Coffee and Conclusions

by Emma Sterner-Radley

  “You can hear the cadence of actual speech there,” Marie said to Isabella.

  “Yes, he’s doing a good job at imitating speech patterns. He’s gotten close to saying mamá a few times, but I don’t know if he knows what it means. I’ve read that scientists think babies are trying to communicate something when they babble like this. It’s just that we don’t understand what they’re saying.”

  Marie looked over at Chris who was crouched on the floor with the still-babbling Alberto. “Well, not all of us understand it. My Chris seems to be a natural.”

  Isabella scoffed, but it wasn’t unkind. So far, Chris was living up to his reputation as a sweet, funny guy, and she could see how crazy her little sister was about him.

  She remembered when a grief-stricken teenaged Marie had moved in, and they had to make the change from reluctant friends to foster sisters. Marie started stealing her clothes as soon as she arrived and threw tantrums if Isabella ever complained about it.

  Back then, Isabella couldn’t have fathomed feeling as warm and maternal toward Marie as she did now, watching her gaze at the man she loved. Isabella made a point of not showing her affection, knowing Marie would be insufferably sappy if she knew what Isabella was thinking.

  “Should I pour us all some coffee?” Isabella asked.

  “Sounds like an excellent idea. We brought Peanut Chews to give you a taste of Philadelphia,” Marie said.

  Chris held up a plastic bag with the treats for inspection.

  Isabella gave an approving nod. “Ah, good choice.”

  “I knew they’d turn your frown upside down,” Marie chirped.

  “I wasn’t frowning until you said that,” Isabella muttered on her way to the coffeemaker.

  They all froze at a knock on the door.

  “Are you expecting anyone else?” Chris asked.

  “Only Erin, but she’d use her key. And no one has buzzed from downstairs,” Isabella replied. She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. Her breath caught in her chest. Her stomach clenched, as she turned to Marie, staring at her with wide eyes. “Mother is here.”

  “Judith’s here? But she doesn’t know where you live! I refused to tell her. Just like you wanted,” Marie whispered urgently.

  “Clearly, she found me,” Isabella muttered. She straightened up and took a deep breath before opening the door.

  “Hello, Isabella.” Judith looked past Isabella’s shoulder. “Good afternoon, Marie and…I’m sorry, dear, what was your name?”

  Chris stood up, stoic under Judith’s piercing gaze. “Chris. Chris Nash.”

  “Oh yes, that’s it. I knew it was a salt of the earth kind of name. Very charming. Isabella, dear, will you let me in? This stairwell reeks of disinfectant.”

  Isabella gritted her teeth. “Well, if you’d told me you were coming, I could’ve put scented candles out.” Reluctantly, Isabella moved aside and felt the rush of wind as her mother stepped past her. “Or perhaps some sort of bitch repellent to keep you away,” she muttered under her breath but still loud enough for Judith to hear.

  “How did you know where to find her? I didn’t give you this address,” Marie asked.

  “No, you didn’t. But you did tell Alberto you were going to see Isabella today when you spoke to him on the phone. I overheard you.” Judith wiped down the front of her suit jacket as if she’d said everything she needed to. When she looked up and clearly saw the angry and confused faces, she continued explaining. “So, I drove to your house, waited outside your apartment, and then followed you. I gave you a while to speak in peace, and then I came up.”

  She turned and directed her next words solely toward Isabella. “No matter how we left things, you should still give your mother your new address. It’s only civil. Besides, what if there had been an emergency and I needed to reach you? Hmm?”

  Instantly enraged, Isabella felt the vein in her forehead pulse. “What? What happened to me being ‘disowned’? Now I’m expected to be civil and your emergency contact. You’ve got some nerve stalking Marie all the way here, then waltzing in and scolding me for not inviting you to a housewarming party. I should call the police!”

  The sound of a key in the door interrupted her tirade. Erin was home. She’d asked the weekend manager to cover her for a couple of hours. Isabella had told her she didn’t have to, but she wanted to see Chris and spend more time getting to know Marie.

