“Well… of course. They are.”
“Exactly. Which brings us to your father. He’s at the top of the pyramid.
Fighter pilot. Ship captain. Admiral. And your mother’s probably the only woman who makes Marianne seem plain by comparison. Then there’s you,” I said at last.
“What about me?”
“Well, for starters, you’re insanely talented. You’re also pint-sized gorgeous, really smart, and funny too. And to hear Wren tell it, you’re a total nympho who’s gonna rock my world in bed.”
“I’m gonna wring her neck,” she said under her breath.
I laughed but then grew serious again. “I guess I’m wondering what the hell I’m doing with your family. I mean, what could I possibly bring to the party?”
“We aren’t perfect,” she said. “Well, except my mom and dad. They are.”
“They aren’t really,” I said. “You just have rose-colored glasses where they’re concerned. I don’t know what their flaws are, but I’m sure they have
’em, even if they’re only minor. Your dad probably doesn’t use his turn signals or something. Maybe your mom squeezes the toothpaste in the middle.”
“You’re probably right,” Christy said with a laugh. “But the others definitely have flaws.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
She thought about it for a long time and nodded to herself as she went from one brother to the next.
“Okay, I got it,” she said at last. “Here goes. Harry doesn’t ever do what he wants. I mean, he does, but not about big things. He does exactly what Dad wants him to. And James has always been in his shadow. Harry went to the Academy; James didn’t. Harry flies jets; James flies helicopters. He’s always resented Harry, so he stopped trying to compete with him. I think that’s why he put so much time into the piano, because Harry isn’t musical at all.
“Danny never takes anything seriously,” she went on, “which really bugs the rest of us sometimes. He makes everything into a joke when he doesn’t know what to do. Rich takes things the other direction. He’s so serious that it drives the rest of us crazy. And he has a bad habit of scaring my boyfriends.
That’s why you’re the first guy I wasn’t really nervous about bringing home.”
“Yeah,” I admitted, “Rich scares the crap out of me when I have time to think about it. But when he gets in my face, something just snaps inside me. I get mad instead of scared.”
“You get this look in your eye. Like when I told you I wasn’t going to sleep with you.”
“You just have to keep bringing that up.”
“I’m sorry. I won’t—”
“It’s fine. I’m mostly teasing. I think we moved past it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. So… what about it?”
She gave me one more look, like she still wasn’t convinced I was okay.
Then she continued, “You get this look, like you’re never, ever going to back down. That’s why I gave your expression to the replicant. It was… I dunno…
like…”
“Indomitable.”
“Exactly! So I knew Rich wouldn’t scare you off. He did that to pretty much every other guy I dated. He’d meet ’em on holidays or when he came home from the Academy. It was worst when he was in SEAL school.” She looked up at me to gauge my reaction to what she said next. “I think that’s part of the reason I… you know… with girls.”
I nodded. “Wren said you’ve had a steady girlfriend since you were thirteen.”
“I’m totally gonna wring her neck when we get home. Remind me, okay?”
“Okay,” I said with a laugh.
“But… yeah. Rich really bugs me sometimes. It’s like he doesn’t want me to grow up and have a life.”
I hesitated and then asked, “What about Laurence?”
She was silent for a long time, and I thought she might not answer at all.
“I know this is gonna sound like wishful thinking,” she said eventually,
“especially since I pretty much idolized him, but… he really was perfect. He was the best of us.”
“Danny said the same thing. That he was the best of you.”
“It’s what our dad said at his funeral. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen him cry.”
I nodded and we walked in silence for a while.
“I wish you could’ve met him.”
“I wish I could’ve too. But I’ll be honest, he probably would’ve intimidated me.”
“I don’t think so. He wasn’t like that. He was a lot like Danny, except he knew when to be serious.” She laughed. “And if you think Danny is good-looking, I’ll have to show you pictures of Laurence sometime. He was, like, oh my gosh!”
I heard something in her voice and shot her a covert look. Was it more than just sisterly affection? Like Erin and me?
“You remind me of him,” she said. “Not your face, but the rest of you, your general shape. You’re sort of like him in other ways, like how you’re really optimistic about things. You’re a lot moodier than he was, though. But I think he’d’ve liked you.”
She laughed at a memory. “He had this thing he used to do, when someone was feeling down. He’d tell them things he liked about them. And he made it sound like he was jealous of them. I know it sounds like he was fake about it, but he wasn’t. I think he really saw the best in people and admired them for it.”
“Like you,” I said, “when you were talking about my buildings and how you thought it was easy until you tried to draw them?”
“Yeah, exactly! I did the same thing and didn’t even know it! I must’ve learned it from Laurie.”
“If I had to guess, you both learned it from your mom.”
“I dunno,” she said. “Our mom’s pretty positive, but she’s more behind the scenes. Our dad’s the one who’s in-your-face about things. But you made me think about what Laurie used to do, so lemme see if I can answer your
original question.”
“Which was?”
“Yeah,” she said with a laugh, “we’ve talked about a lot since then. But you wanted to know what you’re doing with us, what you bring to the party.”
“Ah, right. I did ask that.”
“So, first, you totally fit with us. You’re going to be a famous architect one day, like Brunelleschi or Frank Lloyd Wright or Eero Saarinen.” She grinned. “See? I’m always paying attention when you tell me stuff.”
“You are. Nice.”
“You’re going to be famous like them,” she continued. “I just know it.
Maybe not tomorrow—I mean, seriously, you’re still in school—but one day.
I’ve seen your talent. You don’t think it’s all that special ’cause you live with it. Like me and my sculpture. Or Sabrina and her looks. And oh my gosh, Paul! You have no idea how insecure she is sometimes.”
I chuckled.
“But you know what I mean. You have this amazing talent, and other people see it even if you think it’s just normal.”
“Well, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And you asked what you bring to the party? That’s easy.”
“What?”
“You bring a very happy Birdy.” She hugged my arm and looked up at me, her eyes aglow with happiness. “You might not think it’s much, but it’s pretty important to me. My family too.”
“I guess you’re right.” I put my arm around her and we continued walking. As we rounded the block and turned toward her house, I looked down at her. “You never told me what your flaws are.”
“Oh? Didn’t I?”
“No.”
She slipped from under my arm and danced ahead of me.
“You’re not going to, are you?”
“Going to what?” She pirouetted and grinned at me over her shoulder.
I jogged to catch up but she danced out of reach. I knew I couldn’t catch her so I didn’t try. She did a couple of scissor-kick leaps followed by a twirl.