Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
“The one that plays the flute,” Oskar said.
“You mean Lizzo,” Elsa informed him. “She has a name. It’s Lizzo.”
Jesus.
No shade on Lizzo, the woman was beautiful, but Elsa wasn’t close to Lizzo’s size.
But by putting them in the same sentence, Oskar’s intentions were clear.
“You would know, since you know all the celebrities.” That came from Emilie, again under her breath but still loud enough for everyone to hear.
“I have yet to meet Lizzo,” Elsa stated. “And although not everyone likes the same thing, so not everyone is going to like her music, that doesn’t negate the fact she’s an accomplished musician, singer and songwriter. She’s about self-expression and positivity. She’s about saying it straight and keeping it real. She’s about making unseen people seen. The fact she’s about all of that and many people boil her down to her size, and then politicize it, is tragic. However, it isn’t a surprise. A woman with a point of view, that point of view being trying to introduce other women to their inherent power, a message that other women gravitate to, has always been a threat. A Black woman, that threat escalates. So the status quo will do anything to reduce her to something about which they can manipulate opinion in order to dilute her message, and her power.”
“Are you calling me a racist now?” Oskar demanded.
“No, I’m suggesting you’re a misogynist,” Elsa returned smoothly.
A flush rushed up Oskar’s neck.
“Elsa, I believe I requested we move on from this discussion,” Inger snapped.
“I’m sorry, Mom, but one more thing,” Elsa said.
“Elsa!” Inger bit off.
But Elsa looked again to Oskar. “Hale isn’t high and mighty. And he’s done nothing to indicate he feels like he’s better than anyone at this table. You insulted his girlfriend. He didn’t like it and let you know. You didn’t like that, so you started acting like an ass. Now, I’m upset you’re taking shots at Hale. So I’ll ask you to refrain from doing it.”
Oskar said nothing to Elsa. He looked at his mother.
“I don’t think Anoushka and I are going to be bringing the kids for many visits if this is what we’ll be treated to when we come home.”
“Oh, darling, don’t say that!” Inger exclaimed, openly panicked.
“I find it interesting you chose arguing as a profession, and you’re seemingly unable to rise to the challenge when someone is besting you,” David put in, aiming this his son’s way.
“David, stay out of it,” Inger ordered.
Elsa leaned into Hale and shared, “I forgot to tell you, Dad wasn’t a fan of Oskar going to law school. He thinks our justice system is broken.”
Hale turned to her. “It is.”
Although she kept her lips tightly pressed together, it didn’t hide her smile.
“You haven’t hidden you despise my calling, Dad,” Oskar said.
“What calling is that, son?” David inquired.
“The law.”
“You don’t practice law. You practice the art of racking up billable hours.” David returned.
“Correction,” Elsa whispered in his ear. “It wasn’t law school so much as the fact Oskar went into it to make money and not help people.”
“I’m catching that,” Hale whispered in return.
“David, we have company at this table. Scott and Hale don’t need to be present for this conversation,” Inger noted.
“And it’s a moot point, since I’m hardly going to give up the fast track to named partner in order to do pro bono cases for immigrants or whatever it is you think would be worthwhile for me to do,” Oskar said.
“Oh great,” Emilie mumbled, heralding this was what it sounded like it was going to be.
The beginning of a well-worn argument.
“Of course you won’t use the education I paid for to do something to help people who need it,” David remarked.
“My clients need my services just as much as poor people do. That’s reverse discrimination, Father,” Oskar declared.
“Thank God the kindly, well-off Jews who took in your great-grandparents as they fled the Nazis didn’t have your views on immigrants,” David retorted.
“We all can’t be Hale here.” Oskar flung a hand over the table in Hale’s direction. “Mother Theresa in the form of a surfer dude, giving away his father’s hard-earned billions. Though, nobody is talking about how he’s got more money now than his father left him because that’s what happens. Lots of money makes lots more money. He comes off as the millennial savior, holier than thou, vaccinating Africans and freeing Tibet and all that shit, but still, he could buy and sell entire countries.”
Hale had gone still.
But not Elsa.
Now her napkin was on the table, and she was out of her seat.
“Come on, honey, we’re leaving,” she stated, pulling on his arm.
“Elsa, sit down,” Inger commanded.
But Hale was up.
“Yes, yes. I was out of line, goading Oskar like that. You have my apologies.” David turned to his son. “Oskar, I’m sorry. We won’t discuss it any further.”