Lara set a beautiful table for Thanksgiving, and they had a delicious meal, as they always did, and her father was talking about going skiing in Aspen over Christmas or right after. It wasn’t clear if Antonia was invited or not. They were meeting friends of Lara’s there, and Antonia wasn’t sure that was how she wanted to spend her Christmas vacation.
“Nothing is decided yet,” Lara said firmly, with a meaningful glance at Brandon, who didn’t get it, or pretended not to. He was finally a man without a child underfoot, and acted like it. He was enjoying the empty nest, but officially Antonia still lived there. It was her home too.
They asked about her classes, and she told them how much she liked NYU. Her father was impressed by some of the guest lecturers, who were important filmmakers. They had told her at school that they were expected to find summer jobs in the film industry, and the employment office would help them. She was excited about it, and her father said maybe they’d go to Greece that summer instead of renting a house again, particularly if she wouldn’t be there. They seemed to have alternate plans that didn’t include her for every occasion. She felt as though she were being pushed out of the nest, instead of spreading her wings.
Lara scolded Brandon for it when they went to bed that night, and it almost started an argument between them. “She doesn’t come home anyway. She hasn’t been here since we set her up in the dorm two months ago. What does she expect?” he said. But Lara knew he’d been planning to set up the home office anyway.
“She’s been busy,” Lara said fairly, “but she still expects to have a place here. This is her home.”
“We haven’t moved. It’s all here. Her bed is still in her room. She’s sleeping there, isn’t she?”
“Yes, under the window, with your file cabinets all around her. How would you feel?”
“Like an adult. She’s moving on, and we have a right to enjoy our freedom too. Aspen would be fun for Christmas, and I’ve always wanted to go to Greece with you. And Water Mill is boring. She’s going to be working this summer anyway.”
“She could join us on weekends if we rent a house again. I don’t want her to feel that we’re shoving her out the door. That wouldn’t be right. She’s only eighteen.” Their relationship had just started to get warmer, and he was being insensitive again. It upset Lara, and Antonia was crying in her room that night, looking around her, at the office furniture her father had crammed into the room, and no one had warned her. It had been a shock when she opened her bedroom door and saw the state it was in. Lara understood it perfectly. And as usual, Brandon didn’t.
She and Lara went to the movies on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and saw a terrific new film, Steel Magnolias, with a star-studded female cast. It was deeply moving, they were still talking about it when they got home. The three of them went to Elio’s for dinner on Saturday and had a good time. It was less stressful than Thanksgiving had been, and Antonia was used to the mess in her room by then. But she had no place of refuge anymore. Her bedroom had been turned into an office supply depot. She couldn’t even get into her closet and was living out of her suitcase.
She left Sunday morning after Lara made breakfast for them. She saw Jake when he got back from San Francisco that afternoon. He had been eager to get home, after a 7.6 earthquake in October. Their house had only been slightly damaged, but he wanted to see the city. And an entire segment of freeway had collapsed, and many people had been killed. He’d been watching the World Series when it happened, and saw the screen go wobbly and then black. His family had reached him quickly to tell him they were okay. But it was reassuring to see the city again.
“How was your Thanksgiving?” he asked her, tired from the trip. He had gone out with all his old friends the night before. Everyone was home from college for the holiday. Antonia seemed a little subdued to him.
“It was okay. My father turned my bedroom into a home office. I could hardly move in the room and there are file cabinets in front of my closet. I guess he was pretty anxious for me to leave.” She had always felt it, but now the evidence was clear. “They’re already making plans for next summer that don’t include me, but it doesn’t really matter. I’ll be working anyway.” And then she glanced at him shyly, embarrassed about something. “Can I ask you a crazy question? And don’t be afraid to say no. I just had an idea over the weekend. You said I should come out to visit sometime. How would this Christmas be?” He looked startled but not unhappy about it. In fact, he was delighted.