I let out a shaky breath, and my stomach unknots. Jesus, is that all? I’m never getting back the year of my life she just took from me. But now that I’m no longer imagining the worst, I can focus on easing my mother’s guilt. It doesn’t surprise me that our cousin Cláudia teased her on the phone; over the years, I’ve overheard my mother and tias talk about our wonderful family overseas, and Cláudia’s name has come up quite a bit. As far as I can tell, she’s the outlier, the traditional relative, the one who thinks her cousins are questionable role models because they’re all single moms.

Cláudia couldn’t be more wrong. My mother’s example has taught me to be uncompromising when it comes to love. She refused to put up with my father’s bullshit, and I, too, refuse to tolerate men who can’t or won’t give me one hundred percent of themselves. No more men who treat relationships as a game of “the commitment is lava.” If I’m all in, they should be all in too. Luckily for me, despite a few false starts, I can spot an emotionally unavailable man from a hundred paces. Not in a hat. Not cuddling cats. Not even if he’s gorgeous will I fuck with that. So what if this means I haven’t had a steady partner in ages? I know my worth, and I’m not letting anyone diminish it. One thing’s clear: Not being in a relationship is better than being in a bad one. Because one bad relationship can change your life forever.

Still, I know Cláudia’s criticism is a sore spot for my mother, so her decision to tell a little white lie makes sense in that context. It’s innocuous enough—especially since I hardly ever interact with Cláudia at any rate.

“Don’t worry about it, Mãe,” I say, picking up my plate again. “It’s no big deal. In fact, it’s already forgotten.”

“But that’s not all,” Tia Mariana singsongs a little too cheerfully from her spot near the beverage case.

I stare at my mother, waiting for an explanation.

“Well, uh,” she says, her gaze settled on the area behind me. “Cláudia and her family are coming to visit the first full weekend of August—her husband has something for work in New York—and she asked if they could meet the person you’re dating when they’re here.” She slumps against the chair. “I wasn’t thinking, and I said yes. Que confusão!”