What I hadn't expected was that when I got home after work that evening, Lois was still there.
And she wasn't alone. My parents were there. Her parents were there.
Both sets of in-laws had prepared a lavish spread. Two bottles of fine wine sat on the table.
Lois's eyes were rimmed with red. She'd clearly been crying for a long time.
"Logan, we were just waiting on you." She hurried toward me, reaching to help me out of my coat.
I stepped away from her with open distaste. So she'd been the one to call both sets of parents together.
I was curious about what came next. I wanted to see exactly what she planned to do with everyone gathered in one room.
I went over, greeted both sets of parents, and sat down.
Lois rushed to sit beside me. She picked up a piece of braised sausage with her chopsticks and placed it in my bowl. "Your favorite. Try it."
I shoved the entire bowl off the table. It hit the floor, and the atmosphere in the room turned to stone.
My father glared at me. "Are you done?"
Lois jumped in immediately. "Dad, it's my fault. Don't blame Logan. It's all my fault."
She wiped at her tears as she spoke, looking for all the world like she'd suffered some terrible injustice.