Two By Two

In the end, I decided to make Vivian dinner. I perused a few cookbooks, recognizing that many of the recipes were beyond my culinary capabilities. There was, however, a recipe for Chilean sea bass, and a quick search of the cupboards indicated I had most of the ingredients. Perfect. I brought London to dance and while the class was no doubt disappointing the grim Ms. Hamshaw, I swung by the grocery store and picked up the rest. Dinner was well under way by the time Vivian walked through the door.

With rice pilaf and green bean almondine going on the stove, I couldn’t step away.

“I’m in the kitchen,” I called out, and soon afterward I heard Vivian’s footsteps behind me.

“Wow,” she noted, walking toward me. “It smells great in here. What are you making?”

When I told her, she leaned over the pots on the stove. “What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion. Just thought I’d try something new. And after dinner, I figured that I’d get the bike out so you could watch London ride.”

She opened the cupboard and pulled a glass from it, then the wine from the fridge. “Let’s do it tomorrow, okay? I’m tired and London’s had a big day. She seems wiped out already.”

“Fair enough,” I said.

She poured herself a glass. “How did she do at tennis?”

“About the same as everyone else. First day, learning to hold the racket at the proper end, all the basics. There were a couple of girls from the neighborhood, so she seemed happy to be there.”

“I think tennis will be good for her. It’s a great sport to socialize.”

“And the girls look cute in those shorts, I might add.”

“Ha, ha. How about art class? And dance?”

“She had fun at art, but as for dance, I don’t think she likes it very much.”

“Give it time. Once she starts competing, she’ll love it.”

I wondered who Vivian imagined would be bringing her to the competitions, but kept my thoughts to myself. “Were you able to get a workout in?”

“I squeezed it in at lunch,” she answered. “A pretty good one, in fact. I felt great the rest of the afternoon.”

“Good for you,” I said. “And how was your day?”

“Nothing like last week, that’s for sure. Things are a lot calmer in the office. For a few minutes there, I felt like I had time to actually settle in at my desk and take a breath.”

I smiled. “My day was pretty interesting.”

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever heard of a guy named Joey Taglieri?”

She frowned. “You mean the attorney?”

“That’s him.”

“I’ve seen his commercials. They run in the mornings.”

“What do you think about them?”

“About what?”

“The commercials.”

“I don’t really remember much about them. Why?”

I told her what we’d talked about and my thoughts in the aftermath.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” she asked, sounding skeptical.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you think that it’s kind of lowbrow? Lawyer commercials? Didn’t Peters stop taking on attorneys because other clients didn’t approve?”

“Yeah, but it’s not as though I’ve got any other clients to worry about. I just want to get something going, you know? And he clearly spends a lot on advertising.”

She nodded and took a sip of her wine. “Yeah, okay. If that’s what you think is best.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but because she seemed to be in a better mood than she had been lately, I cleared my throat. “Have you found a day care center for London yet?”

“When have I had the chance?”

“Would you like me to start getting some recommendations?”

“No,” she said, sounding put out. “I’ll do it. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“Do we really have to sign her up now? She’d have to give up piano and tennis and art, and you’ve been able to get her everywhere she needs to be so far.”

“They have activities at day care.”

“I’m just saying that with her being so upset on Saturday night, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea. School’s going to be starting in a few weeks anyway.”

“It’s not a few weeks,” I said, doing a quick calculation. “It’s five more weeks.”

“And this is about our daughter. What’s best for her. Once school starts, you’ll have plenty of time to concentrate on your business. Just keep doing what you’re doing and when you have a meeting, drop her off at your mom’s house.”

“My mom can’t watch London every day. She told me she has other things to do.”

“She said that? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Because you pretty much ignored me all week, nor did you ask about my work at all. “This isn’t about my mom, Vivian. I was trying to talk to you about day care.”

“I hear you. I get it. You think ditching your daughter with a bunch of strangers is a good idea so you can be free to do what you want instead.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. It amounts to the same thing. You’re being selfish.”

“I’m not being selfish.”