The One Without Words

❀ chapter thirty-nine | home ❀

Later that day, we had sushi for dinner again. It was Dad's favorite—probably because we used to eat it every week during my early childhood in O'ahu.

Ten minutes in, and Greta popped the question of the month: "Romy, would you like to come back to work?"

The piece of sushi I was about to stuff in my mouth fell from between my chopsticks. I stared at Greta in disbelief.

"Grace... resigned from her position," she continued. "She wasn't handling the responsibility well."

"I guess Christmas is coming early!" I laughed, happily picking up my sushi again and doing a cheers motion with it in the air. "December really is my month. Flowers arrangements are harder to make than it looks, huh?" 

At least I'd beat my mother in something. I wasn't about to spend ten years in prison just so I'd outlast her. Once I proceeded to conquer the world of law or finance or entrepreneurship or whatever I ended up doing, I'm sure I could start earning a salary to rival the 130k a year she used to make at her corporate job—not counting the fraud.

Greta frowned and tucked one of her curls behind her ear. "I'm sorry for not valuing your contributions. We almost lost everything without you and Talia."

"Are you just saying that so I'll work again?" I asked. "And why is Grace backing down now?"

"We talked about it," Dad, who'd been very quiet, said. "She that felt she was being too controlling of the situation. She was trying to become a bigger part of your life—"

Greta finished for him: "But she did it in the wrong way."

I took one of the sushi pieces from Dad's plate and dipped it in his soy sauce. "She's actually recognizing that now? Shocker. I hope she regrets firing me."

"She didn't fire you," Dad said. "She grounded you for two weeks. But it was you who didn't want to return to work."

Okay, technically true. I needed to come up with an argument quick. "I um... needed to make a statement."

"It's alright, Romy," Greta reassured. "It's all over now. Besides, Grace and I weren't working very well together."

"I really wish I'd been there to see that shitshow," I mumbled.

"Romy," Dad said, giving me a stern look.

I chewed slowly. Maybe being sassy wasn't helping, but some parts of me would never change...

Greta helped herself to another serving. "Talia is returning too."

I had to give it to Talia. Her and Jack had successfully protested against Grace's rule—quitting their jobs as the ultimate statement. Running on pride, Grace lasted a decent while, but she finally had to accept defeat. Beautiful.

I'd return to Greta's Flores with a vengeance.

"Alright," I said. "When do I start?"

❀ ❀ ❀

Greta's Flores. The Romy who stepped out of here last time, nearly crying before Jack came after her, and the Romy standing here now... felt worlds away from each other.

I helped Talia unload a fresh shipment from the back of her car. The police tracked it down and returned it this morning, and they confirmed Penelope's arrest. She was now locked up in jail—maybe in the same cell we'd spent the night at.

Another battle I'd won, though the idea of Penelope going to prison just like my mother unnerved me. But surely Penelope would find a way to raise a new cult from the fresh population of delinquent women.