The Last Dance

I turned my head to look where Adam had been looking behind me and saw four people, two men and two women. The younger woman had brown hair pulled into a very Barbie-esque pony tail and was wearing a light blue cocktail dress with jewelry that looked incredibly expensive; she was young, early twenties at the most. The older woman had red hair that was pulled into a severe French twist. She was wearing a paisley wrap dress with long sleeves and a look on her face as if she smelled something sour. The younger man looked like an All-American kind of guy and was wearing a tux. The older man was also wearing a tux and seemed to be in his mid-thirties but his very neatly trimmed brown beard made it hard for me to really place his age. When I turned back around I gave Adam a questioning look and it was like he was a different person. He was wearing a fake smile and had stood up and buttoned his jacket stiffly.

“It’s SO good to see you! I can’t believe you’re here.” I heard the younger of the two women say.

“Let’s get some tables together. You won’t mind, of course.” The older woman said.

“Actually, we were-” Adam said.

“Don’t be absurd, it’s not a problem. Where’s the help?” The younger woman waved Adam off.

While a team of wait staff moved two tables on either side of ours, Adam shook the mens’ hands and then gave the two women hugs while everyone seemed to talk at once which made it hard for me to hear what was going on. It was like I wasn’t even there.

“Oh, that’s a nice shade.” The younger woman said wiping my lip stain off of Adam’s lower lip that I hadn’t noticed was there, “Surely that was given to you from this woman you’re with. It’s a classy shade.”

Her judgmental tone hung in the air. I gave Adam a wry look and thought to myself: Maybe it would have been better if I’d been ignored…

Adam scrambled to introduce me to everyone.

“Uh, I’m sorry,” he said clearing his throat, I noticed how suddenly nervous he seemed, “Faith this is my little sister, Aubrey and her boyfriend Brandon, and my older brother, Andrew and his wife Joan. Everyone this is Faith.”

Aubrey and Joan were sitting next to me and Andrew and Brandon were on either side of Adam, who was across from me.

“Hello.” I said shyly.

Andrew nodded to me coldly and then said, “Let’s order and then we can catch up.”

After about five minutes our waiter had taken our orders, filled our water glasses, and set down a fancy bread platter for the table.

“So, Faith, how do you know my brother?” Aubrey said.

She gave me an innocent blink but I wasn’t fooled by it and I glanced quickly at Adam to see how much he was comfortable with me telling them.

“Um.” I said stupidly.

“Faith is my girlfriend, Aubrey.” Adam said.

“OH.” She said her eyes getting wide with surprise as she looked me over more seriously than before.

“What family are you from?” Andrew asked.

“I’m sorry?” I leaned forward, not understanding the question. Joan took pity on me and tried to help me out.

“Are they members of the same country club we’re part of?” She asked.

I glanced at Adam again. He looked as helpless as I felt.

“Um. No. My family isn’t from this area.” I said.

Andrew gave me a disapproving look and then glanced at Adam to make his distaste known. I’m sure he thought I was an incredible idiot who couldn’t answer a simple question. I silently hoped the conversation would go anywhere else.

“So, Adam, your sister got on the Dean’s list this semester.” Brandon said beaming at Aubrey.

I decided I loved Brandon for that.

Aubrey waved him off.

“It’s no big deal.” She shrugged “We can’t all be gold-dig-”

Andrew cleared his throat and cut her off but I felt like it was a dig at me all the same and Adam noticed as well because I saw him give her a rude look and saw her flinch as if he’d kicked her under the table. An awkward silence fell over the table as our wine glasses were filled.

The table broke off into conversation and I was left to mingle with Adam’s sister by myself as Adam and Brandon talked about the hedge fund Brandon’s dad owned and Joan told Andrew about some boating investment she’d heard about. To say I felt out of place would have been an understatement.

“W-where do you go to school?” I asked Aubrey.

“Oh, trust me, it’s way out of your pay grade judging by those atrocious knock-off shoes.” She said it jokingly but it was mean-spirited and her eyes told me she wasn’t kidding.

It was Maggie all over again only with a huge sense of entitlement and just downright spoiled, bratty behavior that only came with being a pampered snob your whole life. I didn’t want to make a scene in such a nice restaurant and I wanted Adam’s family to like me. I knew it meant something to him even if he didn’t want to admit it.

“You have a good eye.” I joked back to her and took a sip of my wine and gave her a deliberate look, “Are you majoring in fashion?”

She eyed me and sniffed.

“Yes.” I could tell it bothered her that I’d been able to deduce something about her, “I’m a sophomore right now majoring in fashion design.”

She emphasized “design" to let me know I wasn’t completely right.

“That’s so creative.” I said laying it on thick.

She nodded tersely and then interrupted Adam and Brandon to speak to Brandon. Adam looked at me and mouthed the words “I’m so sorry” before he was distracted by Joan.

“So, Andrew, were you guys here to celebrate anything tonight?”

“No.” He said coldly, “Why would we come here to celebrate? It’s only a four-star restaurant.”

He gave me a look that made it clear he thought I was as dumb as a rock. And my question had probably made it clear to him that I was what he would consider poor. I tried to cover. Badly.

