Suri’s Sure Thing – Chapter 3

Erik and I finish the walk to my family’s house with small talk about work and movies he’s been watching. Usually, we watch a movie together at least once a month, but it’s been a while since we’ve had the time for that. I’ve barely seen him at all for the last two weeks.

The gate squeaks open as I push it aside to let in Erik and the dogs. We live in one of the older native abandoned houses meant for a much bigger and affluent family than we are. When ships first arrived here from Earth, our town, Yamato, had been deserted by the native population for years. Something about it being cursed? Anyway, that was just a superstition, of course. Most people live in the modern, brand-new high rises in town constructed in the initial decade after settlement. Erik has a small comfortable apartment there, close to my sister, Myra. Both of them were lucky to get places in the housing shortage.

Many people did not want to live in the native homes because they’re mostly disasters. Our family home is beautiful, but it’s also drafty and cold in the winter. Two of our roofs have leaks, and tarps cover open holes. There’s an ant infestation in Winta’s room, and the kitchen appliances are older than dirt. I can’t wait to move out, even if I end up missing the place. Maybe I’ll be able to find an apartment I can afford next year? I don’t know. It seems impossible right now.

Finn reaches the front porch and turns back to look at me. “Smell something. I think, I think, I think…”

“What’s up, boy?” I ask as he weaves in and out of my legs.

The front door swings open, and my mother smiles… kind of. Her face is tight, and her teeth are showing, but her eyes are not backing up this smile.

“Suri, darling! How was your flight home? Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeaahhhh,” I say, drawing out the word and eyeing her warily. “What’s going on?” I widen my eyes to let her know I can read her.

She titters a nervous little laugh that unnerves me even more. The dogs push past her into the front vestibule, barking and jumping — cats hiss and scramble for cover.

And then a laugh echoes in from the house.

My blood runs cold, and my vision tunnels.

“Suri, darling, come inside.” Mom reaches out for me, but I turn to look at Erik. His face is pinched as he stares into the house.

Finn comes barreling towards me. “Suri Suri Suri, come come come. He’s back! Oh oh oh oh…”

Erik takes my arm. “Maybe we should go out to dinner.”

“Suri!” My father’s booming voice precedes him into the vestibule. “There you are! I was beginning to think you got lost.”

He steps to the side, and my heart races with anxiety, fear, and shock.

Leo, my ex-boyfriend, who I haven’t seen in two years, is standing behind him.

“Hey, Suri,” he says, stepping forward. He looks different. His face is thinner, and his hair is shorter, close-cropped. But his voice is the same buttery softness it always was. He leans in and kisses me on the cheek. I am too stunned to move. He pulls away and sees Erik.

“Erik! Hey, man, it’s good to see you.” Leo sticks out his hand, and it takes Erik a full beat to grasp it and lean in for the manly one-arm hug.

“Leo, wow. I had no idea you were back in town.”

“He’s been in town before?” I whisper to Erik. He doesn’t answer, and for a good reason. I was a hysterical mess when Leo broke things off with me and moved away. I’ve known they remained distant friends, but I ignore this information.

Now, it’s staring me in the face.

Dad appears again at Leo’s side, and there’s only one way to describe his grin: shit-eating. The self-satisfied swagger is enough to make me want to burn the whole place down. What the hell? Mom is careful, looking between us.

“Erik, is that Suri’s bag?” Dad reaches out for the bag, and Erik hands it over, his expression robotic.

He pulls himself together enough to bow. “Mr. Kimura, I was just walking Suri home.”

“Thank you. You’re such a responsible young man.” Dad smiles at Erik, waiting for him to bow and take his leave.

My mom jumps in. “Erik, why don’t you stay for dinner as well? There’s plenty for everyone.”

Dad’s smile falters slightly.

“Uh, I don’t know —”

“He’ll stay,” I interrupt. Turning to Erik, I plead with my eyes. “You will, won’t you?”

“Sure.” Erik’s jaw twitches.

“Great!” Leo claps his hands together, and the sound is enough to startle me back to how things were before — his jovial personality and the way he always kept me from being too serious. He would smile, pour a glass of wine, and make it all better with a trip to the bar or the nightclub. “We can all eat together and catch up.”

Finn barks and leaps up, circling and jumping on his hind legs. Leo ruffles his fur and scratches his head. “Hey, boy. I missed you too.”

Tsuki comes trotting up to Erik. She woofs and murmurs, and Erik nods in response.

“What did she say?” I ask, slowly following everyone into the house.

Erik places his hand on my back and moves me along. “That things are about to get complicated.”

—-

I feel as though I’m in an alternate universe throughout dinner. Leo is sitting across the table from me for the first time in two years and chatting with my mother and father. His voice is both like listening to an out-of-tune band and a soothing massage. I don’t understand this dichotomy in me. I’m split in two.

Tilli’s silence is unsettling as she watches Leo from under her lashes. Winta and Demi are shoveling food into their mouths at a frightening pace. They’re both in winter sports and spend all their time running around. Rosa isn’t here. Lucky thing. Ean, my older brother, picks up each green bean from his bowl and eats them all at a deliberate rate, the opposite of his hedonist younger sisters.

Finn and Tsuki are under the table at our feet with all the other animals. Finn sighs and rests his head on my ankles.

“Leo talks so much,” he mumbles, and I cover my smile with my hand. “Forgot about that.”

I clear my throat and jostle him to get him to stop. I can’t start laughing now.

“It feels dumb to love a local convenience store, but it’s really grown on me.” Leo finishes the story of his neighborhood in Tengōku, the capital across the continent. “I’m glad we could connect over dinner when you were in town last.”

I fumble my chopsticks, and they clatter across the table. Mom slaps her hand down to stop them from rolling onto the floor.

