Lisa rang the ostentatious doorbell of the Manoban mansion, her lips pressed into a thin line as they always did whenever she was within a hundred yards of her childhood home.
"Hi, guys." Jacqueline's assistant, Leigh, gave them an eager smile; her hands clasped in front of her as though she had been waiting by the door all day.
"Hello, Leigh," Lisa said with a nod, her unusual-sounding voice thick as though it protested where they were.
"Jacqueline and her guests are in the study. Charlotte got here a few minutes ago."
"Oh boy," Lisa muttered to herself, gently pushing past Leigh and into the grand foyer. "Let's go and save her, shall we?"
Lisa and Roseanne walked toward the study with grim smiles on their faces, Luke's hands in each of their own.
"Guys, this is going to be fine," Roseanne insisted and then pulled on Lisa's arm a little to get her attention. "Really. It's going to be fine. We had a great day, and this isn't going to change that." Roseanne wasn't sure if she was saying it to assure Lisa or herself.
Thus far, she hadn't had a single pleasant experience when Lisa's mother was a part of it, but she hated how straight Lisa's back was, how Luke looked both excited and nervous.
She hiked up the cello that was strapped to her back and popped her neck. "It'll be great."
Cheeks hollowed and lips thin, Lisa gave a quick nod that felt less like an agreement and more like a request for silence.
"So, um, Charlotte?" Roseanne chuckled as they walked across the marble floor and toward the kitchen hallway. The guests would have taken the long way, Roseanne knew, heading up the grand staircase and then through the door on the right, only to have to descend that staircase on the other side. Lisa preferred the shortcut that allowed them to slip in the side door with little notice; Roseanne knew that, too. "I didn't know there were people brave enough to call Charlie by her full name."
Lisa scoffed, stopping by the kitchen on their way to grab a glass of wine. "No, there aren't many. Charlie has been going by that name since I met her. I suppose there is really only one person who blatantly ignores her name request... one person and her assistant." Lisa clicked her tongue. "I suppose it is my mother's forte."
"I noticed." Roseanne had discovered early that Lisa was not a fan of nicknames. Charlie, her oldest friend, often called her "Lis," which seemed to be acceptable. However, the fact that Jacqueline called her daughter "Lili" was not. Roseanne had been meaning to ask why her mother did that since Halloween when she first met Jacqueline, but the timing had never been right. She had a feeling that the name was a sore spot, anyway. Roseanne could hear the great murmur of a crowd on the other side of the kitchen door. She was about to give in and finally ask the question when they stepped through and were seized upon with a startling speed.
Lisa gave a small, deep-throated yelp of surprise as they were suddenly face to face with her mother.
Jacqueline frowned for a second, looking around as though making sure no one had heard Lisa's slip.
Jacqueline, it seemed, had always been in denial about her daughter's deafness, sending her to all the best speech therapists money could buy until Lisa had been able to speak nearly as well as most hearing children. However, no matter how much Jacqueline tried, the timbre of Lisa's voice had never sounded completely "correct." Lisa was deaf, and her voice, though well-spoken and professional, was slightly different. It bothered Jacqueline to no end, causing a constant strain between them.
Lisa felt that tension, too, and was never as polite, never as well-spoken or perfection-hungry, as when she was in her mother's presence.
Roseanne, for her part, rarely remembered that Lisa was "different." She liked her voice, she liked Lisa, and she really didn't care about Jacqueline's agenda at all.
"Good evening," Jacqueline smiled politely, when she decided that no one in the big crowd had been close enough to be reminded that the Manoban daughter, president of the WCCE board of directors, and member of the board for the J.C. Manoban Foundation was deaf.
Jacqueline leaned forward, kissing Roseanne's cheek in greeting and giving Lisa a dry peck before she leaned down and planted a big, wet one on Luke's forehead.
Luke flinched, blinking repeatedly as if stunned. He made a face, wiping at the spot and grumbling about lipstick kisses. "I can't get it off!" he cried when the ruby red just smeared across his face.
