Chương 45: My Dinner with Amsler

Dinner was, in fact, a mistake. Yvonne looked at Robin like he'd just beamed in from outer space. Robin smiled back with a little shrug like it was nothing. She looked down at her plate and his stomach plunged. She thinks I'm gross. He sat quietly and wanted to die. The lights went dim and dinner began. Yvonne lit a candle and the Amslers sang Shalom Aleichem. Yvonne's voice was high and perfect. She carefully avoided looking at Robin. Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha'olam, hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz.

The bread was a braid, like a friendship bracelet. Robin looked around for butter. There wasn't any on the table. He watched the way Sandy picked the bread into little pieces and did the same. Robin ate carefully and took sips of water so he didn't choke. Everyone was uncomfortable. Sandy's mother, Jael, tried to incite conversation by peppering Robin with questions. Too many questions. Where was he from, how was he settling in, what church did they attend? It felt like an interrogation.

Robin swallowed hard and answered as politely as he could. He felt like everyone was staring at him. Sandy's father, Barry, watched through a set of thick horned-rimmed glasses. He reminded Robin of an owl. Robin remembered Una's advice, to say something nice about the home.

"This is a nice home," Robin pronounced. He felt like an idiot before the words left his lips.

"I, uh, like all the paintings in the hall outside of Sandy's room."

"Those are Mom's!" Sandy chimed, trying to help.

"Yeah, those are cool. They're very, um… green." Robin fumbled.

"Thank you, you're too kind. I haven't painted in a long time. Those paintings are all at least seventeen years old." Jael rolled her eyes to Sandy. She meant it as a joke about having six kids and no time for art, but it took Robin too long to get it. He sat there like a dope, trying to find words.

"Oh, yeah I can't imagine. I don't have any siblings. It was just me and my mom…" Robin trailed off. There was that hollow note in his chest again. She's gone. He wished he hadn't said that. A twitch ran through Jael's shoulders as she rose from the table.

"Rachel, could you come help me with the soup?" Yvonne's older sister had been silent, so far. Rachel had dark, curly hair, thick glasses, and thicker eyebrows. She got up quickly and joined her mother in the kitchen. Robin was sure he'd messed up everything. The room was painfully silent. Yvonne looked miserable. She wouldn't look at him and kept a hand over her mouth as she ate. I should have just gone home. Time crawled while bowls and saucers clacked in the kitchen.

Robin had eaten at friends' houses many times. It had never been this hard to talk. Spanish just flowed easier. The houses and people seemed closer together. There was always a radio on, a dog barking, or a baby crying to break up the silence. Emilio had lived with his uncle Max for a while, that was the best. They used to eat hot dogs and chips off TV trays and laugh at the Rangers as they struck out again and again. Uncle Max would cackle and tip back Lone Stars.

He didn't care if the boys swore and let Robin try a beer once. It tasted gross and Max laughed at the face he made. Robin would give anything to be back there, far away from the funeral parlor pallor in the Amsler's dining room. He held back a sigh. Mr. Amsler caught his eye.

"What kind of cancer is it?" Mr. Amsler asked. From the kitchen, Robin heard Jael gasp.

"Barry!"

"Let's stop dancing around it," Mr. Amsler said.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want, Robin."

"It's ok. It's acute myeloid leukemia." Mr. Amsler nodded. His face tightened.

"I'm sorry to hear that. We lost my sister to pancreatic cancer about four years ago. How far into treatment are you?"

"I just completed my second course. This is the first time I've been outside my Grandma's house since I got out of isolation. Sandy's been teaching me to paint better." Mr. Amsler nodded at Sandy.

"He's pretty good!" Sandy said.

"His army is going to look amazing for duos this week."

"Well, if they let you out of the hospital, it means you're improving. That's good news. You look good, much better than Judy did. I was with her for everything. She fought very hard." Mr. Amsler's voice caught.

"You are welcome here and we are very happy to have you." Yvonne sobbed.

"I'm so sorry I made fun of you! It was dark in the room! I didn't know!" Her face was bright red with shame.

"I could tell you were kidding, it's ok. Doesn't bother me at all," Robin lied.

"What did you say to him?" Mr. Amsler asked.

"She was just giving me a hard time for wearing a hat inside. I know you're not supposed to, but my head gets cold," Robin tried to preempt an argument. He was afraid Mr. Amsler might start shouting. The moment was defused when Jael and Rachel brought out the soup.

"This is Kubbeh. I apologize for my husband." Jael looked mortified.

