Chapter 7 - Where I Wanted to BeBehind us, Camille's voice cut through the hallway. "What exactly are you showing her?"
Simon turned. She stood there with Rowan behind her, still flushed from the argument with police, but angrier now.
Simon glanced once more at the screen, then at his mother. "Mom." His voice was quiet. "Did you want Jennifer to lose weight? Or did you just want her to disappear?"
Camille said nothing. For the first time all evening, neither did I.
Finally she crossed her arms. "I was trying to make the photograph look nice."
Simon stepped closer to me. "Then listen carefully." Camille stared at him. "From now on, you do not comment on Jen's body. You do not buy clothes designed to change the way she looks. You do not decide where she belongs in photographs. And if you cannot respect those boundaries, we will stop coming to events like this."
Camille looked stunned. Simon didn't look away.
Then Rowan spoke. "Camille, this is our fortieth anniversary." He shook his head. "I think I've earned one photograph of my actual family instead of your carefully arranged version of them."
At that moment, the photographer approached cautiously. "How would you like everyone positioned?"
Camille inhaled, clearly preparing to answer.
"Ask them," Rowan interrupted.
So the photographer did. People stood wherever they wanted. One aunt stayed seated because her knees hurt. A cousin took off the wrap Camille had insisted she wear. Another relative loosened his tie.
And I stood directly beside Simon. Exactly where I wanted to be.
Right before the picture was taken, I leaned toward him. "Do I look okay?"
He looked at me. "Are you comfortable?"
I glanced down at the dress I'd chosen myself. "Yes."
May you like
"Then you look perfect."
Click.
