Almuerzo Con La FamiliaSénia and Valentina both glanced nervously at their watches, at each other, and then towards the hostess. Their large, reserved table at Fiorello’s remained empty except for the two of them. Their husbands, Richard and Ryan, had just left, after having a smaller, much quieter private lunch with just the four of them, in which Val told Richard that she wanted Sénia to go for an exam as well. Sénia assured them both that she would before the men departed, and the women waited for their offspring to arrive.
Chelsea, Parker, and Madalynne were the first to arrive, Corinne and Madeline just moments behind. The confusion on Madeline’s face as she was led to a table where her mother was sitting with her boss was evident, and she greeted Sénia with a “Hi, Mrs. Urban,” as she sat down. “I’ve told you a million times just to call me Sénia,” she smiled. “These are a few of my kids, the little one there, well, not so little anymore, I guess, is Madalynne. And then Chelsea and Parker,” she turned towards them, and asked where Natalia was. “Getting the kids ready. Tony and Axel are taking them and Amelia to the park, and she told us to go ahead without her. ” Chelsea replied, and anticipating her mother’s next question, continued, “And Troy had to stop at Abigail’s for something.” She ordered a bottle of Franciacorta for the table when the server came around. “The guys might bring the kids by later.” With a brief introduction, Sénia pointed out that Madeline worked for the company, and Corinne was her sister and Val her mother. She and Val shared a look when they noticed that Chelsea and Corinne were looking back and forth between them, and then studying each other. It was Parker who spoke up first. “Sooo… what’s with the random co-worker-family lunch?” “Well, it’s kind of a long story, but we’ll explain with your brother and sister get here,” Sénia held out her glass to be filled when the server returned with the bottle. She bit her lip as she watched Corinne and Madeline whisper to each other. Val nervously sipped her own wine as she glanced at her daughters, and kicked at Sénia’s ankle under the table. A few moments later, Troy and Natalia both arrived, taking their seats. Natalia apologized for her tardiness while Troy barely grunted and began reviewing the menu. “So, since you’re all wondering what’s going on here,” Val started. “I know you’re probably a little freaked that we’re sitting down with your boss’s family, Madeline, but the thing is…,” she met Sénia’s eyes. “They’re your family too.” Every person sitting at the table under the age of thirty responded, “What?” followed by Madeline’s “I knew there was something going on!” All of the girls looked around at each other, seeking resemblances, while Troy and Parker looked around, looked at each other, and shrugged. “But… how? What are… how?” Corinne asked, obviously trying to figure out the connection. “We… Val and I… we’re,” Sénia looked at her sister, and they finished the sentence together, “twins.” Chelsea did a spit-take, Franciacorta misting all over her plate. “Excuse me, what?” Natalia, Corinne, and Madalynne just stared. Troy shook his head, waving down a server for a beer. Parker looked at his cousins, noting the subtle similarities between Corinne and Natalia, and Madeline and his mother, and even Madalynne. He shrugged. “Cool.” “But how did you have a twin this whole time and we didn’t know?” Natalia asked, just as Madeline wondered, “How did Grandma keeps this from us? And Aunt Victoria?” “That’s the long story,” Sénia sighed. “We’ll save that for another day, shall we?” “Yeah, let’s just focus on everyone getting to know each other today,” Val added. Natalia stared across the table at Corinne. Her cousin. It felt weird to just think it. But there was definitely something about her that reminded her of herself. Then there was Madalynne and Madeline. Somehow, even though they hadn’t spoken for decades, her mother and her sister managed to come up with the same name for their kids, who looked alike. It was fascinating. As she ate her five-cheese pizza, her attention went to her aunt, whose features she studied. She could see a bit of Chelsea, and even Madalynne. She wanted nothing more than to hear the story explaining why she’d spent her entire life not knowing that she had an aunt or cousins, but they didn’t seem to be in any hurry to tell it. She couldn’t think of anything so horrible that she’d stop talking to Chelsea for more than a week, and they weren’t even twins. Making a mental note to ask what was really bothering her sister, she took another bite of her pizza, noticing her husband, brother-in-law, kids, and niece enter the restaurant. Tony, Olivia, and Logan sat next to her; Axel took a spot near Parker, holding Amelia in his lap. Sénia made introductions, and Natalia quietly got the men caught up. Valentina immediately demanded to see Amelia, and her cousins cooed over her. Logan, feeling a bit left out, climbed into Natalia’s lap and pouted. He stopped when she gave him his own plate of pizza. Olivia seemed mesmerized as she looked at the woman who looked just like her grandmother. She wondered why she never met her before, and asked Natalia. “Because she and Grandma had a big fight a long time ago, sweetie. But they made up now. And Madeline, she works for Grandma, so we’ll get to see her all the time.” “Cool!” Olivia proclaimed, marching to the other side if the table to talk to her mother’s cousins. Natalia slipped her hand into Tony’s and watched her daughter get to know her family. El Parque Sin La Familia“I just… I don’t understand how this was a secret for so long,” Chelsea pushed her chair back. “How are we supposed to just sit here and be all happy family and get to know each other when you don’t seem to want to address the fact that we even have to take the time to get to know each other? Shouldn’t we already know each other? Kobe, Mom, I don’t give a shit if you weren’t talking to her, at least tell us that we have an aunt.” She got to her feet and threw back the last of her wine. “I’ve gotta go. I’m sorry, I just… this is too much right now.” She grabbed her bag and stormed away. Hearing her mother apologize for her just annoyed her even further, and it didn’t help to hear her Aunt Valentina laugh and joke that she and Corinne were a lot alike.
Leaving Fiorello’s, she strode purposefully south, and then east, crossing Central Park West and entering the park. Carefully heading toward Sheep Meadow, she kept lookout for her husband and her brother-in-law, specifically wanting to avoid them. There was just too much on her mind for this shit right now, and the last thing she needed was her husband noticing that she was in a bad mood and trying to make her feel better. She found a spot that was far enough away from anyone, and sat on the grass, leaning back on her hands. She was restless. |