Pretty & Perfect

Chapter Twenty One

It was Friday night and Mom, Rory, Emily and I were eating fondue for dessert after our weekly Friday night dinner.

"This feels so decadent. Isn't this decadent?" Emily asked brightly, looking between the three of us using skewers to dip marshmallows in the melted chocolate.

"Very decadent." Rory and I agreed at the same time and I smirked at her in amusement.

"Are there more marshmallows?" Mom asked Emily curiously.

"All you two have been dipping is the marshmallows! You haven't touched the kiwi, or the pineapple, or the tangelo slices." Emily accused Rory and Mom and I bit into a strawberry.

"But it's fruit." Rory said matter-of-factly with a shrug.

"Fruit is good for you." I pointed out to her with a grin.

"We're fondue purists."

"Yeah, we dip old school." Mom agreed with Rory as she dipped another marshmallow.

"The government says you should have nine servings of fruit and vegetables per day." Emily informed them and I snorted because there was no way we ate that much fruit or vegetables a day.

"Imperialist propaganda." I accused playfully as I ate another strawberry.

"I think Noam Chomsky would agree." Rory said to me with a grin.

"I bet Noam doesn't dip fruit." Mom added to our conversation.

"Or laugh. Ever seen that punim on him?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Easter Island." Mom agreed with a slow nod.

"Luminista, please bring more marshmallows." Emily called out to the maid of the week with an eye roll.

"Bless you."

"So, I'd love to get your opinion on something."

"Sure." Rory said with a shrug.

"I'm very opinionated." I told them all with a smirk as Mom snorted at the understatement.

"The City Ballet is in trouble. We've given so much over the years, but it's never enough to cover everything they need." Emily told us.

"I hate that." Rory said to her.

"So, we're trying something new. Select patrons, such as myself, are sponsoring individual dancers. Help me pick one." Emily requested as she opened up a blue folder that the next to her on the table. I hesitantly took the cards that she handed me and watched as she passed some to Mom and Rory as well.

"Pick what?" I asked her as I looked at the card suspiciously.

"My dancer! I get to take one home. Bios are on the back."

"And this is legal?" Mom asked her, not looking up from the cards in front of her.

"Of course it's legal."

"Do you want a boy or a girl, Grandma?" Rory asked her with a shrug as she looked over the cards of ballet dancers. I shrugged as well and continued to search through the photographs.

"I'm thinking a little girl. Cute and petite."

"They're all petite." Rory argued with her.

"But not all cute. This one should fouetter over to the dermatologist." I said with a laugh as I held up the photo for the three of them to see.

"Oh, yes, I'd rather not look at that." Emily agreed with a grimace as she looked away from the girl on the card and I giggled as I put the photo down.