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“Yeah. I had a feeling you were going to say that. But that is why I didn’t want to go out anyplace tonight. Just sitting here. The quiet works for me. I never thought I’d miss being alone so much.”
“Two weeks. That’s all. After that, you can go back to the happy little family you have, and she will go back to the States.”
“I want to believe that,” he sighed.
“Of course you will. You love Raya and things will be back to normal. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Crystal. She’s pretty good with advice.”I’m pretty good at not taking any.
“She can’t help me with this,” he said.
“You don’t know until you ask. And it’s not like you to be so...negative. What’s really going on? And don’t tell me Grandmother had another dream,” I warned.
“Worse than that. This morning over breakfast Joey asked Kathy if she would stay here forever. My heart practically stopped when she replied that she would think about it.”
Damn it. That is bad.
“You did tell her no, right?”
“How could I do that? Joey was beaming and I know how close she and Raya are. I guess I am just going to have to learn to live like this,” he said.
“You mean sitting on my couch drinking beer while avoiding being home?” I asked.
“Not funny. But yeah, maybe. Is it wrong that I don’t want her here? I mean, she’s nice and has been very supportive of everything. Heck, even a vacation once a year for a week or two is doable. But living here? Too much. I’m not even sure Tabiq can take it, never mind me,” he said, forcing a chuckle.
“I know you’re going to think I’m crazy, but I know Crystal can talk to Kathy and get her to see that long term, this wouldn’t be the right place for her.”
He cocked a brow and looked at me. “You seem to be talking a lot about how wonderful Crystal is. Why is that?” he asked.
I needed to do some backpedaling or he was going to put this all on me instead of what was important, him and Raya.
“As you know, we’ve spent some time together and I have listened to how she is with people. She’s good at reading them and also redirecting them when things are going wrong.”Like when Raya was having a meltdown that you don’t know about. You’re welcome.“It’s worth a try. I mean what do you have to lose?”
“A long-term unwanted guest,” he laughed. “Okay. Sounds good, but when do you think they will cross paths again?”
“Oh yeah. About that. I may have asked her to be my date tomorrow.”
“You invited her to the wedding?” he said, surprised.
“Sorry. I meant to mention that earlier. Is it a problem that I'm bringing her?” I asked.
“Of course not. Just a bit surprised. I mean, you’ve never brought a date to anything with the family.”
Don’t remind me.
“She is all alone here. I kind of felt bad for her,” I lied.
“And that’s the story that you’re going to tell? I mean, you’re my brother and I know you’re not a mean person, but I wouldn’t go as far as you would take a woman to a family event just because you felt badly for her.”
He was being an ass. He was right, but that didn’t change the fact that he was intentionally trying to push my buttons.
“It’s not too late. I can tell her she’s not welcome,” I challenged.
“God. Don’t do that. I will never be able to go home,” he said, raising his hands in defeat.
A small victory, but I’ll take it.
“I’ll talk to Crystal. I’m sure she will be happy to help. She’s really fond of Raya.”
“It’s mutual. Raya said that Crystal is a gem. Can’t wait for her to find out that the two of you are dating.”
