Chapter 34
‘Kevin!’ I say shocked to see my former date and mead expert at the door with his pet iguana.
He bows at the waist and tips his hat grandly, but the iguana, Wayne, stays on his shoulder somehow. ‘What are you doing here?’ Did my mother invite him by accident before I told her Finn was coming, and she forgot to cancel? ‘I’m sorry. There must have been some crossed wires. I already have a date for Thanksgiving,’ I say trying to be as gentle as possible. This poor guy came all the way out to New Jersey just to see me and on a holiday. I didn’t feel anything for him except a strange fascination but I guess he really fell for me.
‘Good sir, I think the joyous season of gratitude has clouded your brain. I’m not your date for today’s festivities.’
‘He’s mine,’ Omar says coming in from the kitchen. He walks past me and kisses Kevin on each cheek and then Kevin bends a bit so Omar can do the same to Wayne. I can’t stop my body from displaying an intense shudder. My mom comes out of the kitchen and hugs Kevin but thankfully she only waves to Wayne. I swear if I saw her lips on that animal I’d explode.
‘Would someone please explain what’s going on here?’ I ask. I’m too confused to hazard a guess.
‘Just your mother doing what she does best.’ She pinches my cheek like I’m seven.
‘Sam,’ Omar steps in. ‘I’ve wanted to tell you this for a while but I’ve been busy and you’ve been busy. Then your mom and I thought it would make a fun surprise,’ Omar says as he reaches for Kevin’s hand.
‘Everyone. I have some appa-teasers in the kitchen and I made a lovely salad for Wayne. Omar, I’ll let you explain to Sam. Son, maybe you’ll finally understand…’ Mom says, ushering everyone out of the room leaving me and Omar alone. ‘That I know what I’m doing.’ She sings the last part as a triumphant operatic march and closes the door behind her.
I sit on the couch with Omar. ‘This is the mystery guy you’ve been seeing?’ I still can’t believe it.
‘I didn’t know how to tell you.’ He scratches his beard with his hand. ‘I mean I was sure you weren’t interested in him. You know I would never try to steal a guy from you.’
‘I know that, and I wasn’t interested in him, but I’m surprised you are.’ I try not to sound too judgmental.
‘I know. He’s not my type at all. But your mother thought…’
‘This has her fingerprints all over it.’ I can hear her chatting and laughing in the kitchen with everyone.
‘Your mother thought we would hit it off. Kevin and I started talking after I showed up at your date with him. I told your mom about it during one of our shifts and before I knew it, she set up a real date for us. At first, I did it to be nice to your mom, but the truth is we had such a great time. Did you know he brews his own mead?’ Omar puts his hand on his chest and his head kicks back in awe.
‘I am aware,’ I say, emotionless.
‘He’s super sweet and he loves his iguana so dearly and he’s just so nice. He makes these fabulous leather pouches. He loves to watch me sew and thinks my designs are incredible,’ Omar says. I can see his fondness for Kevin in his face. His eyes are doing their own happy dance.
‘Well, your designs are incredible.’
‘Thank you. Kevin loves them and it means so much to me and he’s such a nice guy.’ Omar cannot keep the smile off his face but then he pauses. ‘Unlike so many of the jerks we’ve both dated.’
‘If you like him that’s all that matters.’ But then I realize he said jerks we have both dated . Omar has dated some real creeps and I’ve tried to be supportive but also protective of him. But does he think I have the same problem? ‘You think I date as many jerks as you do?’ I ask. The question comes off ruder and more intrusive than I had planned but that’s the benefit of having a best friend. You never assume malice.
‘No, I don’t,’ he says and I feel a moment of relief. Then he adds, plainly, ‘I think you date more.’
‘What?’
‘Maybe not more, but certainly the jerks you date are more intense,’ he says, and I know he’s talking about one jerk specifically. He looks toward the kitchen to make sure no one is coming in. ‘I mean, I thought you said Paul would be here today,’ he whispers. ‘Not that I want to see him, but I know you were counting on him.’
I told Omar Paul was coming when I thought Paul was coming and when he cancelled I sort of let the topic fall off the radar. I didn’t want to admit to Omar or myself that Paul had disappointed me once again. ‘He had an important meeting in Atlanta. He couldn’t get out of it. It wasn’t his fault.’
‘Sam that’s what you say all the time about him. That it’s not his fault.’
‘But it isn’t,’ I say and feel childish as soon as I do.
‘Paul is a jerk. He was a jerk before and he remains a jerk.’ I want to tell Omar about the plans for the re-design of the apartment and the thoughtful messages and gifts I’ve been receiving. I want to show him the piece of paper about retaining the lawyer, but I know he will tell me again that it’s only a piece of paper. Could he be right? Omar looks me in the eye and says, ‘I was hoping that if you can’t see what a jerk Paul is, you would see how wonderful Finn is.’
‘What? This isn’t about him. I don’t like him. I could never be with a guy like Finn.’
‘Why? Because he’s talented? Because he cares about the people around him? Because he’s super sexy?’
‘No,’ I say quickly but without a great deal of firmness. It would never work with a guy like Finn because… my brain gets ahead of me and sends a message way before my heart is ready to receive it. I would never be with a guy like Finn because I would resent his talent. It would make me feel like even more of a flop. Being with a guy like Paul means I never have to worry about not reaching my potential or fulfilling some creative desire. It also means never having to find out if I can achieve anything. Maybe that’s just as good or maybe I’m beginning to realize that won’t be enough.
