Chapter 6 - The Long Lunch I Watched From the Window
I stayed where Dad had put me, with my back against the cold glass and my pink clip digging into the side of my head. The windows stretched floor to ceiling behind me, and the city looked too bright and far away. My legs hurt from standing still so long. I could see all of them reflected faintly in the glass if I didn't turn around.
Mr. Cole came in loud. I heard his shoes first on the marble, then his voice filling up the dining room.
"Daniel, this view. You could sell the skyline alone," he said. "The board picked the right penthouse for the gala photos."
Dad stood up so fast his chair scraped. "Thanks, Richard. Glad you could make it for lunch. Sit, please."
I watched them in the glass. Mr. Cole was older, with gray at his temples and a navy blazer that didn't quite match his khakis. He looked around at the long table, at the white plates and the gold rings around the napkins and the tall candles that weren't lit, and he whistled low.
Vanessa laughed from her seat. She hadn't moved. Her arms were still crossed, and her diamond necklace caught the chandelier light when she tilted her head.
"We keep it simple," she said. "And quiet. A nice kid-free lunch for once."
She said it like a joke. Mr. Cole chuckled. Dad made a sound that was supposed to be a laugh. It came out wrong, too short. He glanced over at me by the window, then looked away fast like it burned.
"Yeah," he said. "Quiet."
Rosa stepped forward with the first plates. She set one down in front of Vanessa without a sound, then one in front of Dad, then one in front of Mr. Cole. Three plates. The table was so long there was empty glass stretching past them. My chair was gone. I realized Rosa must have pulled it away when I wasn't looking.
I pressed my hands against my dress to keep them from shaking. The smell hit me then. Warm bread and butter and something with lemon. My stomach made a noise so loud I was sure they heard it.
Vanessa kept talking. "The catering for the gala has to be flawless. No disruptions. Donors pay for polish."
"Agreed," Mr. Cole said. "The foundation can't afford another messy photo op. That picture from last spring —"
"I know," Vanessa cut in, smooth. "We've handled it."
Dad didn't say anything. He picked up his fork and put it down again. He looked at his plate, then at me again. His eyes stayed a second longer that time. I tried to make myself small, the way Rosa had taught me to stand when guests were over. Shoulders in. Chin down.
Rosa moved behind the table with the water pitcher. As she passed the window side, she didn't look at me. She kept her face toward the men. Her hand brushed past my skirt.
Something crackled in her palm. A cracker wrapped in a napkin.
I froze. My heart beat so hard I thought the glass behind me would shake. Rosa kept pouring water, her wrist steady. The little bundle was suddenly in my hand, warm from her grip. I closed my fingers around it.
"Rosa, could we get more light off the windows?" Vanessa said. "The glare."
"Yes, ma'am," Rosa said. She stepped to the panel and pretended to adjust the shade. Her body blocked me from the table for three seconds. Three whole seconds.
I shoved the cracker into my mouth. It was salty and dry and I almost choked trying to chew without making noise. My throat hurt. I swallowed and felt crumbs stick. I wiped my mouth fast with the back of my hand.
When Rosa stepped away, I was just the girl by the window again.
Lunch went on without me. Forks clicked against white plates. Mr. Cole talked about seating charts and donors. Vanessa laughed at all the right places, her voice light and perfect. Dad laughed when he was supposed to. Every few minutes his eyes flicked to me and away.
Nobody offered me a plate. Nobody said my name.
May you like
I held the empty napkin balled tight in my fist behind my back, and I understood that the cracker was my lunch. That I was supposed to be grateful for it and invisible at the same time. The humiliation sat hot in my chest, worse than being hungry.
I didn't cry. I just kept staring at the city through the glass and chewed the last salty crumbs with my mouth closed.
