on her heel, she hurried out of the restaurant and into the street.
Shaking with barely suppressed anger, she strode blindly in the direction of the gallery. She’d already told Melina to put everyone’s bill on her account, so she wasn’t walking away from her responsibility. Andrea’s hurtful words reverberated in her ears. How could her sister be that mean-spirited? Was she jealous about how Grandma Wilma left Sam money to buy her own home? Was that the cause of Andrea’s spiteful remarks?
Sam couldn’t return to the gallery in her present state of mind. Needing time to cool down, she walked to a nearby small park and sat down on one of the wooden benches to regain her composure. Part of her was glad she’d finally faced Andrea down. The other part was upset she’d lost her temper. Her family would side with her older sister, she was sure of that. As far as that damn wedding was concerned, she’d rot in hell before going to that thing. Her mother could give the bridesmaid dress to one of Andrea’s friends for all she cared.
An unexpected sadness settled in her chest like a heavy, wet blanket weighing her down. The sense of loss was amplified by her recent break with Beth and Sean. She felt alone without the connection to her one best friend. Beth would have laughed about Andrea’s behavior and supported her decision to stand up to her older sister. There was nothing she could do, except learn to live with it.
Finally, Sam’s head began to clear. Looking around, she saw a group of mothers chatting amongst themselves. Their assorted offspring played together in the sandbox and on the swing set. A pudgy, dark-haired little boy around two came over to the bench and looked up at her. He waved a dirty, chubby hand and said “Hi,” and gave her an almost toothless smile. For some reason, he reminded Sam of how Jordan must have looked when he was a little boy. There was that same charismatic smile, dark eyes, and brown hair. She was pierced with a sudden yearning to hold the toddler in her arms, dirt and all. Where had that unexpected feeling come from? Shaking her head in bewilderment, she rose, waved goodbye to the little charmer, and made her way back to the gallery. Time to return to reality.
~ ~ ~
“Well, how did the luncheon turn out?” Peter asked as she entered the gallery. “I didn’t expect you back this soon. You didn’t have to hurry on my account.”
Sam opened her mouth to say something and closed it again. She didn’t want to get started on that dismal subject. But Peter was a close friend, and she couldn’t ignore his question. “It couldn’t have been worse. It turned out that no one liked Greek food. In addition, my sister Andrea was determined to be as nasty as possible. I ended up yelling at her and leaving the restaurant. At least I won’t have to attend that stupid wedding.” She marched over to her desk, sat down and heaved a heavy sigh. “Aren’t you glad you asked?”
He walked over and perched on the corner of her desk. “That bad, huh? I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Maybe things will cool down in a few days.”
“I’m not holding my breath,” she said wearily.
When Sam returned home after her yoga class at the Y, she expected the message light on her phone to be blinking. Surely her mother would be eager to give her a long lecture about her insolent behavior at the restaurant. But there was no blinking light. Instead, it was eerily quiet, except for the plaintive meows of Mushi and Pepper. She should feel relieved, but she didn’t. What was going on with her family? Or were they her family anymore? She’d better get used to the idea of being on her own and not expect anything from anyone. Yes, that would be the wisest thing to do.
An image of Jordan’s handsome face flashed through her mind. She had a sudden impulse to phone him at his home. Never having done that before, she hesitated. What if he was busy with work or with another friend, perhaps female, and didn’t have time for her? After this difficult day, she didn’t need more aggravation. Better to leave things as they were and let him call her. After all, she’d see him on Saturday night when he picked her up at the gallery for their weekend getaway.
Satisfied with that decision, she headed to the bathroom for a long soak in the tub. Maybe that would put her in a mellower mood. If all else failed, she’d make herself a super-duper sundae with gobs of hot fudge and gooey whipped cream on top. After consuming a fantastic dessert like that, life was bound to look up.