"Sorry, kid," Roseanne laughed, grabbing a napkin and wiping. "You're surrounded by women. That means lipstick."
"You don't wear lipstick!" Luke frowned.
Lisa smiled, wrapping an arm around Roseanne's waist. "She doesn't need it."
"Mommy!" Luke whined as Roseanne had to rub a little harder than felt good.
Charlie scoffed, appearing from the crowd with a drink in hand and a smile that let them know she had heard the whole exchange. "Don't worry, in a few years he'll love the fact that he's the man of the house."
Roseanne rolled her eyes, torn between hugging her friend hello and smacking her a little.
"Ms. Hong!" Jacqueline hissed, her hand on her heart as though she couldn't stand the scandal of what Charlie had just said. She spent another moment glancing around, while the three friends all sucked in air and looked pointedly in opposite directions as they tried to swallow their amusement.
When she was sure that they had not been overheard, the cool calm that was Jacqueline slid once more into place. She cleared her throat, her back straightening perfectly as her red-painted lips pursed. "Please refrain, Ms. Hong, from your less-than-appropriate behavior for once in your life." She straightened her already crisply pressed skirt. "If you two must insist on behaving like children, then I will be forced to ignore you." With that, she took Roseanne's elbow, turned her toward the group of waiting people, and began to introduce Roseanne and Luke to members of the crowd.
Roseanne recognized a few faces from the Foundation's Halloween benefit, people who all looked surprisingly eager to shake her hand. She smiled graciously, noticing the way that Jacqueline was openly preening beside her as each person approached.
"Ms. Park!"
An awkward hand, the opposite of what would have fit into her own, slid into her grip and began to squeeze.
"Hilary!" Roseanne gulped thickly.
Hilary Adams stood before her, arm encased in metal pins. She was the original cellist for the WCCE, the job that Roseanne now had. As a matter of fact, the only reason Roseanne currently had the position was because Hilary had been in an accident.
Hilary smiled brightly. "It's good to see you again!"
Roseanne cleared her throat, suddenly uncomfortable.
Her contract had been for a year, with an optional second year, one that was highly likely as it was going to be a long road of recovery for Hilary. Not too long ago, however, Roseanne had met Hilary in Lisa's office, where she swore she would be able to come back next season. With one meeting, she'd taken away Roseanne's second year and her stability.
Understandably, Roseanne didn't know how to react to her cheerfulness.
"Hilary, how are you? How's the injuries?"
"Oh," she sighed, "the leg is giving me trouble, but it's the wrist that matters."
"Right." Roseanne nodded, unsure of what else to say.
"What happened to your—" Luke started, but Roseanne reached down, her hand tight on his shoulder.
He seemed to get the message because, with a glare, his mouth closed.
"Sorry about that. Kids."
Hilary just smiled back, and in the smile, the tension was palpable. Both parties knew they were fighting for the same job.
"Ms. Adams, it's lovely to see you," Jacqueline said with her usual polite professionalism. "If you'll excuse us, we have a few people to meet. Please, sit down, and let Leigh know if you need anything."
Roseanne let Jacqueline pull her away, her jaw tight.
She felt bad; she had no reason to feel as though Hilary was trying to take her job, it was technically hers after all, and yet the sight of her made her stomach cramp.
"Oh, and here's Mr. Evans," she heard Jacqueline say.
Roseanne's already tight stomach closed in on itself as she tried to process the one-two punch. Her stomach dropped to her knees before settling in its rightful place with a sickening lurch. Mr. Evans wasn't an intimidating man. As a matter of fact, his wild, ratty hair and his walking cane gave him a misleading air of battiness, and yet, as the director of Chicago's Lyric Opera, he held her dream job in his hands. That was enough to turn Roseanne's brain into mush.
"Mr. Evans!" she said though a stickily dry mouth. She hadn't been prepared to see Hilary, and now she wasn't prepared to see him. She kicked herself; she should have assumed he would be there. "Good to see you again, sir." She knew she needed to get herself together or else she would never be able to face him without making him look at her as he was now, as though he was concerned about her wellbeing.
