This is the twenty-ninth part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI, Part XVII, Part XVIII, Part XIX, Part XX, Part XXI, Part XXII, Part XXIII, Part XXIV, Part XXV, Part XXVI, Part XXVII, and Part XXVIII before continuing.
Once I realized Owen had fully bought into the persona, I started to feel more comfortable letting it slip, especially around his family.
We were at his parents’ house for dinner one night when my true nature came out once again. Owen’s mom had made the best brownies I had ever had in my life, and the six of us had very nearly polished off the entire batch when Glenda and I both reached for the last brownie at the same time. I happened to be a little closer to the plate, so I snatched it before she could reach it. I met her gaze triumphantly as I took a bite out of the brownie. Then I saw something in her gaze that gave me pause.
She knew. In that moment she saw me for what I truly was and the brownie seemed to harden as I tried to swallow it. I saw my own triumph reflected back at me as she realized her dislike of me was justified.
I tried to recover. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to be a bitch. It’s just that these brownies are so good.” I looked over at her mom with the most ass-kissing look I could muster, and she smiled at the compliment.
Owen and his dad assured me there was nothing against taking the last brownie in their family. I had stolen it fair and square.
Then Glenda spoke up and said, “So, you don’t care how you make other people feel. You only care that you are not perceived to be a bitch.”
Silence descended on the table like a heavy cloud as she let the implication of her words set in.
I tried to backtrack. “I’ll share it with you if you’re really that offended.”
“I don’t want it now that you took a bite out of it,” she said, looking disgusted.
Of course she didn’t want the brownie. She had already gotten what she wanted.
As an added bonus, she had made me lose my appetite for the brownie. I set it down on my plate where it remained for the remainder of the evening.
To be continued…