Chapter 20 Christmas with the Fam #2
I thought those words over and fell into a brief trance thinking about what they meant, and when I heard the alarm on my phone, it nearly made me jump out of my skin.
Only as I was about to turn it off did I remember.
“Shit! It’s six! Jack, why didn’t you say anything? I need to shower! Dinner’s at eight!”
I didn’t wait for his response before taking off down the hall.
I managed to slide into the bathroom just before Sue, promising her I’d be in and out in no time.
With a brush and a nail file, I tried frantically to scrape out the paint from under my nails.
When I was done, I hurried back to the bedroom, where Jack had cleaned up my art supplies.
That wasn’t like him. He must have realized what a rush we were in.
He’d opened the sliding glass door to air out the room a bit.
I was so busy digging through the dresser, I didn’t notice the cold creeping in until I was throwing on my bra, panties, and leggings.
Jack tried to calm me down: “You know, it’s fine if we show up late, they’re not going to shut the door in our face.”
“It’s Christmas, Jack! We can’t be late on Christmas!”
“Technically, Christmas is tomorrow. Today is Christmas Eve.”
I didn’t answer, because I was too busy trying to pull up my wool dress while Jack calmly slipped on his cracking sneakers and looked in the mirror to make sure his hair was sufficiently messy.
Men! That was all he had to bother with.
I pulled up my boots, grabbed my purse, ran back to the bathroom to throw on some makeup.
Once again, I had to cut Sue off to do it.
“JENNIFER!” she shouted.
“I promise, it’ll just be a second this time.”
She nearly ran me over when I came out, begging Jack to put my toiletry bag in his backpack, because our suitcase was full. On my way out the door, I felt my heart skip a beat and shouted, “The charger! I almost forgot my charger!”
Jack waited patiently as I discovered another four or five things I’d almost left behind. When I was finally ready, it looked like we were going to be late.
Naya, sitting on the couch wrapped in blankets, shouted at us to have a good time. “Drink extra for me!” she added, and Will, sitting next to her, said, “Yeah, actually, don’t do that.”
The two of them would be having Christmas Eve dinner in the living room, with candlelight. Naya thought it was romantic. Will was so worn out, he was just happy not to have to leave the apartment.
Mike was going with us. He’d gone down to the garage early to smoke a cigarette before we left. Jack ordered him to put it out before he got in. We were going to the lake house. Agnes and Mary would be there. I assumed—I hoped—Mr. Ross wouldn’t.
Jack had told me I could invite my family. I thought better of it. Things were already tense enough in my life without bringing more problems onboard. I didn’t really know where Jack was at with his mother by this point, and with them there, anything could happen.
I had already been home once more, for my mother’s birthday, and it hadn’t been especially comfortable.
Of all the people I talked to, the one who seemed most sane was my nephew Owen.
He dressed me down for promising to come over the summer and changing my mind; he asked how Spot the stuffed horse was doing; and he told me that was the last toy I could ever steal from him.
My conversations with my siblings and parents weren’t half as entertaining.
In the car, Mike asked if we could put on some music to pass the time, and if he could pick it. Jack didn’t answer, and when Mike reached for the dial, Jack swatted him away, putting on a boring classic rock station. Whenever a song he knew came on, Mike sang along at full volume.
In the time since we were last at the lake house, several lots had been sold nearby. Houses were going up, and Jack complained that it was turning into a subdivision. Soon all the peace and quiet would be gone.
“All good things must come to an end,” Mike said solemnly.
“Unlike you,” Jack said. “I assume you’ll be with us till the end of time.”
Mike ignored him, finally getting his way and changing the station.
When we arrived, Jack parked and unloaded our luggage. Mike dragged his suitcase carelessly through the snow, tracking mud onto the immaculate porch steps. Mary must have known who was ringing, because Mike was the only one who would have stood there pressing the button over and over.
“I heard you the first time,” she told her older son with a smile. They hugged just as Jack came up behind them.
“Hey, Mom,” Jack said, walking right past her.
“Jennifer!” his mother said when she saw me, and gave me a tight hug. “How are you? How are your grades? Jackie says you’ve been complaining about school.”