"You're becoming a regular occurrence, Ms. Park."
Unsure if this was a compliment or not, she smiled vaguely. "This is my son, Luke."
"Lovely to meet you, Luke." Mr. Evans gave a small nod, barely glancing at her son who was staring at him in fascination.
"What happened to your leg?"
Roseanne flushed and nudged him hard in the back, earning herself a scowl from her towheaded boy. They had just done this. Was he serious?
"I'm sorry. Apparently, he was raised by wolves."
"It's quite all right." Mr. Evans gave a polite but vacant smile and excused himself to speak to Jacqueline.
As soon as they were out of his gaze, Roseanne dragged Luke back to Lisa and Charlie. "Are you kidding me, kid? I know I raised you better than that."
"Charlie said that he's a cyborg!" Luke announced, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he tried to get a better look over her shoulder. "Do you think that's true, Mommy?"
"Charlie!"
"Careful, Luke." Charlie grinned and gave Roseanne a playful wink. "You're going to get your mom in trouble with her future boss!"
"Funny, Char. Funny." She hissed to cover the fact that the very idea made her knees shake.
Leigh delivered a glass of wine to Roseanne, as well as Lisa's second, and they stuffed themselves into a tiny loveseat on the perimeter of the room, Luke in between them and Charlie perched on the arm.
"Really, Ms. Hong, must you behave like a heathen? Are there no more chairs in this entire house? Is this how your aunt raised you?" Jacqueline hissed as she blew by.
Charlie glared at Jacqueline's back and took a long pull from her drink.
Eyebrows high, Roseanne looked between Lisa and Charlie, both looking sour. It was clear they hated being home.
Across the room, Roseanne noticed Hilary was watching and swallowed thickly, pretending she hadn't seen.
"Charlie, you said you grew up nearby, right?"
Charlie nodded and pointed vaguely out of the window. "Two houses down."
"And, your aunt? What did..." Roseanne let the question trail off as Charlie just gave a shrug. There was still so much she didn't know about these women. Had Charlie not been raised by her parents? Had they had that in common, and Roseanne had never known it?
The four of them sat in silence as they watched the group of guests politely interact, every now and then exchanging looks that read of boredom.
Lisa and Charlie unabashedly plowed through wine as quickly as Leigh could bring it, making Leigh steadily more nervous as she refilled again and again.
"Mommy!" Luke complained after a while, wanting to get up, run, play, but Roseanne pulled him back in his seat.
"I'm sorry you're bored, Luke." Lisa silently signed and then hurried on with a speed that Roseanne couldn't follow. A little taken aback, she glanced at Luke, who seemed to be following along perfectly.
He grinned. "Okay!"
Roseanne frowned. "What did she say?"
"She said her mommy makes good chocolate pie, and we're gonna eat it soon," Luke answered, his squirming increasing in his excitement.
Roseanne nodded and glanced at Charlie and Lisa, but it seemed Lisa hadn't seen her speak and Charlie hadn't heard.
"Jacqueline, when are you going to bring out that harp of yours?" Across the room Mr. Evans called to Jacqueline just as Roseanne's eyes were beginning to droop.
This woke her fully, forcing her upright so she could glance around the room at the vaguely pleased expressions. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, and yet they all seemed to have fallen into a stupor. She looked to her cello, which was hidden in the corner, nerves striking with a knowing vengeance. Would Jacqueline really ask her to perform in front of a room of the Chicago arts community figureheads? In front of Mr. Evans and Hilary?
Jacqueline had been speaking to a small man beside the table of snacks and looked up, feigning shock at the request. "Oh, Carl. Should I? Is that something everyone would enjoy?"
A look of dry amusement on her face, Charlie translated Jacqueline's words for Lisa. Lisa scoffed, rolling her eyes, and the two women shared a silent laugh. Even Roseanne had to bite back a smirk at the opaque innocence on Jacqueline's face.
"What's funny?" Luke asked, looking between them.
"Nothing, buddy," Roseanne said, biting the inside of her lip.
