Page 70 of Lumi

CHAPTER 14

Rejection

Damian

“Do you regret that you never adopted?” Lumi asked me after staring at the picture of the grave.

“We looked into adoption, but we weren’t approved. “

“No? But you told me that you and Siobhan decided against it.”

I pulled Lumi to the sink and washed my hands.

“Because I was embarrassed, but the truth is that during the interview, they asked us questions about our relationship, and the psychologist felt Siobhan and I weren’t strong as a couple. He suggested we should do therapy.”

“Oh.”

I shrugged. “It was never a happy marriage, Lumi. Ye know that.”

“Yes.”

“Siobhan and I were roommates more than we were husband and wife. It’s not how I want any kid to grow up.”

Lumi reached for a small knife, and the bag of potatoes, while I stood leaning up against the kitchen counter. I had never been successful in reading women, but something strange was going on with Lumi.

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter.” Changing the topic, I pulled out my phone. “Enough of my dark past. What we need is some music.” I chose one of my favorite tracks and turned up the volume.

“Does it have to be that loud?” Lumi asked while peeling the potatoes.

“Loud music is good for dancin’.” Taking the knife from Lumi, I clasped our hands and began dancing with her.

“We have to cook lunch. There’s no time for dancing,” Lumi complained, but she was smiling and giving into me as I spun her around and dipped her back, which made her laugh.

“You’re crazy.”

“Maybe, but I know how to make ye laugh.”

Lumi and I danced and laughed together until the song ended, and she insisted that we should get the salmon wrapped in filo dough and into the oven.

Being handcuffed required teamwork and patience, but over the next half hour, we managed to peel the potatoes, make a salad, set the table, drink half a bottle of white wine, and laugh at my lame jokes.

“There’s no way she said that,” Lumi laughed at my impression of an American woman I’d met at a bar.

“I swear it. She thought I’d been talkin’ about drugs when I asked if she wanted to dance for the craic of it. You should have seen the way she clung her purse to her chest as if I was trouble.”

“Youaretrouble.”

“Perhaps, but I was tryin’ to be charmin’ that night.” I lit up when I remembered another detail. “And then in that same bar, I had had a good laugh in the jacks. There was a condom machine, and on the front, it said ‘Tested to British Safety Standards.’ But then underneath some joker had scrawled, ‘So was theTitanic.’”

Lumi leaned her head back and laughed with me in that uninhibited way that was so rare for her. It made me wish that she would let out that part of her more often.

You’re so beautiful.It was right there on my tongue, but I didn’t want to compliment her and risk upsetting her again.

“I know a condom joke too,” Lumi said with amusement in her voice.

“Let’s hear it,” I encouraged her with a grin.

“Okay…” Lumi was looking up. “Oh, what was it? It was one of the interns at work who told the joke — right, yes, I remember now.” Lumi smiled so hard that it was difficult for her to speak. “What do condoms and Kodak photographic film have in common?”