“Dad, you met up with Leo in Tengōku?” I blink a few times, unable to process this news. What the hell is going on?

“Oh yeah,” Leo says, bowling right by my state of surprise. “We’ve been corresponding for the last six months or so.”

My right hand tightens into a fist on the table. And then I jump as Erik’s hand rests on my knee. He so rarely touches me; I wasn’t expecting it.

“Are you feeling okay, Suri?” Leo asks, picking up his saké cup.

“I think she’s a little surprised that you’re here,” Erik pipes up. “I’m a little stunned, too. You didn’t mention this the last time we spoke.”

He pats my leg once and then removes his hand to pick up his own cup and drink.

“Yeah, sorry. I wasn’t sure it was going to work out.” He glances warily at my father, but Dad just smiles in return.

“We’re all delighted you’re here,” Dad says.

This time, Tilli laughs and slaps her hand over her mouth to stop anything more. She tries to cover it up by coughing. “Sorry. Swallowed wrong.” She sips her water.

Mom hands my chopsticks back to me. “I had no idea they were speaking either, Suri.” Mom’s smile is tight. This is something she hates about Dad. He hides things from her because he thinks she’s already got her hands full with seven children. When really, if he told her everything, it would make her life much easier. “If I had known, I would have reminded your father that he is a terrible matchmaker, and he should stick to town politics.”

An icy wind blows through the dining room, and I swear I see dead people rise up through the floorboards and high-five my mother. Dad’s smile melts away, and his face pales to a light gray.

“I am only doing what I feel is right for this family.” He clears his throat and places his napkin on the table next to his bowl. “Now, if we’re done, I’d like to have a talk with Suri out on the back deck. Tilli, you will serve drinks.”

“But I —” she starts.

“No buts,” he replies. “You have time to serve drinks and then head out for the evening.”

She dips her head. “Yes, Dad.”

Dad stands up and stares me down. I glance at my bowl of food, only half-eaten. I was too upset the entire dinner to eat.

Winta grabs my bowl. “I’ll cover it and stick it in the fridge for you.”

“Thanks,” I mumble as I push to my feet.

Erik glances at me as I edge past him. There are no words for this moment. Finn is at my heels, keeping me company with his furry countenance as we make our way through the house.

Dad pours himself a glass of whiskey. I desperately want to grab the bottle and chug from it — just drown myself away from this mess — but there’s no time.

Out on the deck, the air is crisp. I wedge my feet into a pair of Mom’s slippers and pull my sweater around me tighter. The day’s winter warmth ebbed away once the sun set.

“I get the feeling you’re unhappy with me for bringing Leo here,” he says, sipping his drink.

“No, Dad. I’m ecstatic to see my ex-boyfriend who dumped me two years ago and moved across the continent to be away from me.” I roll my eyes.

“Don’t be disrespectful.”

“Disrespectful?” My voice cracks on the word. “I’ll tell you what’s disrespectful — you interfering with my love life. I am twenty-seven years old. How dare you stick your nose in my business like this. If I wanted to see Leo, I’d have called him up myself and tried again. But I don’t, and I didn’t.”

My chest heaves with hot, angry breaths.

“He broke things off with me. Told me he wanted to focus on his career and that my family was too traditional for him. And now, suddenly, you think he’s the perfect person to bring back into my life?”

“Leo is a nice guy, Suri,” Finn reminds me. “But you were so sad, so sad when he left.”

I nod to Finn. “Yes, I was.”

“What did he say?” Dad asks. He can’t understand Finn because he’s not paired with him. Dad’s own pair, Desi, a cat, is probably sleeping on my parent’s bed right now.

I ignore him, turn, and pace down the length of the deck. A flash in the window makes me groan. Winta and Demi are spying on us.

“Suri,” Dad pleads, his voice softer than I expect after my tirade, “you were so depressed, so angry for months. And now, you won’t date anyone. All you do is work, hang out with Erik, and then you never have any money. When I ran into Leo in Tengōku, I figured it was a sign.”

“It was not a sign. I doubt his feelings have changed.” I fold my arms over my chest.

“They have,” he insists. “Won’t you give him another chance?”

I close my eyes against Dad’s earnest expression. Leo and I — we were a suitable match once upon a time. He’s fire and energy where I’m cool and sedate. Unless I’m angry like I am now. We used to have a great time together. When we went out, Leo was the life of the party. When we stayed in, I kept us grounded and comfortable.

But, no…

“Dad, things have changed in the last two years. I learned to be without him, and I’m happy with my life now.”

“How can you be happy when you don’t have someone you love?”

I bite my lip because I don’t know the correct answer to this question. It’s okay to be single forever if that’s something I want. I’m not sure I want that, though. I have Finn, and we’re happy together, but that’s not the same thing.

Still, this is not something Dad should be involved in.

I sigh. “Look, I’ll be polite, but I will not start dating him again.”

Dad’s facial expression hardens, and he steps back. “He’s here to take you to the ball, Suri.”

My anger ratchets up a notch. “But I already gave my invite to Tilli.”

“You will take it back and go yourself. Get a dress, Suri, and make plans for after.”

The threatening tone of his voice pulls the air from my lungs. There’s an unspoken ‘or else’ at the end of that statement.

Dad’s face hardens even more. “Your time living at home has come to an end. Your brother and your younger sister moved out two years ago. All you do is work and hang out with Erik, and we both know he’s never going to be interested in you.” He scoffs. He knows Erik is the quiet, homely type — even if he is a good, kind person and definitely nothing to be ashamed of. Especially as a friend to his daughter.

Dad points his finger at me as he heads inside.

“Be a good girl and do it. I only want what’s best for you.”

The sliding door knocks shut behind him.