Mom and Bab jumped in at once, admonishing Talar for her harshness.
“But,” Mom said, “Talar has a point. Why are you doing this, Ani jan?”
Ani, after some thought, now had a much better answer for this than “Because I can’t say no to Kami,” like she’d stupidly told Raffi. Or better than the truth, which is that she was in massive, crushing debt and needed the job.
“This is the onlytrueluxury wedding I’ve ever gotten,” she said. With the Avedissians, Ani had been so busy with the details of the wedding, she hadn’t had time to show off to herfamily all that she was doing. And thank goodness, because look how that turned out.
“Hey—” Talar said.
“Tal,” Ani said. “You told me—and I quote—‘I’m going to be penny-pinching left and right,’ then handed me a hot glue gun and wished me luck.”
Talar gestured at her, sputtering, “You’re amazing at DIY!”
“Thank you, but anyway,” Ani continued, “the point is, my portfolio is lacking, and if I want to attract more high-end clients, this wedding, this massive budget and the vision they have…it has the potential to completely transform my career.”
Her family all stared at her. Except Nshan, who kept eating.
“I don’t want to say I told you so, Ani jan, but this is what happens when you quit your stable job in law and start your own business. You have to take clients you don’t want to.”
Ani’s grip on the couch tightened, her knuckles white. Of course her mother would say that. Anytime Ani mentioned something remotely challenging about her work, her parents reminded her, explicitly or not, that she’d walked away from the safe, prestigious path they had dreamed for her. That she had chosen instability, stress, and, in their eyes, unnecessary hardship.
But what was the point of reminding them why she took the risk? Why she had decided to pursue a career that brought her joy instead of a more stable one? It would only lead to another exhausting debate, another round of sighs and tsks, eventually melting into passive aggression.
So she swallowed the anger rising in her throat, let it simmer under the surface, and forced her voice into something calm, measured.
“She’s a client, Mom,” Ani said carefully. “That’s all.”
Her mother squinted at her, calling her bluff. “You’re doing okay? Your heart is not…hurting?”
But Ani wouldn’t let her have it. “Yes. God. I’m fine. I can handle this.”
“Well…if you are okay with it,” her father said tentatively.
Talar shook her head at her sister. “I don’t believe the craziness of this situation, but if you think this is a career move, then damn, go for it.”
“I don’t need your blessing,” Ani said. And wanted to add, “little sister.” She didn’t like the way her family treated her like this poor soul, this fragile thing. She supposed she had been devastated—for years—because of Kami. But still. “I promise I think it’s a good move.”
“All right, all right,” Talar said. She stood up. “I’m getting more tabbouleh, anyone want?”
Nshan responded, “Me!”
Ani was drivingback home, thinking that in a few hours, it would be time for Raffi’s party. Which she still hadn’t fully decided whether or not she should go to.
She needed to talk to Nareh. Maybe Nareh wouldn’t even pick up. They were friends who saw each other twice a year or so when their friend groups aligned. Ani really liked Nareh; she just hadn’t had the chance to get close to her yet. Still, Nareh was always the sweetest, and Ani knew she’d be honest with her.
Screw it. She’d call. Ani used voice command to dial her friend, and Nareh picked up after a couple of rings.
“Ani! Hi!” Nareh’s voice was perky and excited.
“How’re you doing?”
“Good, good. We’re just at home, prepping some dinner.”
Ani heard another woman’s voice, deeper and slower, ask, “Is that Ani? Tell her hi.”
“Erebuni says hi.”
Ani knew about Nareh for years but didn’t say much other than “Hey” until she found out Nareh was getting married to Erebuni, another Armenian woman. Another queer Armenian woman in her social circle? Amazing. Ani was still a paralegal when the other two got married, but she was thinking of making the switch around that time. In fact, it was Nar and Erebuni’s wedding that gave her the final push to quit her job and make her wedding planning dream come true. Ani had helped them with their invitations and assisted in the day-of coordination of their lovely wedding. She envisioned one day planning another queer Armenian wedding from the ground up but doubted it would ever happen. She never thought she’d be planningKami’s.
