Ms. Viv calls out.
I feel my ears heat
when Moms laugh
clearly amused by Ms. Viv’s
bossiness.
We’re on it,
I say.
After a rowdy dinner
complete with a game of celebrity
followed by decorating sugar cookies
and eating them for dessert
we all settle in the living room
to watchThe Holiday.
Mom and Mama Alice take the couch
Ms. Viv the armchair
which means Lyric and I
get the love seat.
I throw a big blanket over us
and we don’t cuddleexactly
but our bodies are too close
not to lean into one another
as the movie plays.
We’ve kept the fire going steady
but as the evening progresses
we let it die down.
Around ten, Mama Alice and Mom excuse themselves
—or rather, Mom wakes up
a snoring Mama Alice and
leads her to their bedroom.
See you in the morning!
