“It’s quite a shame that Dr. Cullen couldn’t join us.”

I halted as the female voice uttered those words. It seemed like everywhere around me, the world was forcing me to think about them.

Drat.

Renee stalked off ahead towards the pier. She sat with her legs dangling over the gentle water, childishly. Trying to be discrete, I turned my head only a little to see who had spoken.

“Oh? Did he intend to?” a woman wearing a large straw hat asked her friend. They were both sprawled across the grass. I kept my eyes focused on the sunrays glinting over the lake’s surface.

“Last week he said he might if nothing else came up,” replied the first woman who had spoken.

I heard a burst of giggles erupt. “It is certainly a shame!” And I sensed an duplicate meaning underneath the second woman’s exclamation.

That was confirmed when her friend scolded her. “Maribel! Certainly, he would have brought his wife had he come.”

The giggles ceased and silence took place. Renee waved to me from the pier.

“Why do you suppose he seldom attends picnics and luncheons in the park?” the woman who I presumed to be Maribel inquired just as I’d decided to join Renee. I listened more closely.

“Neither of them do. Not himself or his wife. Though, she does attend the Women’s Society dinners.”

For some reason I couldn’t fathom at that moment, this seemed odd.

I shrugged, ascending the staircase. There were so many things that were out of my control these days.I thought to myself. And that was definitely not who Renee was. Why did they keep doing this? Both of them, it was maddening! I began to wonder if perhaps this picnic was not a good idea to get both my parents where they needed to be, face to face for the first time and straightforward. If at the end of the day neither of them could coincide in any way then it would finally dawn on them that there was no need for pretending any longer. Or perhaps something was missing. Maybe the every day routine was messing them up. Who knows? It was too stressful for me to try to decipher. All I knew was that I was tired of watching them put up the same old façade just for the sake of their friends.