The air left the room.
Ruth's smile stayed where she had put it. Aaliyah felt every eye turn toward her as if she were the appointed translator of a history too long for Christmas Eve. Marcus opened his mouth. Evelyn, who had come along because Evelyn did not trust holiday gatherings to behave themselves, set down her cup.
Aaliyah spoke first.
"I didn't," she said. Her voice was steady. "For a long time I had reasons. Some of those reasons still exist. We're trying something different now, for Elias. It's not a story for casserole hour." She smiled at Patricia in a way that closed the subject like a door with a good latch. "The green beans smell amazing. Thank you for bringing them."
Patricia blinked. Someone laughed too loudly at something in the kitchen. The moment passed, as moments do when a woman decides they will pass. Later, in the hallway near the coats, Ruth touched Aaliyah's elbow—lightly, asking permission with the gesture itself—and said, "You didn't have to do that."
"I know," Aaliyah said. "I did it anyway."