Part 1

The flight is twenty five hundred each  my mother said, swirling her wine like she was auditioning for a reality show Business class Qatar Real luxuryWe were wedged into a leather booth at a downtown steakhouse that smelled like truffle butter and expensive cologne  My father sat upright shoulders squared scanning the room like he expected someone to recognize him My brother Trayvon  lounged beside his wife  Jessica  as if the booth belonged to him Jessica s smile stayed fixed  bright and empty the way a ring light looks when it’s turned on