“I’m making it,” I said, which was true, though she’d probably hoped for a bit more enthusiasm.
I noticed Mary was swaying a little, and she had a full glass of wine in her hand.
Was she drunk? We’d only just arrived! I didn’t say anything, though, as I shut the door and walked through the vestibule and into the kitchen, where Agnes had taken a gigantic turkey from the oven and started spooning sauce over its golden skin.
It looked delicious, and Mike was hovering around her, ready to steal a bite.
Agnes was usually warm, but today she was on a mission, and she waved at me vaguely before getting out the knife to carve it. I heard Jack murmur next to me, “I’m going to take our things upstairs.”
I followed a few feet behind him, wondering if he was planning on giving me the silent treatment the whole time we were there.
I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take that from him, and to tell the truth, I didn’t think I deserved it.
We were staying in his childhood bedroom again.
When he tossed our luggage on the bed, I took out my contact lenses and put on my glasses.
Jack left while I was doing it. I found him in the room at the end of the hall where I had seen his father once playing piano.
Should I have left him alone? Maybe he needed some space. But my worries got the better of me. “You OK?” I asked as I walked in.
His back was turned to me. I took a seat beside him and looked at him out of the corner of my eye.
After a moment, he asked, “Do you think it was a bad idea to leave the apartment in Will and Naya’s hands?”
I was sure that wasn’t what was bothering him, but I played along. “I don’t think Will’s going to let her wreck it, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Jack smiled. “Great, I feel better already.”
“Just think how nice it’s going to be there when Naya gives birth and we have a crying baby keeping us up at all hours. That’s what you’ve always dreamed of, isn’t it?”
He grimaced. “You know, you’re not the world’s best at putting someone in a better mood.”
“I never said I was!”
Jack hid his face in his hands. “I can’t believe it’s actually going to happen. I don’t know if Naya’s ready to be an adult.”
“Well, she’s there. Once they get married, that’s the last box to check off.”
“Will won’t ever get married,” he said. “He doesn’t believe in marriage. Naya doesn’t, either.”
I’d heard them say that, but I never bought it. If I knew Naya, she’d do it for the photos alone.
Jack continued, “Anyway, who the hell gets married when they’re in their early twenties?”
“Some people do. My mom was nineteen when she got married, and her sister was twenty-three. Of course, they were both pregnant.”
“So the women in your family don’t just have tons of kids, they also get married when they’re fresh out of high school.”
“Well,” I said with a shrug. “Shannon bucked the trend. She got pregnant early but just has one kid so far, and she never got married. Since I haven’t done either, I’m the odd one out.”
“For now,” Jack said, getting down on one knee. I was so shocked, I almost flew through the roof.
“JACK! That’s not funny!”
“It is, though. I wish you could have seen your face!”
He cackled for a long while, then an uncomfortable silence returned. Jack cleared his throat and sat a little farther away from me. I toyed with a thread hanging off my dress.
“You do know you can tell me about whatever’s worrying you, right?” I said.
Jack looked me in the eye. I thought he would speak for a second, but then he pursed his lips and lied. “I told you, I’m fine.” Once again, a door was shutting in my face.
Downstairs, we found Agnes plating everyone’s dishes.
She’d put on her reading glasses because, according to her, she hadn’t made quite enough vegetables and no one could get an extra ounce.
An eternity passed while she made sure everything was perfect, but no one complained, and nobody touched anything until she had joined us and given us her blessing to dig in.
I couldn’t call it a comfortable meal. Mike, Agnes, and I were the only ones who spoke.
Mary swilled wine the whole time, and Jack just stuffed his face.
I don’t think Mike noticed anything was wrong, but Agnes certainly did.
By the time dessert was over, Mary could barely stand, and she didn’t even notice when she spilled wine all over the tablecloth as she announced, “Time to open the presents!”
“Don’t we usually wait till midnight?” Mike asked.
“Who cares? Santa’s not watching!”
Jack said nothing as he watched her stumble off. He didn’t even rise from his chair until I touched his forearm. Only when we were handing out the presents did things get a little less awkward.