"No, he's right. I'm glad someone said something. I'm sorry if it's weird." Mr. Amsler waved his hand to say it was nothing. The soup was beet broth with dumplings that had spicy lamb mince inside. Robin had never had anything like it, but it was good, and easy to eat. Mrs. Amsler had listened to Sandy and gave him a half portion. It was about all he could manage. He tried the soup and was surprised.

"This is so good," Robin said.

"What's in it?" Mrs. Amsler beamed and explained her recipe. She was much happier to be complimented on her cooking than her painting. The room brightened up. The next dish was roast chicken. It was delicious. Robin worked hard to finish the little bit he'd been given but it was too much for him. No one said anything. The tension was forgotten. The Amslers were as chatty as any family Robin had ever eaten with. He could only imagine how loud it was when the other three kids weren't at camp.

Yvonne and Sandy were funny together, always teasing. Robin wished she would joke with him like that. He tried very hard not to gawk at Yvonne too much. He could have watched her all day. Rachel said little until Barry asked what she was reading. It was the Simarillion and suddenly, she had everything to say. Her passion for the book piqued Robin's interest. He mentioned he'd look for a copy the next time he went to the library. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve.

Read this novel on the original website.

"It's so worth it, especially since you're playing a fantasy game. But it's dense. You might want to start with the Hobbit," Rachel advised.

"Don't bother. There's, like, no action. I got bored halfway through the Lord of the Rings. It's all talking trees and Tom Bombadil. I'll loan you some of my Conan books, they're way better," Sandy said. Barry and Rachel were incensed.

"You're so lazy," Barry shook his head at his son.

"Soldier through and finish the series or shut up about it," Rachel scowled.

"Sandy never finishes anything except painting his toy soldiers." Yvonne smirked.

"Do you see how they all pile on me? They can't stand to have a genius in their midst," Sandy lifted his chin. Everyone rolled their eyes and Yvonne stuck out her tongue. Robin had to cover his mouth so he didn't snort. They were an interesting family, once he got to know them. Barry was eccentric and insightful, not so scary as he seemed at first. Jael was rigid and traditional, a little like Una but not nearly as strict. Sandy wouldn't have lasted five minutes at Una's table without getting slapped.

Barry and Jael had a lot to say about art and neither agreed with the other about anything. The conversation turned to work. Barry talked about computer-aided drafting for a bit. Robin was very interested, but Yvonne let out a fake snore that cracked Sandy up. They'd heard it all before. There was apple cake for dessert that looked amazing, but Robin didn't dare. His stomach was uneasy. He begged off and promised to try some later, maybe. They said the final prayer.

With relief, Robin realized he'd made it through dinner without throwing up or embarrassing himself. That was something, even if Yvonne didn't like him.

"Everything was so good, thank you. Can I help with dishes or something?" Robin asked.

"Oh no, that's not necessary. You're our guest." Robin could tell it was the wrong thing to ask. All his manners felt out of place. He looked around for Sandy and found him in the living room.

"How weird was it?" Sandy asked in a low voice.

"So weird. Good food though. How much did I mess up?"

"You did great, super polite. This is so much better than when I had Duncan over. He has this huge crush on Rachel but he's too chicken to do anything. He got so nervous, he knocked over the gravy boat. Tablecloth was a total loss. My mom asked me not to invite him back." Sandy laughed.

"Don't tell him that."

"I won't," Robin promised. He wondered if all of Sandy's friends were smitten with his sisters. Sandy showed him around the parlor. There was no TV, just bookcases. Robin looked through them, he'd been much more interested in books since he got sick. There was a shelf in Hebrew and someone could read French. He guessed Mrs. Amsler. Sandy's dad was probably the big military history buff. A fat leather ottoman sat atop a Persian rug before the fireplace. Sandy set up the chess board on top.

"All right, moment of truth. Hey Vonnie! Let's go!" Yvonne poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Go where? Oh." Her eyes narrowed at the board and she made a face.

"Aren't you tired of losing?"

"Yes, very. Do you want to play chess or wash dishes?" Yvonne slipped out of the kitchen. The hair on the back of Robin's neck rose as she got close.

"It's no fun to win all the time. Why don't you play Robin? He's our guest."

"We already played all afternoon."

"Oh? Is he good?" Yvonne's eyes flashed with interest. She wasn't so uncomfortable, now. She was back to treating Robin like a baby and batting at Sandy like a half-interested cat.

"I know how the pieces move," Robin hedged.

"Then you two are at the same level." Yvonne smirked at Sandy.

"Are you playing or not?" Sandy asked. Sandy and Yvonne sat on the rug on either side of the ottoman and played. Robin settled into a section of the flower-print couch and watched. Sandy had actually picked up a lot from Robin. He was a pawn ahead in the midgame, but then Jael came into the living room to chide Yvonne for slipping away from chores. Mrs. Amsler stayed to ask Sandy something about signing up for track in the fall.

