Beneath The Ivy Walls

A'S

into the foyer, I k

and curated civility. Walter took my bag with an apolog

- low, practiced, familiar -

d in an

rc

ally draped over the back of the chair, wine glass in hand, alrea

im, perfectly poised

mother beamed.

time. "It's se

g himself another drink. "When we ha

dn't grown up in this h

lips tight. "I wasn't told we

"I wanted to

he

id like it might offer her diplomacy. "Marcus was

it - partner - li

n't a

hought your parents should know. You've been spendin

just a course requirement

" my father said bluntly.

I asked, sharper

my mother supplied, as if the phrase alone explained th

to Marcus. His e

see me scolded, cornered -

ss. "We're working on a Strategic

urmured, "you seem

down. "You'

t blink.

s engagement has been in place since you were children. We'

rly l

There is no distraction. There is only a project. A

into a tight,

me, somethi

sure I believed

A'S

between grey - not quite night, not fully day. The hour

Just dropped my bag, kicked off

a had tried to rinse them, but the streaks of toma

old records again - low and off-key

rm and a little too soapy. My fingers scrubbed harder than nece

t classroom like he owned

aybe

ings and headlines. I could see it in the way he looked at Luna - n

e wors

dn't f

front

th me

ndow. You couldn't see much - just the alley, the back of a bake

Roseshire

d've le

almost-question I asked her - "D

d it. I just knew I nee

didn't

ying both sides of

I got wa

e hurt more tha

k again, and stared at our scribbled notes. H

t fonts on t

all this wo

the project title - Crisis

nn

ng in me was st

I didn't know if I could

ING BO

US'S

had been a

smiling too tightly. Mine dialing in from Vienna to "greet the

ecital and refused to cry. When she was sixteen and her mother made her return

o cover, offering more wine and small talk. I waited fi

r in the c

t, staring out at the moonlit trees like she cou

," I

u already got what you want

voice. "It wasn't about perfection. It was

ly. "Is that what thi

t mean i

r now. "You meant exactly that

t loud. But it

e," I said, forcing calm. "After ever

ot a merger,"

se it wasn't true - b

ng that two years

itched. Almo

gs ch

who once leaned on me after a failed test and now looked at me

ing a lot of

ant to say

- hanging in th

d. "It's a class

h know that's

tell me what it is

ck. Not far,

ymore?" I asked. Quiet. C

dn't a

t loo

ilence sh

n't de

as d