fiction.

i'm tired of having this fight with my parents. today was supposed to be a good day. supposed to be. thursday was my mom's birthday, so my big brother and sister-in-law hosted a brunch at their home, followed by a matinee performance of "A Passage To India." sounds good, right?

here's how it SHOULD have gone:

It was a languid Sunday in Chicago. The air smelled faintly of lilacs struggling to bloom and the sunshine darted through the trees. The silver sedan pulled up to the pale yellow courtyard building where a young woman was waiting in the archway. She had a smile on her face as her parents gleefully waved to her from the car. The family exchanged hugs, kisses and all manner of pleasantries, then drove off down the road. They had no need for directions. When they reached their destination, they marveled at the graceful canopy of large trees and quaint homes.
"This is a lovely neighborhood. It looks so safe," the mother said.

(this is not how it happened. the events are true, but this is not how it happened)

The family gathered in the dining room where their eldest son told stories of his recent accomplishments and his wife served a most delicious and decadent brunch to honor the mother for her recent birthday. Jokes were told, bellies were filled and gratitude was exchanged.

(this part is true. brunch was really really good. Dana knows what she's doing).

Everyone had nice things to say to everyone.

(not true).

After tea and coffee was served and the son had gone off to the theatre to ready himself for the afternoon performance, the parents and daughter departed for the theatre, thanking the wife profusely. The parents reassured their daughter that they loved her just as much as they loved their daughter-in-law, despite her being unmarried and in no position to host such a lovely brunch. They hugged her and told her they were proud of her, no matter what she did. They sat together in the theatre and spoke in hushed and excited tones. After the show, the family left together, content and smiling. No one fought, everyone laughed, and the sun was shining. The End.

the events are true. this is exactly WHAT happened, but not HOW it happened.