Excerpt: Flying East

Nina escaped to the kitchen and asked herself what she was doing there, why she never ever listened to her better judgement though it was so damn talkative, and why she was opening two beers when alcohol seemed a foolish thing to introduce to the situation. There was also an additional running commentary in her head, far more distant from herself than even her much ignored better judgement, that was saying she knew exactly what she was doing there and why she was drinking and how the night would end, so she might as well stop pretending to protest and accept the inevitable. It was very loud inside Nina's head as she returned to the living room with the beers.

Curtis had his arm across the back of the couch, his head tilted back against the wall, and one leg up on the coffee table. He looked so very much like his younger self that when he tipped his head forward to grin at her, she was almost shocked to see that he was older. Still very young looking for his age, much younger looking than her, but nonetheless a mature, adult man. She felt a stirring deep inside her that was both nostalgic and new. She mentally pushed it away.

Nina handed Curtis one of the bottles and sat down in the chair that was at the side of the couch farthest from him. It was a ridiculously obvious positioning of herself as far away as possible from him. She felt self-conscious about it and put her feet up on the coffee table as well, as if that somehow made things more casual and okay. Curtis didn't comment on any of it, just took a swig of his beer.

"So," Nina said.

"So," Curtis said. "My kids. Can you believe how big they are? Because I still can't."

"I know. It's incredible. I don't see you guys for a few years, and look what you let happen."

"Yeah, really. Very careless of me. I should have kept them in appropriately sized boxes so they'd maintain their, uh, appropriate sizes."

"Right."

There was a stupid silence. Nina drank a nervously large amount of beer.

"They're really great kids, though," she said. "I mean, they always were, but it's great that now you can really have a real conversation with them. And they're both so smart. You've done a good job. And Susan, too, of course." As though acknowledging the existence of Susan would defuse the situation. She'd have to mention Alex now, too.

"Susan deserves credit, too, naturally." Curtis made a benevolent, inclusive gesture with his beer.

"How are things, really? I mean, you must have to interact all the time still. With the kids."

"It's... Overall it's tense. It's not horrible. Better than I would have guessed, really. But still tense."

"I'm sorry."

"Well." Curtis looked at the ceiling, perhaps searching for an appropriate sentiment there. "It is what it is." He laughed. "How's that for meaningless tripe?"

"It's an excellent specimen of meaningless tripe, I'd say."