Sandy was noncommittal, but his mother needled on and told him he needed electives for college. Sandy fended her off by half-agreeing to try out and rolled his eyes at her back as she walked off in triumph. The rest of the game, Sandy was like a different player. He made a bad trade for a weak bishop and got his queen forked. Robin knew the pattern from the club. As soon as Sandy was distracted, it was all over.

"Oh man, I got worse." Sandy rubbed his temples.

"That's not possible," Yvonne said.

"You were doing ok until your mom came in. You have to focus," Robin said.

"Yes, sensei," Sandy clapped his palms and bowed.

"What is he, your tutor?" Yvonne teased.

"He's giving me some tips. Robin's good at strategy. He's beating a lot of the top players."

"Tips from a kid. Is he the one who told you not to do that stupid thing with your bishops?"

"Yeah. Those are called fianchettoes," Robin said.

"Those are called fianchettoes," Yvonne sang, two octaves higher.

"Oh my god, just squash her already." Sandy threw up his hands.

"I don't know, she seems pretty good," Robin said.

"What are you, scared?" Yvone teased.

"Terrified," Robin said, stone-faced. She made a little sound of annoyance. You're supposed to be nice to her, stupid! Robin reminded himself.

"It's not really fair. I'm in the chess club. I'll give you a pawn," Yvonne offered.

"I'll give you a rook," Robin replied. Yvonne's cheeks flushed when she got mad. Robin couldn't help himself, she was just so cocky. Sandy clapped his hands in delight.

"I don't need your rook," Yvonne barked back. Her eyes were on fire. Something about Yvonne short-circuited his brain. None of his other friend's sisters were this fierce or loud. Maybe it came from being in the middle of so many siblings. Yvonne had to pipe up or get drowned out.

"You can pick," he offered. Yvonne turned the board around and gave him white. Robin wondered if he ought to let her win and realized he was so flummoxed he might not have a choice. He stumbled early, confusing two lines and getting his queenside tied up. Yvonne played aggressively. Robin had to take a bad trade and she snapped up a hanging pawn on the d-file with her queen.

"You should have taken the pawn," Yvonne taunted. Anger cleared his head instantly. He realized she was overextended. Robin chased Yvonne's queen all over the board and finally took her for nothing with a discovered check. Checkmate came eight moves later.

"You should have taken the rook," Sandy snickered.

"Rematch," Yvonne demanded. She seemed actually mad.

"Sure," Robin said. He was just warming up. This time he took black, played the French defense, and squashed her. Yvonne was good, but Una was much better. Robin was pretty sure she'd never studied. All the chess books he'd devoured gave him a big edge. After she lost, Yvonne wanted to play again immediately. Let her win, stupid. They had barely talked as they played. Robin wasn't doing himself any favors demolishing her.

He could have offered some tips, but she was lasered-in on the board, and didn't seem the type to take advice. He resolved to take it easier and play the Najdorf Sicilian, which he was still learning. Yvonne attacked and traded so aggressively, that he had no real choice. She traded herself into an endgame she couldn't possibly win.

"You said you know how the pieces move," Yvonne accused. She was nothing like Sandy. She seemed to hate losing even more than Robin.

"I mean, I do," Robin gave a little shrug. It wasn't actually a lie.

"I can't believe you brought in a ringer." Yvonne shook her head at Sandy. She was already setting up the pieces again. Robin got the feeling she would keep trying all night. He was saved by Mr. Amsler.

"Robin, do you need a ride home?" Barry piped up from the doorway. He'd watched most of their last game.

"That'd be great, Mr. Ansler. Thank you." Robin knew Una would be happy to save on gas.

"One more game. I've almost got him," Yvonne pleaded.

"You had your chance, Archer. Next time," Mr. Ansler gently refused.

"This isn't over." Yvonne's voice was cold. Brilliant strategy, Martillo. But what did it matter anyway? Robin had no chance with her. He looked like a freak and she was a year older than him. Might as well take the win. He thanked Mrs. Amsler for dinner again and left with an empty feeling that he'd blown it big time. If only I was older. If only I was stronger. If only I wasn't sick. Mr. Amsler drove him home. It was a ways to Los Griegos but Barry didn't complain. Instead, he talked about his sister.

There was a raw note in Mr. Amsler's voice, like everything he said hurt him a little, but he needed to say it. Robin tried hard to listen, he could tell it was important. But the next thing he knew, Mr. Amsler was gently shaking him awake. He'd fallen asleep in his seat like a little kid.