“Is that what he told you?”
So did Michael’s absence.
He’d been gone for almost two hours for ice.
Then the side gate opened.
Michael walked into the yard.
He didn’t have ice.
He was holding another woman’s hand.
He didn’t have ice.
***
She was younger, tall, and dressed for dinner rather than a barbecue. A gold bracelet with small green stones circled her wrist.
I knew those stones.
“Michael,” I said. “Where’s the ice?”
He looked at me.
“I didn’t go to the store.”
Someone turned off the music.
I knew those stones.
Michael raised his voice.
“Everyone, this is Melanie.”
No one answered.
He slipped his arm around her waist.
“We’ve been together for a year. I’m tired of hiding it. She makes me happier than I’ve been in years.”
His mother gasped.
