Emily For Real by Sylvia Gunnery

Author:Sylvia Gunnery [Gunnery, Sylvia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
Publisher: Pajama Press
Published: 2012-06-05T14:00:00+00:00

Eight

Not that I have a problem with it or anything like that, but I really wasn’t expecting Dana to be married to a woman. And I know for certain that Mom and Dad and Aunt Em are trying not to have totally stunned looks on their faces right now. Which makes us all seem like we live in the dark ages.

Dana’s calm and cool. Like she doesn’t even notice our stunned faces. She’s thrilled to be at this family reunion. “I’m Dana,” she says with this big smile. “And this is Myra.”

“I’m Gerald. Gerry,” says Dad. “And this is Emma. And my wife Winnie. And Emily.”

Everyone says hi but no one hugs. It’s weird. Awkward. Like Granddad’s standing right here in the middle of this family group saying, Over my dead body.

“Let me take your coats,” says Dad.

We go into the living room where there’s a fire in the fireplace and candles lit on the coffee table.

“It gets dark so early this time of year,” says Mom, maybe to explain the candles, but probably just to fill up the empty air space all around us.

“And it’s not usually this cold in November,” says Aunt Em.

What would people do if they didn’t have weather to talk about at times like this? When we’re all thinking private and confusing things, like whether Granddad ever met Dana and if he knew she’s a lesbian who’s married or whether Dana had a clue that her mother was having an affair with a married man for almost a quarter of a century.

Myra sits on the sofa and Dana sits beside her. They make a nice couple. Myra’s about the same height as Dana, but Dana is quite a bit bigger. Dana’s hair is very short. Myra’s hair is flying all over the place with natural-looking curls. It gives her a kind of whimsical look. I can’t picture her being unhappy. She has a glittery purple scarf with braided fringes and a soft green sweater. Dana’s wearing jeans and a white T-shirt under a black V-neck sweater. Basic.

“I like your earrings,” I say to Myra. They’re dangly purple earrings shaped like tropical fish.

She tucks a mass of curls behind one ear and says, “Dana bought them today at a sweet little craft shop down at the harbor front.”

“Historic Properties,” says Dana. She smiles and puts her hand on Myra’s knee and leaves it there.

Dana doesn’t look much like Dad and Aunt Em. More like what Cynthia Maxwell would’ve looked like when she was in her thirties.

“Well,” says Dad.

“You got that right,” says Dana and laughs. “Mom’s not too happy about me coming here, as you might expect. But you already know she’s not into transparency.” She gives another laugh. “In a way I’m glad Dad passed away before all this floated up to the surface,” she says. “He definitely believed I was his daughter, always saying how much I looked like the portrait of his mother.

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