Free Keep Your Mouth Shut and Wear Beige by Kathleen Gilles Seidel Page A

nodded. He’d already guessed that.
    We watched the limo carry Guy and Rose off to the Ritz. “Darcy, Annie was just telling me,” Dad said, “that your house reminded her of their grandparents’ cottage in the Adirondacks.”
    “Annie!” Cami exclaimed. “How can you say that? The cottage was falling down. All the ceilings had water stains, and there were mice in every closet.”
    “It doesn’t look the same,” Annie acknowledged, “but it’s cozy like the cottage, with just one place to sit so people have to be together. You remember how we always played games there.”
    “I have games,” I said. “I don’t have water stains or mice, at least not yet, but I do have games.”
    So that’s what we did the rest of the afternoon. Cami and Jeremy had planned to study, Annie was supposed to be working on a paper, and Zack had to be doing something—dear God— anything, on his college applications, but instead we played games.
    Annie wanted to play the card games that they had played with their grandparents. I found the cards and everyone started to gather around the table. Finney waited for one of his sisters to tell him where to sit, but my dad patted the chair next to him. “Let’s be a team, you and me.”
    The games were simple and easy to learn. Annie was enthusiastic, teasing, flirting; it was clear that she wanted everyone to have a good time. I’m not much in the flirting department, but I’m a good sport. If she wanted people to have fun, I would help. As soon as I had a good hand, I slapped down my winning cards with PG-rated trash talk. Then everyone got into the spirit of inane and pointless competition, and we had a grand time. Zack roused himself from his Annie-induced stupor and was enjoying himself, provoking Jeremy to the point that Jeremy, in fun, hooked his elbow around Zack’s neck and rubbed his knuckles across Zack’s skull. When they were kids, Jeremy used to do this to him . . . although not in fun.
    Perhaps because the playground at his very expensive, very specialized school was highly supervised, perhaps because he had no built-in tormentor in the shape of a brother, Finney had never seen “noogies” before. He was fascinated. First he wanted Jeremy to demonstrate them on him. Then Jeremy obediently bent his head and let Finney curve his thin arm around Jeremy’s neck.
    Who had the “fun” house now?

Four
     
     
     

     
A
      round five o’clock Guy called, saying that he was going to send the car for all of us; he and Rose would catch a lift with Mike when he came to the hotel to get his mother. I didn’t protest. I had never shown up at a party in a limo; this seemed like a very good time to start. Maybe I could read about it tomorrow on Claudia’s blog.
    Everyone, even my boys, took it for granted that Claudia and I knew each other, but we’d never met. I wasn’t looking forward to our meeting. What on earth would we say? So I decided to take a Ritalin. I don’t usually take them late in the day—I have too much trouble going to sleep—but if I took one, I would be more controlled. I could better endure tedious conversations; I would be less likely to blurt out something that would offend someone, embarrass myself, or both.
    I had to give Claudia credit for one thing: my guys looked absolutely great in their vintage tuxes. Broad-shouldered and light-haired, Jeremy appeared elegantly assured, a character out of
TheGreat Gatsby.
Zack’s tux glided over his sharp angles, giving his frame maturity and dignity. With his longish black hair and fair skin, he looked mysterious, even a little sinister. Twice I saw him glance in the small mirror that hung near the front door. He liked the way he looked.
    Finney was wearing neat gray pants, his fanny pack, a white dress shirt, and a little crimson tie. He had dressed in Zack’s basement bathroom and was very happy to report that Zack had been able to tie his tie for him. He told each of us about it, how Zack could