Restaurant Roulette Ends

Part 2 This happened almost every month for years. Dad even had different

“characters” for the fake calls: stressed executive, worried manager, apologetic team

leader. Emma and I started secretly rating his performances, whispering scores

based on how believable he sounded and whether he remembered to act out of breath. There were strict

rules we didn’t question back then. We could only go to restaurants we’d never been to before.

We weren’t allowed to tell anyone about restaurant roulette. And we always had to act disappointed

when the emergency happened. In hindsight, the clues were there. Dad always picked

seats near the exit. He watched the timing like a hawk. Mom never put her purse down.