“For Pete’s sake,Daniel,” Laura called out. “Why can’t you ever just enjoy a moment?—?”
“Because I care aboutDevin?—”
“Dad—“ Mila interjected, but Sebastian cut her off by slamming his hand on the table.
“If you really cared, you wouldn’t call me bythat nameanymore.”
“It’s the name I gave you. The one you were fine being called for twenty years until that stupid record label put it on some posters and you decided it needed to be erased from earth.”
“Of course,youwouldn’t understand.”
Laura slammed two more plates of pancakes on the table, the clatter slicing through the raised voices as if it were her final warning to end the fight immediately or face her wrath. She placed one in front of Mila, who thanked her quietly. Then, she sat down in front of the other.
Dany leaned back, clenching his jaw. Sebastian took a deep sip of his coffee, hiding his face behind the mug.
“So, how’s college?” Laura asked in an overly cheerful voice.
Sebastian broke off another small piece of pancake and put it in his mouth, chewing on it for ten seconds before answering her question with a tight-lipped “Good.”
Dany crossed his arms over his chest. “Come on, son. We were kind enough not to open that can of worms yesterday. You can tell your mother a little more than that.”
“As I said, it’s good,” Sebastian said louder, clenching his teeth. He kept his voice flat. “Classes teach me things. I have grades. Only half a year to go. Woohoo.”
“Damn. I thought you were studyinghospitality, nothostility.” Dany picked up his newspaper again.
Laura put on a smile. “How’s your friend doing? The girl you share an apartment with? What was her name again?”
“Nora,” Sebastian replied, keeping his eyes on his plate as he sat up straight. “She’s doing well. She’s all lovey-dovey with her new boyfriend.”
“A new boyfriend?” Laura asked.
“Yeah,Raul. He’s an exchange student from Spain. We all met at a party, and they hit it off right away.” Sebastian kept his voice low, almost as if he were only telling them this because he had to give themsomething, and this was the least incriminating thing he could say. “He’s over at our apartment so often that I joked he should just move into her room so we could all save on rent.”
“You don’t have a problem with that?” Laura asked, her smile suddenly much sadder.
“Not at all. They’re both like my best friends. It’s a little weird when they get all touchy sometimes, but I don’t care. Nora’s been single for so long. It’s nice to finally see her this happy.”
Laura nodded absentmindedly. “She studies hospitality too, right?”
“She’s a senior like me.”
“That’s good to hear.”
For a moment, the clinking of forks on dishes took over. I swirled a bite of pancake through the maple syrup, stalling so I wouldn’t draw any attention to myself.
“When does your plane leave?” Laure eventually asked.
“At four in the afternoon.”
“Do you need one of us to drive you?”
“Thank you, but I’ve arranged a shared Uber to pick me up at one,” he lied, peeking at me sideways. “I wish I could’ve stayed another day as well, but it’s already booked.”
Dany flapped his newspaper, the sound of the paper cutting through the air.
Sebastian rolled his eyes as they drifted toward his father. “What is it now?”
“Nothing,” Dany replied from behind his newspaper. “Have fun.”
