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"You lower your voice," ed her, "when I’rounded," Dad said patiently He toldto a dance that doesn’t exist with a boyfriend she doesn’t have" He suggested to Barrett, "Tell us et to particle physics?"

I turned to Barrett as if I was interested in his sophomore-level physics classes too As if anyone was Dad could carry on pleasant conversation when nobody else wanted to He’d honed his talents over a period of years in this fah I was clenching my teeth so hard I’d made my jaw hurt I realized this and openeda hideous expression, I’ a tray with a wine bottle and an ice bucket

He wasn’t even looking at h He set up a stand for the tray, placed the bucket on the table, then picked up the wine in a white towel He stood there until Dad finished what he was saying to Barrett Dad finally glanced around at Sawyer Then lanced over her shoulder at hiaze flashed between the for?" my mother asked

"Normally I would show the label to Mr Gordon," Sawyer said, "since he ordered the wine But I aiting for soht ask why I assume I should show the bottle to the hter Diners at the surrounding tables looked over

Mytoo, and bent forward over the table "Why are you laughing? I wouldn’t do that"

"You have done that," Dad and Barrett said at the same time Dad added, "At that restaurant on our trip to Mia from one of them to the other, with the de to hear his verdict in court He still didn’t glance at otten hiry he’d just oing out together, he’d just killed that possibility

When Dad was finally through chuckling, he wiggled his finger, inviting Sawyer to show hih an i First he cut the foil over the top of the bottle with a large pocketknife he produced fro to school every day, too, and whether that was legal Next he brought out a corkscrew Reot hit in the eye when soe ofdisaster--but Sawyer opened the wine like it was nothing

He offered the cork to Dad--who shook his head as if that wasn’t necessary--placed the cork by Dad’s plate, then poured a splash of wine into Dad’s glass, turning the bottle carefully so it didn’t drip, I supposed Dad sipped frolass half-full, then Dad’s, and with one practicedthe white torapped around the top

My parents always ordered ith dinner at restaurants I must have seen this dance perforraphy, or the perfor

Sawyer stepped back "Is there anything else I can do for you right now?"

"You have done a lot already," my mother said

This ti to check on the next table

My mother shook her head at e was clear: You are dating Sawyer De Luca over , "What did you prove, Sylvia, attacking that child? It’s not a fair fight Let it go" He turned to Barrett "Next ti the shri a joke out of it,"out with him"

"That’s not what she declared" Dad asked me, "Is that what you declared?"

I turned away from both of them to speak to Barrett, for once "Please, tell usBarrett questions again, at least I stayed silent and worried about what Saas thinking, and whether he hated me, as he strode from table to table to the kitchen and back to another table I sahy he slept so soundly

After about twenty ht out another tray and set up a stand He placed redfish in front of my mother, trout in front of Dad, shrimp and fries in front of Barrett (da all this), and the sao when a bunch of us froed e of my plate like the curls of my new hairstyle This tiarnish of parsley Judging from this, our prospects were ruined

After he’d served us all, he drew the wine bottle out of the ice bucket, wiped it carefully with the towel, and poured lass She looked up at hial for you to serve alcohol before you’re twenty-one?"