"What's that?"
"What you inherit, what's passed along. At one time people wanted to marry within their families to ensure they wouldn't lose their good genes. It was like breeding show dogs," he added with a smirk.
He paused and looked intently at me again, fixing those dark eyes on me like I was one of his specimens under his microscope.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing's wrong. To the contrary, despite the many criticisms and complaints we all have about Grandmother Emma, we would have to admit she has good taste when it comes to clothes."
"Taste? How do you taste clothes?"
"That just means she knows what looks nice, what looks right. She knows quality, perspective. I've made a study of this house, its contents, and I can tell you that everything she has bought and placed in it complements something else," he said.
How could things complement each other? I didn't know what he meant, but acted as if I did. He knew so many words and even amazed Grandmother Emma when he did the Yew York Times crossword puzzle. Ian was smarter than my teachers. I thought.
We heard Mama and Daddy coming out of their room. Mama laughed at something Daddy had said.
"Looks like they made up," Ian said.
"Smoked the peace pipe.," I added, and he actually laughed and not because I had done something he thought silly, but because I had said something he thought was clever.
"C'mon," he said, holding out his hand for mine.
When we stepped into the hallway, our parents stopped and looked at us both with an expression of amazement.
"You look very nice, Ian," Mama told him. "Thank you."
"He's dressed as well as I am and ties a tie better than I do. That's for sure," Daddy said. "And look at the beautiful birthday girl. We've got to show you both to Grandmother Emma. Wait until she sees the dress actually on Jordan."
"She's already seen her in the dress,
Christopher," Mama said. "Remember? She ordered it put on right away."
"Still, it's going to be good to show her all of us together," he emphasized.
Actually. I did think we all looked wonderful, especially Mama, who had put on one of her nicest dresses and fixed her hair so it looked pretty again. She wore makeup and earrings, a matching bracelet and necklace, too. It had been a while since she had dressed like this. I was happy it was because of my birthday, because of me. Instead of thinking about myself as the cause of new trouble. I could think of myself as the reason for good things.
I thought I understood what Ian meant by genetics, too. Our parents were attractive people. Ian was good-looking and I was going to be pretty. Maybe we were a family to be put on magazine covers after all and maybe the people who envied weren't wrong to do so.
We marched down the hallway to the stairs and then descended as if we were about to enter a grand ballroom as people did during Grandmother Emma's Golden Age. Ian continued to hold on to my hand, which surprised me. I was happy to see Mama keeping her hand on Daddy's arm. They did look like they had made up and loved each other again.
Grandmother Emma was in the living room sitting and waiting and looking like she had expected we would first come for her inspection. I think Mama thought Daddy had warned her because I heard Mama mutter, "How convenient she just happens to be waiting here and expecting us."
"Well, Mother," Daddy said, ignoring Mama, "how does the March family look?"
She ran her eyes over all of us like a general inspecting her troops on parade, pausing to look and nod approvingly at Ian before fixing her gaze solely on me. Her expression changed. She made me feel like she could set my whole future and what she saw filled her with concern. After another moment, she turned to Mama and Daddy.
"You had better gird up your loins." she said. "She will soon become a heartbreaker and keep you both on your toes."
Daddy smiled, but Mama glared back at her.
"There will be plenty of time before we have to concern ourselves with any of that," she said.
"Not the way children are brought up these days," Grandmother Emma insisted.
"You sure you won't join us, Mother?" Daddy asked her, obviously hoping to quickly change the topic.
"Thank you but no thank you. How anyone can enjoy smoke in his or her face before eating is a mystery to me."