  Erin walked in, fiddling with her keys and throwing a gym bag on the floor. “Hey gang,” she said. “Sorry I’m late.”

  Isabella looked from her mother to her girlfriend. Judith looked Erin up and down with a grimace.

  Erin was wearing her Nash’s Gym T-shirt. That, in itself, wouldn’t have been a problem. Erin owned the gym, and it made sense that she’d wear its merchandise. This was a T-shirt Isabella and Erin had ordered especially to advertise the gym. Isabella had suggested getting T-shirts, gym bags, towels, and hoodies that all tied in with the gym’s old New York boxers feel.

  The T-shirt was designed to look vintage and distressed, and Isabella knew Judith’s snobby, old-fashioned sense of style. To her, it would merely look tatty with a worn logo and unraveling seams. The fact that Erin wore a size that just barely fit her, making it tight over her sculpted arms and breasts, didn’t help.

  Customers loved the design, and Isabella loved watching Erin in one of those T-shirts, especially when Erin paired it with a pair of skinny jeans with more holes than fabric. But, unfortunately, she could see through her mother’s judgmental eyes, which undoubtedly saw a shabbily dressed, soft-butch woman, with her hair in a crooked, messy braid.

  Definitely not the sort of look Judith Martinez would approve of. Isabella closed her eyes and scolded herself for caring. Still, it was hard to shake the opinion of one’s parent. No matter how wrong she was.

  Judith cleared her throat. “Ah. Well, I suppose that sort of outfit would be more acceptable here in Brooklyn than Philadelphia. I see why you had to move, Isabella.”

  Erin looked up in shock. Isabella was about to furiously defend Erin’s outfit and where they lived, but Erin surprised her. Erin looked the unwanted guest right in the eye.

  “Hello there, Mrs. Martinez. I recognize your voice. Nice to meet you. No, actually, not very nice, considering how you’ve hurt Isabella, but at least I can be polite. One of us has to be, and clearly, it ain’t gonna be you.”

  Erin squared her shoulders and stood to her full height. She was at least an inch taller than either Isabella or her mother. “Brooklyn’s a very sought-after area these days. We chose it because my friend, Erika, recommended it. She’s a top translator for a big-ass investment company that you’d recognize if I name dropped. She lives here and is willing to babysit, so there’s that too. This neighborhood’s affordable but out of the way enough to be safe and quiet. It makes a lot of sense for us right now, and we both love it, don’t we, babe?” Erin directed the last sentence to Isabella.

  Judith flinched and turned to Isabella with an air of incredulity. “Did she just refer to you as ‘babe’?”

  “Yes, Mother. I can’t see why that was what you took away from that statement or how you dare be so rude to Erin in her own home. But, yes, she called me ‘babe,’” Isabella replied defiantly.

  “Like the little lamb or piglet or whatever it was from that children’s movie?” Judith asked disdainfully.

  “I’m certain that that’s not the context she had in mind, but, yes, I suppose so.”

  Judith grimaced. “How undignified.”

  “Yes, love can be like that.” Isabella glared at her. “What it lacks in dignity it makes up for in warmth. Anyway, why don’t you ask her instead of me? She’s right next to you, Mother.”

  Erin waved at Judith, surprisingly cheerful. In fact, she was smiling as if she’d just found the solution to all their problems. Everyone in the room focuse
d on her as she pointed at Judith. “You know what? I think I’ve figured you out. You just need to feel like you’re in control. Especially when it comes to your family. Fine, you wanted Isabella to be with a person who was ambitious and hardworking? I run my own gym. One day soon, I’ll own it outright. I’m making sure that it not only does well, but does so well that one day, I’ll open a second one. Maybe even set up a whole franchise—with Isabella’s help and advice, of course. Isn’t that what you wanted for her?”

  Isabella couldn’t help grinning, and neither could Marie. Chris looked confused, and Judith, well, Judith merely glared at Erin as if she were a cockroach darting across the floor.

  “I’m glad to hear that you have such high-flying plans. However, I think it might be a little early in our acquaintance for you to assume to know me,” Judith said acerbically.