‘Let’s table this,’ I say. I don’t want to get in my head and if Omar has found someone he really likes, I want to celebrate that. ‘Tell me more about you and Kevin and…’ I swallow hard just to get the last word out. ‘Wayne.’
‘It’s all kind of new but he makes me laugh and the sex is amazing.’
‘Please tell me the iguana is not in the room when that happens.’ I cover my face with my hand.
‘Oh no. Wayne gets very jealous. We have to put him in his home. But he does sleep in the bed sometimes, which is very comforting. And I sewed Wayne the cutest little waistcoat to wear with some leftover leather from the pouches that Kevin makes and sells at the Renaissance fairs.’ Omar holds his hands up to indicate the miniature size.
‘Rara,’ Kevin says, poking his head in. ‘Come see how much Wayne loves Glory’s sweet potatoes.’
‘I will Kevs,’ he says. ‘Be right there?’
‘Rara and Kevs?’ I ask. ‘You already have pet names for each other?’ I take a moment to examine his face. ‘This is more serious than you’re letting on but go ahead. We’re good and I don’t want to miss Wayne eating my mom’s sweet potatoes.’
It’s warm enough in the afternoon to have some drinks and appetizers on the deck off the kitchen. The ancient apple trees that line the yard have small pieces of misshapen red and green fruit. A bright, multicolored blanket of fallen leaves surrounds each one. In the distance, I can hear people cheering at the annual Turkey Trot down Main Street.
Kai is explaining how he first got interested in plants after his divorce from his first husband decades ago when he came to the US. ‘I figured if I could take care of someone who sits around all day and is totally useless, plants would be easy.’ Everyone laughs but I notice my mom laughs even harder than everyone else. I’m sure today is hard for her, but I’m relieved to know that she has found such a good friend in Kai. They’re so different in some ways but from the same generation so I guess they understand each other.
The Thanksgiving meal is wonderful as always. My mom brines the turkey for two days before she roasts it and she’s also made a vegan roast out of lentils that she shaped into a heart with mushroom gravy as a garnish. Omar has made a traditional bademjan with eggplant and tomato and Kevin’s mead-braised shallots with apples are surprisingly delicious. Of course, my mom raves about Finn’s Cajun rice, which is spicy and sweet at the same time.
At dinner I can’t help thinking about how natural it feels for the six of us to be together. At times, we’re all laughing so hard we’re trying not to choke, but at other moments, the conversation turns more serious as we discuss politics and current events, each person contributing a thoughtful point of view.
If Paul were here, it would have been a very different table. He doesn’t laugh easily, and we rarely discuss politics, if ever. I make a lot of assumptions about his beliefs but part of me fears his political leanings are not the same as mine. He would have been a conspicuous outsider while Finn has effortlessly become one of the group.
After dinner, we insist that Kai and my mom relax in the living room while the rest of us do the dishes. My mother argues that she can do them, but Finn won’t hear of it, so the four of us create an assembly line of scraping, washing, and drying. Omar puts on some pop music and the time passes quickly.
My mom packs leftovers for each of us and wraps them in foil with our names on each. We’re driving Kevin – and Wayne – home, so they get in the van with Finn and Omar.
I head back into the house to get Kai and give my mom one last goodbye. I walk in through the front door, but they aren’t in the living room, so I head to the kitchen. I’m about to announce to them that we’re ready to go, but when I look through to the kitchen, I receive my second big surprise of the day.
My mother is seated across from Kai and she’s kissing him goodbye but it looks like more than a friendly kiss. Is my mother involved with Kai? I think it’s impossible, but then I remember all the little looks between them at Plant Daddy, how Kai thinks my mom invented Miracle-Gro.
I wait in the living room and give them a few moments before I cough loudly and say, ‘Hello, we are all set with the van.’ They spring away from each other as if they were caught, confirming my suspicions.
Kai is suddenly in a rush to get out. ‘Thank you very much Glory. It was a very nice meal and I think everyone enjoyed it. I will see you at work. Goodbye,’ he says pushing the words out.
‘Yes, at work. Thank you,’ my mom says in a weird soprano she only uses when she is guilty. She opens the door and Kai heads out of the house and down the ramp toward the van.
‘What did I just walk in on?’ I ask, slowly walking toward her.
‘What?’ Her voice is still unnaturally high.
‘Is there something you want to tell me young lady?’ I taunt her.
‘Stop it. I was just saying goodbye to my friend.’ She waits a few seconds and then adds, ‘A very special friend.’
‘So, the two of you are a couple?’ I ask, trying to keep an image of them together in any romantic way out of my brain. The woman is my mother. Still, if she and Kai are happy, then I’m happy for her.
‘How did I raise a son to be so conservative in his thinking about relationships?’
‘We are not talking about me; we are talking about you.’
‘Couple is such a limited term. I like Kai. I care for him deeply. And he cares for me. When you come back from Florida, I’ll show you what he made for me at Plant Daddy.’
He’s probably potted a bonsai for her or made a terrarium. Very sweet of him. I want to know more but I also want to model good boundaries, so I say goodbye and bend down to have her kiss my forehead then I head to the van. I open the door to get in and she comes out of the house.
‘Wait,’ she yells out after me. She’s running toward the van. ‘This was on sale and I bought it for your trip to Florida.’
She hands me the largest bottle of Pepto-Bismol that has ever been created. Finn looks at the jug of pink liquid and then at me and we drive back to Manhattan.