My mother approached with the tray of cheese and crackers. "Talk about what?"
"Sarah and Thierry have no plans of committing to each other," my father commented.
"Perhaps he's not the marrying kind."
My mother looked distraught. "But, Sarah, why waste your time with someone who doesn't want to marry you? You're still young, but time is a fleeting thing. You know what they say about the cow and the milk, don't you?"
"Mom—"
"You're not giving away free milk, are you, honey?"
I sighed heavily. "What is marriage? I mean, seriously. It's just a piece of paper. Or, possibly, a chiseled ancient tablet of some kind or however they did it back in the fourteenth century. It doesn't mean anything. I like things just the way they are."
"But you always dreamed of a perfect wedding," my mother persisted. "With a white dress and a long veil and doves released at the end of the ceremony!"
"Dreams can change," I said. And I meant it, too.
"I think I know what's going on here." My father's arms were crossed. "He's a married man, isn't he?"
My eyes widened. Damn, he was a good cop.
Mom gasped and held a hand up to her mouth. "No! He's married? To another woman? Sarah, what on earth are you thinking?"
Instead of throwing up on the pale green wall-to-wall carpeting, which was my first inclination, I glanced over to where Thierry was surrounded by the aunt entourage. They'd popped a tape into the VCR and were taking the liberty of showing him my secret shame, aka the only commercial I'd done when I'd been an aspiring actress. I hadn't even known it was still in existence.
"Feel fresh as the morning dew," the twenty-year-old me (with much longer hair) said with a big, bright, and shiny smile. "With Daisy Fresh personal deodorant maxi-pads you'll never worry about not being as fabulous as you can possibly be!"
Obviously things could not get any worse than they already were.
I turned back and fixed my parents with a steady look. "Hey, guess what? I'm a vampire."
They frowned.
"What did you say, dear?" my mother asked.
"I'm a vampire. It happened a couple of months ago. So, I won't be aging anymore. I'm immortal. I've come home to go to my reunion so I have a chance to feel happy and normal again. Still waiting. I just thought you'd like to know."
"You're a vampire," my father repeated.
I rubbed my stake wound absently. "That's right."
He shook his head. "And you think that this is some sort of excuse for taking part in a shameful, adulterous relationship?"
My mother sniffed and drew a Kleenex out of her shirt sleeve. "My little girl. My poor little girl!"
I blinked. "Didn't you hear the part about me being a vampire?"
"Yes, and we're ignoring that. Obviously you are wracked with guilt over these life choices and it's making you delusional." My father sighed heavily. "I really think you should move back here for a while. Get your head straight."
"Sarah," I felt Thierry's arm come around my waist. "How is everything over here?"
My father fixed Thierry with an icy glare. "Just so you know, I do not approve of the kind of life you're subjecting our daughter to."
Thierry's expression didn't change. "I'm sorry?"
"You should be sorry. Sarah deserves better. She deserves a bright future with a man who adores her, not someone who wants to use and discard her like a dollar-store hanky."
"I assure you that is not my intention and apologize if I've somehow given that impression in the short time I've been here. I only want the best for Sarah."
My father's face was as cold as I'd ever seen it. I'd seen him look at criminals with more kindness in his eyes. "I'm going upstairs to watch the golf channel." He moved past us but touched my arm. "Remember what I said, Sarah. Your room is always open for you."
He left.
My aunts were replaying my maxipad commercial for the fifth time and commenting on how pretty I'd looked and how unfortunate it was that I chose not to pursue a career in acting. They beckoned for me to come and join them.
I looked at my mom.
She cleared her throat. "Would anyone care for some more wine?"
My ten-minute estimate was very optimistic, since it took two more hours until we were out of there, and the reunion was to start in a little over an hour. I had barely any time to get ready. The sun had already set by the time we walked down the ice-and-snow-covered driveway. Thierry was silent as he steered the car away from the curb and got back on the main street of Abottsville.
"I'm sorry about that," I said. "Really."
"Did I say something I shouldn't have?" he asked. "If so, then I do apologize."
I shook my head. "I'm not even sure what happened, myself. They just freaked out."
"About what?"
I pressed back into the leather seat. I so didn't want to talk about this. "I told them I was a vampire."
He took his attention briefly off the road to glance at me with surprise. "Why would you do that?"
"Because I wanted them to know."
"And that's how they reacted to this news? They hold me responsible for this change?"
I chewed my bottom lip. "Not exactly. Somehow they figured out that you're married and then they completely disregarded the whole vampire thing. Being a vampire isn't as bad as dating a married man to them, I guess."
His jaw was tight. "I don't blame them."
I raised my eyebrows at that. "You don't?"
"No."
"I'll explain to them why it's different for us. That Veronique is out of the picture.