  “Likewise, Mrs. Martinez,” Erin countered. “This is the first time we’ve met, but you decided I’m not good enough for your daughter before I even walked through that door. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.”

  Isabella stared in shock. Part of her wanted to cheer Erin on, and the other part was waiting for her mother’s backlash and vitriol to begin in earnest.

  Marie, ever the peacemaker, stepped forward. “Surely, you came here to check that Isabella and Alberto are doing well, Judith? Look around you; they’re happy and safe. That must put your mind at ease, right?”

  Everyone was quiet while they waited for Judith’s reply. Instead, the silence was broken by Alberto who had crawled over to the sofa and was trying to climb up. He was whining as he failed miserably.

  Erin was closest, and she walked over to pick him up. He instantly busied himself with grabbing onto her braid and tugging at it. She laughed. “Not so rough, lil’ man. We’ve talked about this.”

  Judith was staring at Erin and Alberto. Every part of Isabella ached to have Judith say something positive. Isabella was an adult. She didn’t need her mother’s approval, but she couldn’t stand any more negative comments to taint her beautiful little family and their new home. She was happy and didn’t want her mother to dampen that. Not again. Most of all, she didn’t want her mother to hurt Erin. Ever. She vowed that if her mother said one vicious thing, she’d throw her out. Physically, if she had to.

  Judith gave the deepest sigh Isabella had ever heard her utter. “I can’t say I’m happy about all this, Isabella. But there seems to be very little I can do to change it. And my reason for coming here today does somewhat limit my actions here.”

  “Your reason for coming here? Was Marie right? Are you here to check up on me and Alberto?” Isabella asked.

  “Well, yes. I had always planned to come talk to you when you had some time to calm down. However, in these past weeks…well, your father has been acting most peculiar. He has been grumpy, argumentative, and generally difficult to deal with. Apparently, losing contact with you has taken its toll on him. He is even refusing to sleep in our room until I repair our relationship and he can have you and little Alberto back in his…in our lives.”

  “Wow! Well done, Alberto.” Marie gave an excited clap of her hands.

  Judith glared at her. “He hasn’t saved someone from a burning building, Marie. All he did was walk into the dining room and inform me he had received a letter from Isabella. Apparently, one that made him think. So he informed me that he’d decided he wasn’t going to put up with the way I treated our daughters anymore.” She stopped to scoff. “He claimed I was driving you both away. As though everything that has happened has all been my doing.”

  Her nostrils flared, and Isabella could see her visibly reigning in her temper. Was she angry at Alberto Sr. for finally standing up to her? At Isabella, for making him think in the first place? Or at the prospect of having to admit fault and take responsibility for her own actions? Isabella couldn’t be sure, but she’d be willing to put money on options A and B…and leave C to its own devices.

  “He went as far as to liken me to Rupert and his behavior, which is absurd. That man is a power-crazed tyrant with no redeeming qualities. Well, except for being an excellent lawyer. But he is still despicable. Anyway, we quarreled and…”

  Marie broke in. “Alberto fought? With you?”

  “No. With the refrigerator,” Judith muttered.

  Isabella almost smiled at the comeback until she felt uncomfortable. She loved and respected her little sister, so she was allowed to tease her. But no one else could, especially not the woman who had bullied them both for years.

  Marie stepped a little closer to her foster mother. “I see no need to be so condescending, Judith. We all know that Alberto’s not the fighting type. He is a creature of peace and kindness. For him to do such a thing, you must have been really out of order. It’s clear to everyone here that you are. You have been turning into a female version of Rupert Claremont, and if you don’t want to be as hated as he is, I suggest you start listening to those who love you.”

  Isabella couldn’t decide who she was more proud of. Her father for standing up to his wife or her sister for answering back. Hm. Daddy wins. Just. But only because he was more under her thumb. Isabella walked over and put her arm around Marie, giving her a quick kiss on the temple. Marie leaned into her and smiled.

