4: 4
Back in the private room, the table had been reset with a fresh round of hot dishes. A waiter had swept away the broken glass.
"Marina."
Matthew came over to stand in front of me.
"Did you get the cut taken care of?"
"It's fine."
"Let me take you to the hospital and have it looked at. In case it scars—"
I shook my head.
"No need."
Aunt Mamie fussed at everyone to keep eating, saying an accident shouldn't ruin a young person's birthday.
Uncle Mason cleared his throat and raised his glass.
"Matthew's twenty-six today. From now on he's a real grown man."
"Old Summers and I have been friends all these years. The matter between our two families is settled today too."
Everyone at the table knew it. Once this dinner was over, Matthew and I were going to file for our marriage license.
Matthew brightened up too, ready to lift his glass and wait for my father's word of approval and blessing.
But my father didn't raise his.
"No rush."
The whole table froze.
My mother nodded as well.
"Today is Matthew's birthday. As long as the children are happy, that's enough."
"Everything else can wait."
Matthew's head snapped up. It was the first time he'd ever heard an answer like that.
Marlene must have sensed something too.
She said in a low voice, "Mr. Morton, do you have something urgent to attend to?"
"Maybe I should go first—"
"Don't go."
Matthew turned to look at her, his tone softer than a moment ago.
"You've only had a few bites. You'll be hungry."
But I hadn't eaten a single bite all night.
He hadn't noticed, because he didn't care.
Matthew went on, speaking to my father.
"Mr. Summers, Marina and I have been together all this time—"
My father didn't deny it.
"That's right. Everyone out there says we'd be one family sooner or later."
"I used to think so too."
"That's why I set aside that thirty percent of shares. A welcome gift for my future son-in-law."
Matthew stood at the edge of the table, looking at my father.
"But you just handed away the pen her mother used to sign her first contract."
My father looked toward Marlene.
"That pen is your aunt's pride."
"Before you passed it off to someone else, did you ever stop to think what that pen was worth?"
Matthew's throat worked.
"Uncle, I... I just didn't think it through."
"You don't need to explain."
My father raised a hand and cut him off.
"I brought Marina here today to enjoy a good meal."
"Not to sit and watch someone else make her wish and sign your future contracts for her."
He turned his head and looked around the table.
Uncle Mason's face darkened. Aunt Mamie wanted to smooth things over, but in the end nothing came out.
No one at this table was blind to what had happened at that dinner. And in their own hearts, they knew they'd lost their footing.
"The marriage between our families, we'll reconsider once we're home."
Matthew's face finally changed.
He took half a step forward and looked at me across the table.
"Marina, is this what you think too?"
I looked down at my cut.
When he'd pulled Marlene into his arms just now, he'd grazed right past my shoulder. He only had to tilt a fraction and he would have been in front of me.
But he hadn't.
Matthew followed my gaze, and his pupils shrank.
"I..."
"Just now I... I didn't get to it."
I smiled a little.
"She's put off by the smell of shrimp and you handled it. She won't eat mint leaves and you handled it."
"I'm allergic to mango and you couldn't handle it. I was sitting closer to the bottle, and you couldn't handle that either."
Not a sound came from the table.
Matthew ground his teeth and was about to speak when Marlene suddenly stood up.
"Marina, I'm really sorry, this is my fault."
"I'll never come again. Please don't be angry with Mr. Morton because of me."
"Mr. Morton really has only ever looked out for me. There's nothing between us—"
"I'm not angry."
I gave a faint smile.
"Why would I be angry?"
"I'm not like you."
"What isn't mine, I won't fight for."
She froze, the tears in her eyes hanging right on the edge of falling.
Matthew stepped in front of her, the same way he'd shielded her from the bottle.
For the first time, something anxious surfaced in the way he looked at me.
"Marina, there really isn't anything between Marlene and me the way you think."
"She's just a young girl. I sponsored her, she came to help me, so I look after her a little more, that's all."
"Can you not be so relentless—"
I cut him off.
"Do you want me to say it again?"
"What isn't mine, I don't want."
I took my phone out of my bag and opened the marriage-license appointment page.
"Applicants: Marina Summers, Matthew Morton. Status: Cancelled."
I turned the phone around so the screen faced everyone at the table.
Matthew saw that line and froze.
"When did you cancel it?"
I answered.
"The moment you let her make your wish."
