River felt Marina’s energy drop like a stone. “Isabella?” she asked, not looking at her. This was information she needed.
Ramón looked between them, a deep frown line between his eyes. “Marina?”
Marina sighed and shrugged, looking around the restaurant like she was searching for an exit.
Her father tilted his head and went on. “Isabella was their sister. She was Marina’s twin, but they were different in every way.” He stopped to sip his beer, and his hand trembled a little. Kayla rubbed his arm and turned back to her own drink. She seemed to grow smaller. “One day, Isabella and Marina were at the park. They were playing on the swings, seeing who could go higher, who could make the swing go all the way around the bar, that kind of thing. Isabella challenged Marina to jump off, to see which of them could jump the furthest away from the swing.”
“I went first,” Marina said, her voice nearly a whisper. “I leapt off when it was really high, and I hit my knees hard. She laughed, shouted that she could go farther. Then she jumped.” Marina’s tears slid down her cheeks. “She got caught in theswing when she jumped and left it off balance. She landed wrong.”
“On her neck.” Ramón’s voice was gentle, but his energy, unlike Marina’s, didn’t flicker. “She was killed instantly.” He gazed at Marina, his fingers moving over the condensation on his beer bottle. “It was a long time ago. A tragic accident and nobody’s fault.”
River shivered at the memory of desperation in the ghost’s expression back at her place. The whiff of vanilla was the same as the scent she’d caught on Marina.
“I’m glad you think that now.” Marina barely looked up when she gave her order to the server.
“Now?” He frowned. “We always thought that.”
Marina’s head snapped up, and there was fire in her eyes. “No, Dad. You didn’t. You constantly asked why we had to play that way. Why we had to be so competitive all the time. Why I didn’t try to stop her.” She dashed at her eyes, clearly unwilling to let any tears fall. “For years, you made it clear you blamed me.”
He stared at her, eyes wide. “I didn’t… We didn’t?—”
“It’s true.” Kayla finally looked up from her phone, but her eyes were on Marina. “You did, Dad. I heard it, and I blamed her too. Because you did, I guess.” She pressed her lips together and sat a little straighter. “But you left us. You ran away and left me with their grief. I wasn’t their dead kid, and I wasn’t their super smart kid. I was the leftover.” Her gaze finally shifted toward their father. “But maybe Marina did the right thing. Maybe I should have left too.”
Ramón began to cry. Not gently. Not quietly. His shoulders shook, and he covered his face, sobbing into his hands. Everyone froze, words seeming to fail them all.
“Can I?” River asked Marina softly.
Marina nodded, looking dumbstruck. She didn’t even ask what River meant to do.
River motioned at Kayla, who moved to sit next to Marina instead. River sat beside Ramón and put her arm around him. A waiter looked on from behind the counter, and River sent him a reassuring smile. He gave a quick nod and turned away. When the waiter came out with their food, she motioned and he took it away quietly, but not before setting down a pile of napkins clearly meant for Ramón.
Ramón’s sobbing slowed and ceased, and he hiccupped a couple times. He accepted the wad of napkins and scrubbed at his face before looking at his daughters. “I’m sorry. Your mother would be so disappointed to hear how you feel.”
Marina’s eyes narrowed a little, and he held up his hands.
“Not disappointed inyou. That you feel like we blamed you. Or that you don’t matter,” he said to Kayla and reached for her hand. “I’m sorry, girls.” He finally seemed to notice that River’s arm was around him, and he gave her a weak smile. “You’ve got a gift. You made me feel warm, like I could let it all out and be okay.”
She slid her arm away. “I’m glad. Sometimes that’s all we need to start healing.” At Marina’s quizzical look, she grinned and winked. “More woo-woo stuff. I’ll win you over eventually.”
It broke the tension, and River nodded to the waiter, who brought out their food a few minutes later. She was a little sad not to be sitting next to Marina again, but it would be weird to ask Kayla to move now. As if by agreement, they left the heavier topics on the side of the unspoken highway. They talked about Ramón’s work, about Kayla’s desire for a more meaningful job, and even a little about Marina’s case in South Shore. Friends of theirs had told them that Marina was on social media, but they hadn’t been able to find the clip among the zillions of others.
“South Shore.” Ramón looked between them as he chewed. “You’re on different sides of the fence.”
River chuckled. “Except we seem to have cut a little door in it that she and I keep walking through to hang out on the other edge.”
“Why?” Kayla asked, stabbing at her black beans. “Why don’t you totally hate each other?”
Marina looked at her with that same question in her eyes. “Yeah. Why is that?”
“First of all, hate is a big word with a whole lot of stickiness to it. I never use it lightly. Second, I do hate what Black Pinnacle is trying to do, and how gentrification erodes communities the way it does. But I’d never hate Marina for doing her job. She even tried to help us out.” It wasn’t totally how River felt, but this little family unit needed a win tonight, not more guilt or anger.
“Thank you.” Marina suddenly looked incredibly tired, like someone had pulled the plug out of her.
River yawned widely. “I hate to say it, but I think I’m going to head home.” She inclined her head. “Do you need a ride?”
Ramón reached across the table and took Marina’s hand. “You could stay with us and go see your mom tomorrow.”
Marina stayed completely still, not meeting his eyes. “I’ll come back in the morning and go with you. But I need some time to think about everything.” She slid her hand gently away from his.
