The Setup by T.B. Markinson

Author:T.B. Markinson [Markinson, T.B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: T.B. Markinson
Published: 2020-09-25T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply anything.” She looked like she’d stepped on a puppy’s tail.

“No, no. It’s not that. I don’t mind when people make observations or challenge my belief system. I actually like that.” I set down my fork. “I’ve never ever thought about this or tried to put it into words. When I signed up to move here, many of my friends asked if I’d be okay being so far from my family. I thought even asking such a question was completely preposterous. Like they were the ones with the issues and wondering if they would pass up an opportunity of a lifetime to stay close to home.” I placed a hand on my chest. “Am I the one with the issue?”

Imogen didn’t move a muscle.

“I’m not asking you to confirm or deny. Is my family dynamic wrong or hurtful even? I won’t deny there’s comfort having the Atlantic as a barrier, and in my mom’s case, there’s the ocean and then the entire continent separating us since she’s on the west coast. I never have to consider her when I go about my normal everyday life, because in all probability, she won’t come here to visit. She thought Boston was a backwater and nagged me to move to New York City. But I didn’t have a job in the Big Apple. London is probably a step above for her, but her making the effort—that’s not in her genetic makeup.” Apparently, not in mine, either. I took a long pull of beer. “She liked calling me her half daughter, because after my parents divorced, I was only with her for school holidays and part of the summer. Even then, I spent more time with a nanny than I did with her.” I eyed Imogen, the family person, to gauge her reaction to everything. “I’m judging by your squirming that I’m on to something. Should I add therapy to my London to-do list like one of my friends suggested?” Whoopsie! That was probably one step too far, and I tried laughing it away, but it was a pathetic attempt.

Not seeming put off, Imogen leaned over the table, as if wanting to confide only in me. “I think you’re asking the wrong person, because I don’t know how to stop my family from making demands of me. Like tonight. My sister wants to have a drink with her husband before dinner to discuss something, and she wants me to watch my nephew. She sprung it on me, and when I said I was busy, she spat out trawling through used bookshops didn’t take precedence over my nephew. The thought I might be with another human being didn’t even cross her mind.”

“Do they know you’re gay?”

“Yep and they were fine with it before I accepted it. I think it’s a relief to my sister, on one hand, because she doesn’t view any of my relationships on equal footing as hers since she and her husband have a child. They’re a more cohesive unit that’s been part of family structures for centuries.

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