CHAPTER 11
*PRESENT*
“A little surprise”
Aaron
I had been at my parents’ house for more than four hours, ensuring everything was clean, the tables were set, and the tableware shone. I wanted everything to be ready for when my siblings came, even though my dad told me that it was my celebratory party and I should have been the last to arrive, ready only to have fun. I told him he was wrong.
My siblings all had very busy lives, and I didn’t want to put this on my parents’ plates. I knew they wouldn’t mind, but they were already doing a lot: letting us reunite here and cooking some food. I told them I would be the one on the grill today, and they groaned.
My brother Henry and his best friend Lizzie were helping make some dessert. They were in that young, teenage age where they were acting like everything would be the end of the world.
My mom and our neighbor gave birth with just days of difference. And Henry and Lizzie grew up together since pretty much birth. Lizzie was like a sister to us.
Lizzie was the social butterfly to my brother’s broody personality. He was a very shy kid, and his big frame after his last growth spurt made him as tall as me. He was on the football team and had some muscles on him.
He was very good at it. Lizzie was on the shorter side and was always smiling and talking. She was a cheerleader on the team, and I had the feeling that they both had a thing for each other, but I had never said anything.
I guessed now I understood how my family felt seeing the dynamic between my wife and me when we were their ages. Only that Lizzy and Henry didn’t compete against each other; instead, they helped each other in their weaknesses and were always together.
I missed those days sometimes, when Maya and I saw each other in class. Our dynamic back then sounded crazy, because I remembered how anxious I felt that my feelings weren’t reciprocated, how I wanted Maya’s attention, and how I wanted her to realize that we could work better together. I missed that back then, I knew how to push her buttons. I knew what to do to make her see me.
I missed even more the years that came later, once we started dating and we started to see the world as a team. When we created tests to make sure the other was studying hard for the exams; the early mornings in college; the frenzied kissing, of touching each other like we wouldn’t have enough time, we wouldn’t have enough of the other to sustain us until we could have a little more free time.
My little sister, Ayla, came running towards me and stopped close to knocking me down onto the floor. I could see Henry’s influence on her; he was the closest in age to her.
The little surprise to complete our family.
“Aaron! Can you listen to my new song? I just learned it.”
My sister was a prodigy of the violin. She loved playing it and went to a school close to us to make her grow more as a musician.
“Of course, Ayla,”
I said, ruffling her hair. “Are you practicing to play for the family later?”
She nodded. “Wonderful.”
“But I have another one that I wanted to play, too. I can’t show you that; that’s my surprise.”
I looked at her with a smile. “Thank you.”
Her cheeks got red. “It’s nothing.”
I stopped in my tracks and focused on hearing my little sister’s melody. It was a piece that I didn’t recognize. I wasn’t a big fan of classical music, and pretty much all I knew was learned after Ayla started to love playing the violin.
The notes were coming out of the violin in a hypnotic way. I didn’t like closing my eyes and focusing on the music; for me, it was more rewarding seeing my little sister’s focus and admiration for the music.
This was something that moved her. She was very passionate about her violin and had such a skill that she could transmit so much with the melodies with only the movement of her hands. She finished and opened her eyes to look at my reaction.
I smiled at her. “It’s such a beautiful piece, Ayla. I loved it. You transmit so much.”
“Thanks,”
she said again with her cheeks redder.
“How’s it going at your music school?”
“Everything’s good. I’m learning a lot, but I have a lot of homework. The kids are a little older than me, but they’re nice … Well, there’s one kid the same age as me, but we don’t get along.”
Alarms started to sound in my mind.
“How’s that so?”
I tried to ask nonchalantly.
“Nothing to worry about, Aaron. He’s just very serious and broody. He thinks the most important thing is to play flawlessly; he sounds like a robot sometimes.”
“I see. It’s important to learn how to play and do it passionately.”
“Exactly!”
She jumped with a smile. “He doesn’t get that, though.”
“But you love it there?”
She nodded. “That’s amazing, Ayla.”
She nodded again.
“Do you need my help with anything?”
she asked. I shook my head.
“I think everything’s ready.”
