12. Chapter 12 #4
I had gotten used to Gran showing this new side of her because we spent nearly every day together for the past year, but with LJ, when she tried to see if she could relate to him the same way, it always ended up similar to what happened earlier, would trigger him, and Gran would get upset and declare she should have died in Ji-ji’s place.
She then says she doesn’t mean it and that she loves us both, which I know she does, but I also know how hard she is trying to keep us all together despite how different we are, hence family dinner every week, on the same day.
It stopped for a while after Ji-ji passed, and until Gran was feeling better, she started it up again.
Even if she couldn’t bond with LJ her way, she still appreciated the fact he showed up every week without fail and I think deep down she didn’t want what happened between her and my mother, to happen between us, which is why despite LJ’s need of a time out and the stomach cramps that came with coping with Gran no-filtered nature, he knew deep down what she was trying the do.
We snuggle for a while longer until I suggest staying over for morale support. Gran snaps out of her emotional state.
Resuming the dishes, she goes on about how one of her boyfriends was visiting after we all left, so she didn’t need me to stay and how I needed to focus on the sexy mystery man I lived with.
I agreed with every word and added my input when she nudges for it because I knew she needed this, and I could put up with a few of her raunchy jokes and sexual innuendos here and there because it made her feel better.
Half an hour later, things had finally cooled down. The dishes were done, and any sign of dinner was cleared away. Gran and I were watching another rerun of her favourite travel blogger, Joan something.
Don’t tell Gran I forgot her name again; she’d kill me.
We were watching an old episode, the brave young woman who fearlessly travelled the world in her youth. She’d been to more than a hundred countries and was still travelling now and staying current with the fad of social media and everything.
She was the whole reason Gran had asked me to download TikTok and teach her how to record herself so she could copy the famous TikTok dances. She never posted any of them. I think it was just a source of fun for her.
Gran may not be normal, but like all of us, she idolised Joan.
I mean, how could you not? She was beautiful, adventurous and could captivate anyone around her, whether it was through a TV show, a billboard, or even a simple TikTok live where she spoke to fans and asked them where she should go next.
Her admiration for this woman had no bounds; it was why our house was filled with travel destinations, travel magazines and VCR tapes and most of all, why our family holidays growing up were all based wherever this Joan lady went.
Granted, we couldn’t afford to travel as much as she did, but every three years or so, instead of going to Disneyland, Gran and Ji-ji would have us pick between two holidays they’d previously seen her favourite TV star travel to, then we’d fly there, immerse ourselves in that culture and make some of the best memories we have to date.
So I suppose my brother and I did owe this woman a thank you for helping us have a more adventurous childhood than most children had and for bringing our Grandparents so much joy after all these years.
The episode we were watching was just about to end when LJ and Macy came out of the bathroom. Gran held back from suggesting if anything hanky panky had happened in there after being in there so long, and she and LJ shared a long, heartfelt hug while Gran apologised, then walked us all to the door.
We said our goodbyes, expressing how much we were looking forward to next week’s dinner and then Macy and LJ drove me home, not because it was a nice thing to do but because Macy wanted to see where Surly Bastard lived.
But since I was under contract not to give anyone the address apart from a taxi service, I made LJ drive me to the top of the road, and I would walk the rest of the way.
But LJ was quick on his feet to follow me out of the car after safely locking and leaving his wife to sulk.
He insisted on at least walking me until he could see me get into the house safely.
I found myself hugging him extra tightly before he headed back to his car as a silent thank you for being a great big brother.
He hugged me in a way to say thank you for earlier, then we went our separate ways.
It was almost 9 pm so I knew Theo wouldn’t be awake when I let myself in using my key and turned the alarm system on, I then looked back to see my brother turning the corner then shut the door and of course, thanks to the main source of tonight’s entertainment, I went to check for that familiar light on under that door before I headed up to bed.
I honestly had no clue what that man did in there, but if he did have a sex swing in there somewhere, I was determined to find out.