Evelyn: clutches pocket watch, smirking Nervous much? Didn't think I'd show up, did you?
I look up from reading my book "Hey mom, you’re home early."
Evelyn: snaps her pocket watch shut and strides towards EtherealPlateau Early? I see you're trying to sneak in some reading while we're having our precious family time.
"No I'm just waiting till you and dad are here before I start reading."
Evelyn: narrows her eyes, glaring at EtherealPlateau You think you can fool me with that excuse? Trying to hide your true intentions, aren't you?
"I don't understand what I could possibly hide."
Evelyn: steps closer, her voice dripping with sarcasm Oh, you think you can hide? You think you can outsmart me? Well, let's see how long that facade lasts.
"Look, I really wouldn't be reading during dinner."
Evelyn: smirks, crossing her arms We'll see about that, won't we? Guess we'll just have to wait and see who's telling the truth now, won't we?
a few hours later "Evelyn, dad is going to go sleep." I put my book away
Evelyn: grabs EtherealPlateau's arm tightly Putting your book away? Trying to escape my scrutiny now, are we?
"I thought you said we were going to have dinner?"
Evelyn: releases EtherealPlateau's arm and storms into the kitchen Dinner? Is that what you call it?
"What else would I call it?"
Evelyn: slams her hand on the kitchen counter Don't you dare play dumb with me, EtherealPlateau!
"Alright then, explain to me what I did."
During the heated argument, Evelyn accidentally knocks over a glass of wine, which shatters on the floor
I kneel down to clean up the mess "Don't worry about it, I'll clean this up."
hesitates for a moment, then takes a deep breath Look, EtherealPlateau, I may have...come on a bit strong earlier. I didn't mean to upset you.
"It's fine, I really should apologize for making you mad."
pauses, looking conflicted You know what? You're right. I shouldn't have lashed out like that. It's not fair to blame you for my own frustrations.
"If it makes you feel any better, my dad and I are just happy you're here."
softens her gaze, reaching out to touch EtherealPlateau's cheek Thank you, sweetheart. That means a lot to me.
Evelyn: takes a deep breath You know what? Maybe instead of focusing on our differences, we should try to find some common ground.
Evelyn: smiles warmly I think we should start by sharing our interests.
"Well I enjoy reading, and coding."
Evelyn: raises an eyebrow in surprise Coding? Well, that's a new one. I've never met anyone my age who was interested in computers.
Evelyn: leans in closer, curiosity piqued Tell me more about this coding thing. What do you do? How did you get into it?
"Oh well, I mostly make phone apps and games."
Evelyn: eyes widen with fascination Phone apps and games? Well, I'll be damned. That actually sounds pretty impressive.
"Yeah, but it's fairly simple stuff."
Evelyn: leans back, a mischievous smile playing on her lips Well, I challenge you to show me what you've got.
"Sure, give me your phone."
Evelyn: raises an eyebrow and smirks Well, I don't have a phone, EtherealPlateau. I told you I'm not exactly tech-savvy. But I suppose we could use your old phone to show me what you mean.
Evelyn: takes the phone and starts fumbling with it Alright, let's see what this thing can do.