The doors slide open to the security area of Delta Air Lines, and Quinn appears. Briefly serious, her face breaks into a broad smile when she spots Burton waiting alongside a handful of random greeters. She makes a beeline for him, letting go of her carry-on to wrap him in a full-body hug. They kiss briefly.
“Do we need to go to baggage?” he asks.
“No, I’m all here,” she says, then adds a little more coyly, “I’m all yours.”
They hold hands walking out to the parking garage, trading travel perfunctories.How was the flight? Successful business trip? What’s the weekend weather looking like?
Once safely ensconced in Burton’s Mercedes and heading toward the Ted Williams Tunnel back to downtown Boston, Quinn speaks up. “First order of business…”
Burton glances over. “And what’s that?”
“Girl wants to get fucked.”
He laughs. “No, really—tell me what’s actually on your mind.”
Now it’s her turn to laugh. “This doesn’t have anything to do with what’s on my mind. This is my pussy speaking, and it’s saying,‘Bur-r-r-ton-n-n, where are you? I want to see you…’“
They are both laughing now.
Burton replies, “Hello, Pussy! Burton promised Quinn’s Mommy that he would bring Quinn straight to the restaurant as soon as she landed.”
Quinn says, dropping back into her coquettish voice, “Quinn’s Mommy is never going to know if the flight was delayed by a few minutes. Let’s go to your condo. C’mon, big guy—hanky-panky time!”
Burton snaps back into his normal tone. “I already texted Linh from the airport that you were on the ground. She’s expecting us in twenty minutes.”
The Mercedes approaches the end of the Ted Williams Tunnel where the lanes split: North toward Burton’s condo, West toward the Mass Pike, or South toward North Quincy and Pho 475. Burton switches on his blinker for South.
Quinn turns to him, open-mouthed. “You’re really passing this up…?”
“Like I said, your mom is expecting us.”
Soon they are on the Expressway heading south, trapped in Friday afternoon traffic crawling toward Cape Cod. It is a brilliant summer day—warm without being suffocating, bright without glare. To their left, the Dorchester Gas Tanks buoy the spirits of everyone sharing the gridlock.
Quinn takes a deep breath, then lets it go. “What’s she got cooked up now? Am I supposed to act surprised? Did she invite relatives over? What’s going on?”
Burton stares straight ahead, his face a study in male cluelessness. “I haven’t the slightest…”
The rest of the ride passes in silence.
At the restaurant, Burton parks in a space around back near the dumpster—a spot Quinn knows is usually reserved for senior staff. Inside, there are no relatives, only a smiling Linh surrounded by paperwork in her usual booth. She rises immediately to hug and kiss Quinn. She doesn’t acknowledge Burton beyond motioning for both of them to take a seat.
Once seated, Linh skips the small talk. No“How was the flight?”or“How’s work?”She looks directly at her daughter.
“Burton and I have become lovers.”
Only then does she reach across the table to take Burton’s hand. Quinn stares at their clasped hands as if observing something unexpected and exotic. Without a word, she folds her arms on the table and rests her forehead against them.
Burton stares at her intently, straining to catch any sound or movement that might betray extreme emotion. After several long moments, he glances up at Linh. Linh says nothing, her eyes silently instructing him to keep still.
Minutes pass. Around them, the hum of restaurant staff prepping for a busy Friday night continues uninterrupted. Quinn remains motionless for what feels like an eternity.
Then, slowly, she raises her head. She is smiling.
“Purr-r-rfect!” she says. “The two of you together are perfect. Who would have thought? And who could imagine it but the two of you… it’s perfect.”
The tension drains away like water down a drain. “I’m so happy for both of you.”
“What a relief,” says Burton. “We knew it would be a shock, but we had no idea how you’d react. Maybe we can all get out of here tonight, go somewhere quiet where we can begin to—”
He doesn’t get to finish. Quinn is already on her feet.
“No, no—enough excitement for one Friday night. You two go. I have other plans.”
Leave a Reply