Ayanna’s phone was buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out automatically, and found several texts from her mom. She willed herself not to read, but saw the words typical, why are you like this, and don’t respond. Before, her mother had never been this aggressive over text. Sometimes in person if Ayanna “wasn’t behaving right,” there were outbursts, but here were blocks of text on her home screen that were both anxiety-making and proof she could show people the next time they earnestly said things like “Your family is all you got” when they heard she was estranged from her mother.

“Who’s blowing up your phone?” Felix asked, then moved away from her. He smelled good, like fresh toothpaste and cedar. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have looked.”

“My mom,” Ayanna said. She tried to find an urbane and relaxed way to put it and tried out, “We aren’t close.”

There was a moment when Ayanna was tempted to tell them the whole thing, from walking through the door with Olivia, to it letting only one of them through, to her mom’s lie. She didn’t know what she would do or say, though, if someone asked why she kept repeating it. And it would be worse, too, if they judged her. It was a relief when Jane spoke up.

“I don’t speak to my parents because they’re homophobes,” Jane said. “Being gay is a white-people thing, I guess.”

“My dad has never told me he loves me,” Stephen said. “I can’t even remember the last time he hugged me. Also, once I heard him refer to me in a meeting as his ‘African American son.’ And it made me exactly sure why he and my mom hate each other now.”

“I have a beautiful and respectful relationship with my parents. We’re best friends. I’m always looking forward to spending time with Timothy and Suzanne,” Felix said. He laughed. It was a pleasure to hear him laugh because it was raucous and so out of sync with the measured way he always spoke. “Nah, they’re always on me to cut my hair, to wear nice clothes, to become a lawyer, to pledge Alpha Phi Alpha, to be safe. I have parents that met at a frat party. They’re both copyright lawyers. They would sue my ass if they heard me refer to them by their first names.”

“Well, cheers,” Jane said, and they clinked their coffee cups together.

After breakfast, Jane asked Ayanna if she would do a favor for her. Ayanna agreed, and they walked together to the Catholic church. Mass had just finished and there were still people outside talking to one another. They walked in and Jane sat in a pew, pulled out the kneeler, then crossed herself.