“Oh, of course.”

Andrew bristled and sighed angrily as if he couldn’t believe he had to speak to someone who was so clearly beneath him.

“Aubrey and Joan thought a double date would be fun so we came here.”

“That’s awesome.” I said meekly.

Obviously Andrew and I were not going to get along, either.

Dinner went fairly smoothly after that. Conversation flowed easily between the six of us (as long as I kept my mouth mostly shut and stuck to one word answers) and I even made Joan laugh at a joke I told but Andrew and Aubrey didn’t even smile at me the entire night. Andrew basically ignored me and Aubrey made a few more nasty remarks and passed them off as jokes to the table but each time I noticed Adam gave her a dirty look and grew irritated with each jab she directed towards me.

By the time it was the dessert course I was so ready for this new form of torture to be over. I hadn’t wanted to order anything if it meant we’d be able to get out of there sooner but Aubrey insisted we all choose some dessert. When it arrived, the conversation moved into another uncomfortable subject.

“So, Faith, do you have any investments?” Joan asked brightly.

I wanted to like Joan but her questions were ruining my life at that particular moment.

“I, uh, in a theatre.” I said lamely. I had remembered that I was technically an investor in the Glass Penny, “It’s a start-up.”

Joan nodded knowingly as if my answer had made sense and then she turned to Adam.

“How’s the job search going?” Joan asked him.

I was so relieved for a change of subject.

“It’s going well. I found an amazing listing at a big newspaper here in the city and I’m going to apply. I think it’s a long shot but it would be my dream job.” He said.

Brandon smiled at me.

“What do you do, Faith?” I decided I hated Brandon.

“Oh, I’m a stage manager for a local theatre here.”

“What’s a stage manager?” Brandon asked.

I saw Adam relax a little as I began describing my job happily and animatedly. Honestly, it was probably the most relaxed I’d felt all night.

“…So, I do a lot and it keeps me busy but I-”

Just then I accidentally knocked my wine glass over onto Aubrey’s dress.

“OH MY GOD.” She screamed.

“I am so sorry!” I said trying to blot the wine off of her dress and simultaneously wishing I could crawl in a hole and die.

“This dress was eighteen hundred dollars!” Aubrey yelled as she continued to try and get the wine off of it.

“I’m so sorry. I’ll pay to replace it.” I said trying to make things right.

“Oh, please!” She yelled, “Like you could afford something this expensive.”

If I’m being honest, she had a point there….

“It’s a designer fucking gown you dumb bitch!” She continued.

I heard a loud bang. Adam had slammed his fist against the table and stood up.

“That’s enough.” He said quietly but with the angriest look I’ve ever seen pasted across his face, “Aubrey, apologize to her.”

“She RUINED MY DRESS and you want ME to apologize to HER!?” Aubrey’s attitude was reminiscent of a snotty teenager.

“You will not speak to my girlfriend like that.” Adam said darkly, “She has been nothing but kind and polite to you. She deserves respect. From both of you.”

Adam’s eyes turned toward Andrew who had a stoic look on his face, aware that other diners were looking at our table.

“Apologize.” He said turning back to look at Aubrey.

She huffily crossed her arms and legs and rolled her eyes.

“Now.” Adam said still standing up.

Aubrey gave him a challenging look for a good thirty seconds before giving him a fake, nasty smile and turning to me.

“That was rude of me, Faith. I’m sorry.” She cocked her head and blinked innocently.

“That’s…that’s okay.” I stammered still holding my wine-soaked napkin in my hands.

Adam walked over to my side of the table and took my hand and gave both Andrew and Aubrey a dirty look as he led me away and out of the restaurant. I didn’t know what to say. He was breathing fast and I could feel the heat rolling off of him from being so angry. He led me down the sidewalk like that for about a block without speaking and I could tell he was pissed off because I had ruined the night so spectacularly.

When he stopped, he spun me around and looked into my eyes.

“Adam, I’m so sorry I-”

“Are you okay?” He asked me searching my eyes.

I was confused and shut my mouth and just nodded. Adam looked relived and dropped his arms from my shoulders.

“I had no idea they would be there tonight. I’m sorry this was just sprung on you. They had no right to treat you like tha-”

“Wait…you’re…you’re not mad at me?” I asked him.

“Why would I be mad at you?” He asked rubbing the back of his head.

“Because I spilled wine all over your sister and ruined every possible chance of getting on your family’s good side.” I said.

Adam laughed to himself quietly and gave me a half smile.

“Faith, there was never going to be a chance of you getting on their good side. I told you what they’re like. Plus, the look on Aubrey’s face was priceless…”

“You…you stood up for me even though you could’ve just let them…”

I leaned into him and kissed him sweetly and then more passionately.

“Of course I stood up for you. I love you.” Adam said when we pulled away, “They can’t treat you like shit. They don’t even know you, Faith.”

I smiled and kissed him again.

“I love you.” I said putting my forehead against his after I pulled out of the kiss.

“You know what the best part is?”

“What?” I asked.

“I stuck them with our bill.”

We broke out into hysterical laughter.