When I said that, I heard the main door open, and a pink convertible entered. That was Cassie. Ayla ran. She loved that car, and even more so my sister; she thought she was the coolest.
Cassie parked, and Evelyn came out of the car with a basket. She looked up just in time to catch Ayla in her arms. Then, Ayla jumped into Cassie’s arms as soon as she exited the car. When I got closer, the three of them were talking in the middle of the driveway. After some hugs and congratulations, we entered the house.
Mom and Dad came to say hi, and soon after, all my siblings came. We sat down at the table.
The only space unoccupied was the one on my right, for my wife. She was supposed to be here by now. I checked my phone, but I didn’t see any messages or calls from her. I tried to call her, but the phone went to voicemail. I sent her a message asking her where she was.
We started to bring snacks to eat until Maya came. My siblings’ laughter and upbeat conversation should have been a good distraction, but I was worried about my wife.
I tried to repeat to my gut that everything was fine and she was probably busy with work.
Today was Saturday, and my wife technically didn’t work on the weekends, but she forgot that most of the time. If she wasn’t working at work, she would have been working at home.
I repeated to myself that she had a critical case soon, that she was probably working, and that nothing bad had happened to her.
The minutes passed, and I still didn’t have any information about my wife’s whereabouts. I messaged her secretary to ask if my wife was still at work. Sometimes, she went there to help my wife. Not even a few minutes later, she replied:
“She’s here. She leaves in five.”
It was close to half an hour by car, three hours later than when she was supposed to be here. Now, I was getting mad.
But my worried side came out, thinking that I didn’t want her to be careless on the road because she came out late; it would make no difference if she came fifteen minutes later. I told my family Maya was on her way, and I caught some weird looks. I wasn’t the best at faking a smile. I wasn’t going to talk about my marriage, but they had to see my anger and sadness.
“Then let’s get the grill started,”
my dad said, rising from his chair.
“Sit down, Dad. I’ll take care of it,” I said.
I jumped to start with it, but my brother, Niko, jumped out first.
“It’s your day, Golden Boy. Sit down and relax.”
“I said I was going to be doing it.”
“Like I care.”
I rolled my eyes. My brother had the most broody behavior of all of us. His harsh exterior and many tattoos had always made him seem like The Willow’s Bad Boy.
After he told us that he didn’t want to college, didn’t want the money that we’d received from our early inheritance, and had jumped from one job to the other, he looked like the least reliable of us. But truth be told, my brother was loyal to a fault, and he would do anything for the ones he loved.
He started the grill, and I was by his side. He was my only older sibling, and I knew words weren’t his forte, so I didn’t try to make small talk. I was pleased to focus on the grill and the silence for once.
“Everything alright, Aaron?”
asked Niko.
“Why do you ask?”
“Your tears are putting out the fire and ruining the food.”
“Stop it, I’m not crying.”
I said with an edge.
“Fine, you’re just pouting. Is everything fine between you and Maya?”
“Direct as ever,”
I muttered under my breath.
“You know I am.”
“We’re in a rough patch.”
He nodded. “But that’s just marriage and relationships in general.”
He nodded, this time with less conviction.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t worry too much.”
“Why?”
I asked with more venom than I wanted.
“It’s clear that you two will get through this.”
“Why are you so sure?”
My voice gave away how much it hurt to have this conversation.
“Because I know you two. You two are just made for each other.”
“Since when do you believe in that?”
A little bit of red darkened my brother’s cheeks.
“I have always believed in that. It’s hard not to when you grow up with your parents and see your younger brother and his academic rival have such a unique bond. I was jealous of you, you know?”
I was speechless. “I wanted what you two have. I thought I was broken for a very long time.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You know I’m stubborn, and I was so mad that you found your person when you were so young, to have that bond since you were just a kid.”
“Maya and I weren’t friends. We were always competing.”
He rolled his eyes.
“It was pretty fucking clear for me that you two would end up together.”
