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"Are the potatoes peeled?” my mom asks.
“Yeah, I got them all. Do I have to stay for dinner, it’s so boring?” I say.
“Yes, Dad wants Dean to meet the whole family, welcome him to the company and make him feel like a part of it. It’s not what you want but sometimes we have to do what we don’t want to do.”
“Ok, but can I go to my room after we eat, I have homework?” I say.
“That’s fine.”
I push a hair out of my eyes and smell the starchy potatoes on my fingers as they move through the air. I did not want to sit around with adults who are more than twice my age and listen to them try to have small talk when there is really nothing interesting to say to each other. And why would this guy care to meet me anyway, it’s just about appearances and keeping my dad happy.
The doorbell rings, “He’s here, put on a happy face,” Mom nearly sings, pats my hand, and walks out of the kitchen to meet our guest. Great, let the show begin.
I stay in the kitchen and listen to the muffled talk and fake laughs, then I hear their footsteps behind me, my mother says, “And, this is our daughter, Em.J.”
I turn around and see him, “Hi, nice to meet you.” But I don’t just see him, I feel him, deep inside me.