  “Anyway,” Judith continued, looking confused by Marie’s comment. “Alberto has given me this ridiculous ultimatum. If I don’t mend fences with you enough to ensure that you stay in touch, Isabella, we will keep having separate bedrooms and eating separately. He says he will not even sit at my table at functions and fundraisers. Can you imagine how inconvenient and embarrassing that would be? So, yes, I suppose I have no other choice but to allow you to make your own bed and lie in it.”

  Isabella didn’t answer; she was still stunned by what her father had done. He had never stood up for her, not properly. He had muttered and grumbled at the worst injustices his wife had rained down on Isabella, but he’d never taken a firm stand. Isabella knew he must have been truly furious to turn assertive enough that her mother took him seriously. She was touched…and proud of him.

  Not getting any response, Judith crossed her arms over her chest and adopted an almost bored look. “So, for the peace of my household, and since not one of you would give me the information I needed, I was forced to follow Marie and Dave all the way here just to speak with you.”

  “My name is Chris. Just like it was the other ten times you got it wrong,” Chris muttered.

  “Yes, yes, of course,” Judith dismissed him without looking at him. She was staring intently at Erin and Alberto.

  Alberto was gumming the tip of Erin’s braid. Isabella grimaced. She was forever telling Erin she shouldn’t let him do that, to no avail.

  “Now that I am here, I wonder if there is a chance that I might have…underestimated you. I want it known that my problem was never the fact that you are a woman,” Judith said tersely. She was almost wincing, as she looked at Erin. Every friendly word seemed to be causing her pain.

  Erin looked away from Alberto’s happy little face and back to his grandmother’s less jovial one. “Well, I don’t think you’re over the moon about me not being a man, if we’re honest. But I think your main problem with me is that you didn’t pick me. Isabella did.” Erin stopped to take a breath before carrying on. “I gotta say, Mrs. Martinez, I really hope this means that you’ll trust Isabella to make her own decisions from now on. Because she’s the smartest, most capable person I know. She knows what she’s doing.” Erin readjusted Alberto in her arms. “I’m not perfect, by any means, but I adore her. My main aim in life will always be to love and protect her and Alberto. I’ll work my ass off to make sure we can move out of here and into a fancy neighborhood and a big house one day. Make sure that we have vacations together and send Alberto to the best schools and stuff. I might not be the man you chose for the job, but I am the woman who is up for the task.”

 
Isabella scoffed, trying to hide a smile. “Did you just refer to me and Alberto as ‘the task’?”

  Erin shrugged and grinned mischievously. For a second, Isabella forgot about the people around her. She just wanted to kiss the smile off that pretty mouth. She suppressed the urge.

  “Mother, Erin’s right. She will look after us, and she is a worthy partner. That’s what you’ve always said you wanted for me, right?” Isabella let go of Marie, put her hand on her mother’s arm, and squeezed gently. They’d never been physically affectionate with each other, so the gesture did its job and got Judith’s full attention. Isabella continued, her voice authoritative. “More importantly, Erin makes me the best person I can be, and that includes making me want to look after her. We’re good for each other, and we’ll stay together no matter what you think or say. So, you have a choice. If you’re prepared to apologize and treat me and my family better, then you can stay. Or you can walk out, not see me or Alberto again, and deal with the ultimatum Daddy gave you. It’s that simple.”

  Judith raised an eyebrow and looked as if she was about to argue. She closed her eyes and pulled in a deep breath through her nose. After a moment, she opened her eyes again and muttered, “I’m sorry if my attempts to guide you misfired. I suppose the feeling that you know better than everyone else can make you forget to listen and objectively evaluate your actions and words. I don’t want to be Rupert Claremont and, more importantly, I don’t want to push you away. I’m not going to change who I am, but I will try to take a step back and hold my tongue. And I am sorry if who I am…has hurt you.”

  There was no doubt that the confession had been difficult for Judith, and Isabella was as surprised as she was relieved that she’d managed it.

  Isabella nodded. “You’re right. You’re not going to fundamentally change. Neither am I.” She took a step closer to her mother, still unsure if she was doing the right thing. “However, if you’re willing to work on letting me make my own decisions and not controlling me and if you’re ready to accept Erin as the partner I’ve chosen, then I’ll let you back into our lives. At least for a trial period.