Prologue

It is Friday night at the Miller house and the family Is going out.

Natalie, the youngest member of the family at 18, sits on the couch in the living room reading a book. She is studying to be a doctor and is currently obsessed with reading about the endocrine system.

She is dressed up for a special occasion. The family is meeting her older brother’s new girlfriend, Tabitha, and Natalie’s mom wants everyone dressed to impress. Natalie, being the most responsible of the kids, is already dressed and waiting while the rest of the family gis still struggling to get ready.

There is a clomping sound on the stairs and Natalie’s older sister Debbie, the middle child, comes down. Debbie, who hasn’t gone to college and is working as a salesclerk at a lingerie store, is the black sheep of the family.

Debbie tonight, as per usual, is testing the limits of what their mother considers good taste for a girl to wear. She is wearing a strappy black dress that comes halfway down her thighs and displays a little of the tops of her breasts.

Mom is going to be pissed, thinks Natalie. Those are definitely not dress clothes and certainly not appropriate. There is going to be a fight.

Their older brother John comes down next. John is an athlete first and a student second. The boy is built for football and he excels at the game. Right now, he is at a junior college in New Jersey trying to get his grades up so that he can transfer and play football for Arizona State. John is good enough that he might even get a shot at the NFL.

The next members of the family to come down from upstairs are mom, Kathy, and dad, David.

The instant Kathy sees Debbie her eyes go wide and Natalie thinks she can see steam come out of her mother’s ears.

“Deborah Ann Miller! Where did you get such a horrible dress!?”

“Mom. Chill. It’s just a dress. All my friends bought the same one.”

Debbie does a little twirl to show it off.

“No way young lady! There is no way you are going out looking like that! Get your butt upstairs and change into something lady-like! And make it fast!”

Debbie looks from her mother to her father, hoping for some support from him.

“No way kiddo,” David says, “Do what your mother says.”

“I hate being called Deborah,” the girl mutters.

Without another word Debbie hangs her head and goes back upstairs to change.

On the way up she passes the last member of the family, Emily. John and Emily are twins, but where are he is athletic and outgoing, Emily is very much a bookworm. She attends an Ivy League school in New Hampshire. She came home for the weekend as well.

“Ready to go?” asked Emily, “I need to be back early. I have some reading to do.”

John snickers at his sister.

“Reading? On a Friday night? Sis you have got to get out more or you are never going to get laid.”

“John!” their mother screams turning on the boy. He shrinks back from her a little.

“Sorry Mom.”

Kathy glares at him for a few more seconds and then turns to back to Emily.

“We will be leaving as soon as your sister Deborah can put on some decent clothes. Now, everyone listen to me. This is a big night for John. I want you all to be on you best behavior. No funny business. No asking Tabitha embarrassing questions.”

A few minutes later Debbie comes back downstairs in her best church attire.

“That is better Deborah.”

When her mother turns her back Debbie gives her the middle finger.

David looked around and does a headcount.

“Alright. We are ready. Everyone in the car.”

David gets them all into the minivan and then asks John which restaurant. Natalie isn’t surprised to hear it is Wing’s-A-Plenty, her brother’s favorite place to eat.

Natalie sits in the back of the van and reads her book while everyone else talks about their day or what they plan to do for the weekend. With all of the kids’ home from college, except Debbie who still lives at home, their home is going to be crazy.

“John,” Kathy said, “Are you sure this is an appropriate place to be meeting your girlfriend for the first time?”

“Mom, this will be great. Tabitha loves wings as much as I do. Plus, Dad and I can watch the game while you girls talk.”

The look on Kathy’s face leaves little doubt what she thinks of that arrangement.

“You will not leave that girl alone at the table with all of us. I expect you to pay attention to her. Girl’s don’t like to be ignored.”

“I know Mom.” John says with a sheepish look.

When they arrive at the place, all of them file out of the van and line up.

Natalie watches as her mother takes one last inspection of them all before they go inside to meet Tabitha. Realizing that she forgot her phone at home, she tries to hide her book behind her back, but her mother sees it anyway.

“Natalie, you cannot take that book inside. Put it in the car.”

Natalie tosses it back into her seat with a sigh.

The family walks into the restaurant which, as per usual, is crowded and very noisy. David gives his name for the reservation and the waitress guides them back to their table. Tabitha is already there.

John walks Tabitha around to each family member and introduces them, before everyone takes their seats.

Natalie ends up getting the worst seat at the table. She sits under one of the big TVs and is facing out into the restaurant so that all she can see is the other diners. All the other TVs are too far away to see clearly. She doesn’t like watching sports anyway, but at least having a TV she can see would be something to look at besides the other people eating their dinners, since she doesn’t have her phone.

Kathy immediately engages Tabitha in a conversation about her family, her schoolwork, hobbies, and what she is studying at school. Emily listens in and occasionally asks a question. Debbie pulls her phone out and starts playing with it.

Chapter 1 »