Lottie and Mei
"The fact you don't win every pie contest is a crime," Mei said, inhaling the citrusy sweet scent of the lemon meringue pie Lottie had made. "Seriously. You should open a bakery."
"I thought about it once," Lottie said. "Before Kip. But I like that baking is just a hobby and not a job. It keeps it fun for me."
"True enough." There were a few seconds of silence, both women enjoying the sound of the park, the sound of life. "So, hey, my son..."
"Is a teenaged boy who was forced to spend a holiday with the girl who broke his poor little heart," Lottie said, cutting her off. "Mei, if you're about to apologize for him, I will revoke your pie privileges. All things considered he wasn't horrible."
"Still. He could have at least tried to be pleasant."
"It's fine, Mei, really. If anyone should apologize, it's him, but I'm willing to let a little sour mood go. How is he at home?"
"Lottie, the girls he brings home...I don't know that I appreciated your daughter's intellect before now. They're vapid. They have heads full of lipstick and glitter, I swear."
Lottie chuckled.
"And he's really being influenced by the boys on his team. The way he talks about girls sometimes is borderline gross. I'm doing my best to correct it, but I can't control what he says when we're not around. Vasily isn't sure how to address it, either. We need to do something, though, before this is more than a phase."
"I'm sure it'll come to him. You married a smart man."
"I married a goofy man, but damn do I love him. How's Lucy doing?"
"She's cheering up. Kip and her will be here in a few hours to do her art final. Kip is so excited. He was pretty miffed that she chose to do projects with his mom first, then with me and his mom. He wanted to be included so bad and now he is."
"Poor guy. He's so sensitive."
"He is. Lucy is kind, but she's just not very emotive. I know she loves us and so does Kip, but sometimes she reminds him of Prim."
"Lucy isn't like Prim at all, though."
"She is in that she doesn't show her emotions very often. I wouldn't attribute much else to Prim, though."
"You think our kids will figure it out?" Mei asked.
"I hope so, but their relationship in whatever form is up to them. I have hope, though. To have this much pain means there was that much love. Hopefully they find their way back to each other. We're still friends, though."
"Well, yeah, I'm not going anywhere."
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