Well, your children are bound to be good hockey players, aren’t they? she comments.
Mats pales a bit. For me, it’s enough that we’re together now, and hopefully all during my senior year too. I’ll leave it up to Mats to make the long-term life plans. However, I am prepared if Marjorie springs a career question on me. I’ve talked to Burty, and I’m a good candidate for her internship program.
I regale Marjorie with the highlights of our playoff run and she seems to appreciate all the gory details, including when Becks got cut with a skate, took twenty-four stitches, and then came back for the third period. A true warrior.
Everything is the same, from the drinks cart to the eyeball appetizers. When the gong sounds for dinner, Mats offers his arm to Marjorie for support, and we head for the dining room. We sit down in our usual places, and Geraldine brings in the meal. It turns out to be lamb with mint jelly, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Mats is delighted with this relatively healthy meal—he’s so adorably easy to please. I can’t believe I ever thought he was a snob.
Too bad, babe, I murmur softly. No funeral potatoes tonight. Don’t worry, I have the recipe.
As usual, he doesn’t react, unless you count the corner of his lip twitching, which I do.
During dinner, Marjorie tells us about the bats that were living in her attic and had to be rehomed, which I suspect might be a euphemism for exterminated, but with all her money, who knows? Maybe they’re living in a ritzy South American cave now.
Mats steers the discussion to some big merger that Marjorie engineered in the eighties. Once again, he’s absorbing her practical experience. While he doesn’t study business at school, he seems to gain knowledge in a lot of other ways.
That was an excellent dinner, Mats says. I can tell by his smooth tone that this is his lead-in to the big reveal. Once more, I wonder if this is really necessary. Everything is good now, and everyone is happy, so why risk upsetting things? I give him a little kick under the table. He meets my eyes and shakes his head.
Marjorie, I just wanted to clarify something about when we first met, he begins.
She smiles sweetly. What would that be, dear?
Well, for some reason, you got the impression that Cleo and I were dating. We were not. In fact, we didn’t even like each other.
Okay, Mats, enough honesty. He’s not going to go into all the bullshit I believed, is he?
Ah. But what about now? she asks.
We are going out now. He reaches across the lace tablecloth to squeeze my hand. And we’re very happy.
Marjorie’s face is stern. Yet you continued to visit while pretending to be a couple. Was that to hoodwink a senile old lady into donating to the school?
Mats flushes. First of all, you’re far from senile, but that’s exactly why I wanted to tell you. The truth here is important. Sure, we care about the hockey program, but we don’t want to trick you into making a donation.
She nods. Still, it seems almost overscrupulous to tell me. After all, you’re a happy couple now. How would I ever have found out?
I nod vigorously. That’s what I said. All’s well that ends well. But Mats is really into the truth.
She turns to me. But not you, Cleo?
I laugh. Well, there’s truth, and there’s brutal honesty. Like telling someone their new haircut looks crappy.
Geraldine begins gathering our supper dishes, and Marjorie clears her throat. Well, in the interest of telling the truth, I should let you both know: I’m not really hard of hearing. At my age, I take my advantages where I can.
Really? Because you didn’t seem to hear a word I said at first. You reminded me of my grandfather, so I spoke up, I say.
Geraldine sniffs. It’s because she was fast asleep when you got here. It always takes Marjorie a good ten minutes to wake up. A truck could drive through the room and she’d never notice.
Holy shit. How many insults did I deliver to Mats in a soft voice, believing only he could hear me?
Wait a sec, I sputter. If you heard everything that I said at that first dinner, there’s no way that you mistook us for a couple. I insulted Mats hard.
Marjorie and Geraldine exchange a look, then they both dissolve into laughter. Marjorie explains, It was the most delightful night we’d had here in years. You were both so funny. Mats trying to make polite conversation, while Cleo kept a running commentary of insults. After you left, we laughed and laughed.
So, that’s why you wanted us to come back? For the yuks? I ask.
Well, the bequest was at the back of my mind, but the two of you were so refreshing. I could see from the second dinner that Mats wasn’t quite comfortable. Until he was—that’s how we knew you two were finally dating.
Mats frowns. So, you were trying to fix us up? Why? Especially when you could see we didn’t like each other?
