“That’s not how we handle food.” This time, Rachel’s voice is louder, more firm.
“Karan had to eat whatever was on his plate, or he didn’t eat at all,” Mom continues. “And now he eats basically anything.”
The air is thickening with tension, and Rachel stiffens next to me.
“I’m basically a garbage truck!” I add, attempting to loosen the tension.
“Dad’s a garbage truck!” Corey laughs. Cayce snickers too.
Dad shoots me a glance that makes my blood go cold. A memory of him screaming and sending me to my room for daring to talk with my mouth full rears its way to the front of my mind.
“Let’s not bring talks of garbage to the dinner table, please,” he says in a stern tone.
I lower my chin and keep eating in silence.
“Anyway, I wanted to talk about the Christmas plans.” Mom takes a bite before she continues.
I give Rachel a sideways glance. She seems okay. At least, for the time being.
“I finalized the details with Jocelyne. We’ll arrive at her cottage on December 23rd, and we can stay as long as we want up til January 3rd because she’s headed to Mexico then. Anjali and Suresh will be joining us with their kids as well.”
A bubble of excitement bursts in my chest. Jocelyne is Mom’s sister, and Anjali is Dad’s sister. It’s not the first time Jocelyne has invited Dad’s side of the family over to her cottage. One of my favourite years, Rachel and I were a brand new couple, and I was madly in love.
Still am.
I’ve been looking forward to Christmas this year more than usual, specifically for this. I have such sweet memories of Rachel and me in that log wood home, huddled near the fireplace with hot cocoa. Or that moment in the shower while no one else was home…
I can’t let my mind go there. Not at the dinner table.
I peer at Rachel, eager to share my excitement with her. But my heart sinks a little when I notice her fidgeting hands and the way her gaze flickers away.
She’s not as excited about this as I am.
“Are we gonna take the ferry?” Cayce asks, his eyes lighting up.
His grandmother smiles down at him. “Of course we’re going to take the ferry, honey!”
The mental calculations start bouncing around in my head. Taking the ferry to Newfoundland is only going to make this trip longer—and more expensive—than it needs to be. Instead of taking flights directly from Montréal to Gander, we’ll have to fly down to Sydney in Nova Scotia, then take the ferry, then drive up to my aunt’s cottage housed on a small peninsula near Gander.
From Rachel’s tense disposition next to me, I can tell she’s running the same calculation in her mind.
“We… hadn’t decided about the ferry yet, Mom,” I stammer.
But it’s too late. Both Cayce and Corey are nearly jumping up and down in excitement.
“I wanna go on the ferry!” Cayce whines.
“Me too!” Corey echoes.
Rachel shoots me a glance, and if looks could kill…
“It will be fun!” Mom adds, her eyes going dreamy. “Just think of the memories this experience will create for the boys. Spending the night on a ferry!”
“It’s not like we can’t afford it,” I say, sighing and rubbing Rachel’s shoulder in an attempt to convince myself as much as her that this is a good idea. “And we’ll be asleep in the cabin most of that time.”
“Will the boys even want to sleep?” Rachel retorts.
She’s got a point. Keeping them under control will be a challenge for sure.