I looked at him. He was seriously looking at the grill with a frown, deep in thought. “You only have eyes for each other. It wasn’t only you having a crush on her. She had the biggest crush on you, too, and when it mattered, you both were there for each other. I didn’t understand why my younger brother had what I couldn’t. I never felt what you did. No one ever has made me look at them like you were looking at her.”
“But you did have a lot of women looking at you like that,”
I remarked.
“It’s not the same, not even close. They never made me look at them like that.”
“I know about your player reputation.”
He laughed without humor. “If you only knew, Golden Boy. Don’t believe every rumor you hear.”
A car’s noise made us stop and look. My wife came out of the car and walked fast to our family. She seemed to be looking for something. She was tired, her clothes rumpled, and had purple smudges under her eyes—eyes that found mine. She breathed out. She tried to give an apologetic smile, and I just tried to return it.
Before we could get closer to each other, Cassie got in the middle and gave her a glass of the lemonade I’d made. She gulped half the glass in one go.
I got closer to them. I got closer to my wife, and once she looked up, I lowered myself and gave her a little peck on the lips. Her lips tasted like my lemonade.
“Sorry for coming late.”
My sisters teased her about it.
“Maya, you’re girlbossing too hard.”
I thought about what Niko had said. Maya and I had a strong foundation and a unique bond.
We sat down and started to eat. I wanted to be happy and present in the moment. My family was here, and we were having a great day. We had just won a big recognition for the ONG. Life was good, but I still felt the press on my chest. I got up from my chair and went to the kitchen to have some alone time, with the excuse of checking the oven.
Soon, Maya followed me and got behind me, hugging me.
“I’m so sorry, I had an alarm, but it didn’t sound. Time flew by, and by the time Sophie told me that you texted, it was too late.” I nodded.
“You’re here now,”
I said, knowing I was still holding the grudge. “But you scared me, Maya. I didn’t know where you were. You need to check your phone more. I was scared,”
I repeated to make her realize how it felt for me.
I heard footsteps, and soon, the sound of someone talking on the phone got closer. Maya and I peeked and saw Cassie; we could listen to snippets of her conversation.
“I haven’t told them yet; today is my brother’s day.”
A pause. “Yes, exactly.”
Another pause. “I’ll tell them soon. I know. I know. I didn’t know who would be able to come until I asked them, but I didn’t want to make this day about me. Yes. I promise. Bye!”
She hung up.
We both came out, and Cassie jumped in surprise.
“You scared me, guys.”
“We heard your call; we were in the kitchen,”
Maya said, always direct.
“Oh, really?”
We nodded.
“What was that about? If you need to say something to the family, you can. It sounded important,”
I replied.
“It can wait.”
“Cassie, it didn’t sound like it.”
“It’s about my job. I have some good news, and I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.”
“Why not now? We are all here. I really don’t mind, Cassie. I want to know, in fact.”
“More to celebrate,”
Maya said.
“Are you sure, Aaron?”
I nodded. “I promise,”
I said, getting closer to her and ruffling her platinum hair.
We all returned to the table, and I asked my family for silence. Then, I looked at Cassie. She kept looking at me, waiting for a sign of indecision on my part.
“I have some news. Good news.”
She looked between us. “My brand has been selected, and we’re going to do a fashion show!”
I smiled big at her.
“Congratulations, Cassie,”
I said before the madness started.
“I would like for you all to go. It’s going to be in a month. It’s a bit late notice and far from here, but if anyone wants and can come, I would love that.”
My parents told her to count on them, and little by little, all my siblings agreed they would go. I looked at Maya. She seemed stricken. It would be leaving on a Friday and returning on Monday—only two days, but with the Mr. v. Mrs. case and her going in on the weekends to work, I knew she wouldn’t go.
“Where is it, Cassie?”
Evelyn asked.
“It’s in Málaga, a city in the south of Spain.”
“I heard it’s a gorgeous city,”
my mom replied, looking at my dad with a smile.
“Yes, I have heard great things about it. You don’t have to worry about hotels or flights or anything. I would take care of everything,”
Cassie said, rising from her chair with enthusiasm.
“Are you sure you won’t be too busy to take care of this, too?“ Mom replied.
“Don’t worry, I will make sure everything’s ready!”