She bounces up and down excitedly. “I have daycare tomorrow and they’re gonna love-love-love it!”
I smile. Her enthusiasm is contagious.
But the room is still silent so I’m suddenly feeling like I’m under a microscope. I have since I got here but it’s as if the focus of the lens has sharpened.
“Was that not okay?” I whisper to Jude’s mom.
“Of course it is,” she says, waving her hand. “This is my brother-in-law, Uncle Niko and his wife Stana.”
I notice she doesn’t give Stana a title of ‘aunt’. Stana looks about thirty, where Uncle Niko looks like he’s in his fifties.
“Nice to meet you,” I say.
Uncle Niko, tall, salt and pepper haired, and a bit of a stocky build looks me over with what I take as a judgmental eye. He shakes my hand and kisses my cheek.
He looks at me like I’ve got no business having pink hair and tattoos unless I’m not the sort of girl his nephew should be consorting with.
I’m definitely not the sort of girl his nephew should be consorting with but that’s got nothing to do with my style.
His wife is blonde, beautiful, dressed the way I used to dress, and she looks at me with a smile, though seems shy.
I give her a hug and she returns it before sitting back down, looking embarrassed.
“We’re gonna eat around four o’clock. I hope that’s not too early, Ally,” Ana says, “but Sundays we do that because like usual, I have a lot of marking to do for school, so I want to wrap this up by about six.”
“No problem, Ma. We’ll be out of your hair by then,” Jude says. “Baby, I’ll head to the drugstore now. Text me what to buy.”
I feel panicked. “Um… I can come. It’s better if I just come, and-”
“Nonsense,” Baka says. “Tell him what to buy. You stay here. We’ll play a game.”
“Those pancakes are fuckin’ great,” Luka comes out of the kitchen, rubbing his belly.
“No cussing on a Sunday,” Baka admonishes.
Everyone else other than Jude, Ana, and Prabaka Sanja flock to the kitchen.
“Sorry, I’m not trying to ruin dinner.”
“Nonsense, they’ll all eat; believe me, this crew can eat,” Ana says and then raises her voice. “Someone bring one for Prabaka! And me.”
“I’ll get you both one!” Aunt Ivana announces.
“Text me,” Jude says, kissing me quickly and heading for the door.
Panic rises bringing heat up my neck and making my face flame.
“Have a seat,” Ana invites. “Something to drink? Some tea? A Coke? Oh, everyone loved those cupcakes. I’d ask for the recipe, but I have enough to do already.” She waves her hand. “They’d be putting in daily orders.”
“I love cupcakes! I liked the yellows!” Aunt Ivana calls from the kitchen.
“Tea sounds nice,” I say to Ana and then call out, “Thank you!”
“I like tea, too,” Aunt Ivana calls from the kitchen.
“She likes you,” Prabaka Sanja says with a gummy smile.
“Where are your teeth?” Uncle Niko asks loudly.
She waves her hand. “I don’t like them. I chew fine.”
I chuckle.
“Buy her teeth and she never wears them,” Uncle Niko grumbles.
Prabaka Sanja pokes her tongue out at him and gives me another smile, patting the cushion of the big c-shaped blue couch beside her. I sit down.
“Excuse me for one second. I’ll send Jude that text,” I say and pull my phone out of my purse.
Hot pink Splat. Get Splat as it’s the semi-permanent one. If you can’t get that brand, ask the clerk for a washout version in case she hates it. PS: I hate YOU.
I tuck my phone away and smile at Uncle Niko’s wife Stana, who’s staring at me.
She smiles and self-consciously straightens up, smoothing her skirt.
“Who wants to play Monopoly?” Baka asks from the dining area. “Come! What piece does everyone want?”
“Dibs on the shoe!” I call out and head over there.
Baka passes it to me quietly, not looking at me.
“She’s usually the shoe,” Roman tells me as he sits beside me at the large dining table with eight matching chairs, plus two extra folding chairs. “You tryin’ to start a war?”
Oh shit.
Baka isn’t saying anything, though she’s right here so clearly heard him. She puts the little silver iron playing piece in front of herself.
“I gotta check the roast,” Ana says. “I’m the top hat!”
“We know,” Baka mutters. “Always a top hat. Unless Jude is playing and then she’ll take whatever because he’s the top hat.”
“Jude’s not here,” Aunt Ivana says. “He went to get my pink hair stuff.”
“I can be the iron, Mrs. Kokotovic,” I say.
“S’okay. But it’s Baka.”
“Okay, Baka,” I reply.
“Drink your tea,” she points.
I lift the cup and take a sip. Rosehip.
“This is good,” I say.
“It’s my favorite,” she tells me, then raises her voice to say, “I’m the banker!”
“You’re always the banker, Ma,” Ana says from the kitchen. “She always wins, too.”
“I liked your cupcakes,” Baka says, making piles of money for the players.