Dangerous Games

PLAY SMART, STUPID

Servants carried fresh baskets of flowers past the servants that were busily decorating the hall and stairs. The house was aflutter with activity preparing for the dinner that was taking place in the next few hours. The floors were shined earlier in the day. Every piece of silverware was polished till they reflected like mirrors.

It was as much a dinner as it was a celebration, celebrating the miraculous recovery of their grandfather. Outside the immediate family, some of her cousins, aunts and uncles were invited. A few of them had never met the new daughter-in-law, so they were excited to meet her at the dinner.

"Hey, kid." Vincent snapped his finger at Giovanna, and she came out of her daze. "What's wrong with you?"

She took in his T-shirt, jeans and sports jacket. "You're leaving?"

"No one is being driven today. Your mom gave us permission to leave early." He touched her arm gently. "What's going on. You have been broody the past two days."

Vincent looked over his shoulder towards the house and then back at her. He was one of her closest friends. She even dared to think of him as her best friend. He wasn't as shallow as the others in her circle. Plus, he always gave the best advice. When she overheard the conversation between Kali and her mother, Vincent was the only person she told. He had advised her to not jump the gun and to keep the information to herself until she knew better. Giovanna didn't think he'd approve of what she did.

"Nothing." She sniffed, hugging the shawl she had on tighter around her body.

"Come on, don't be like that. Did you fight with your parents again? Something to do with school."

"I went to speak to Kali." She muttered finally, staring at her feet. He asked her to repeat what she said, and she stared at him. "I went to speak to Kali."

"About the dinner?"

Giovanna scoffed. "No. About what I overheard months ago."

Disappointment flashed in his eyes. "Tell me you didn't fight with her. Please, Giovanna." He stretched her name out with a deep groan, scrubbing his face with his palm. "I told you to look into it. Did you do that?"

"I did. I promise you I did. But I didn't find anything."

"And instead of waiting till you did, you confronted her. Gio, have you completely lost it?"

"I have not lost it. Don't be so hard on me, okay. I know I am right."

He tsked in disappointment. "What did she give you as an explanation?"

"Nothing. She insisted she didn't ask for anything, and mom just paid for it."

"Well, now you know the truth."

"It's not the truth. Why would my mom go around paying off the debts of that woman? That is my brother's job, is it not?"

"You are right. Very right. You know what else?" Giovanna shook her head. "It's also not your business. If she had debts that were paid off, it doesn't concern you at all, yet you made it your business. Why couldn't your mother do the same?"

"If it was just about the debts, then I honestly would have let it be. I would. But it's not. I can't explain the tone with which I heard them speaking. There was an undertone. Kali wasn't thankful. She wasn't grateful that the debt was paid. She was arrogant and defensive like it was meant to be paid."

Vincent sighed. "Whatever you think you heard, you don't know the whole story. Now you have gone, and lost the only thing you had going for you. None of them knew what you heard, none of them. Now, Kali knows. And if she tells your mother, your mother would know too."