So what are you doing tonight? I’m still over here at Tamara’s.
Hanging out at home and playing games until Manny gets back from doing Christmas with his gf’s family - then were gonna get wasted!! ;)
That sounds fun. Hope you don’t have to work tomorrow with that hangover you’re bound to get.
Lol I like to gamble
Hah! I can’t drink like that anymore.
Tamara walks into the living room, covered in butter and grease. A few tendrils of hair have escaped her bun.
“Supper’s almost ready,” Tamara says. “Go ahead and grab a spot at the table.”
“Kid, let me help you bring stuff out, at least,” I plead.
“No. You’re under strict orders to relax. Everyone is.”
Tamara shoots dagger eyes at Frank, Jillian, and Jessa before disappearing. At least she has no problem letting us clean up everything once we’re done eating. The unspoken agreement in the family.
Once we’ve moved to the dining room, Jillian and Jessa huddle close together and giggle over their phones. I sit down next to Jillian.
“What’s so funny over there?” I ask, trying to resist the urge to check my phone.
“This guy Jillian matched with,” Jessa says. “They’re 95% perfect for each other.”
“Oh yeah?”
“He asked me out in college, and I turned him down.” Jillian laughs. “Would it be weird to message him?”
Jessa pokes me. “You’re the online dating expert. What should she do?”
“Let me see him first,” Frank says and sets his tablet down.
“You have terrible taste in men,” I interject. “What with being hetero and all.”
I grab Jillian’s phone and glance at the guy. He’s okay in the looks department. Posing with a halibut he caught. Of course.
“Why did you turn him down in college?”
Jillian cringes. “He had a bunch of acne then. I was so shallow, I know.”
“He’s in med school now,” Jessa adds. “And most of that acne is gone.”
“That sounds promising,” Frank interrupts. “The med school, I mean.”
I hand her phone back. “You never know what could happen.”
Thinking about online dating makes me check my phone. Tyson’s turned me into one of those people who can’t stay away from their devices for more than two minutes. But I’m kind of delighted to see a message from him.
Christmas without him is harder than I had anticipated.
Opening his present would have been a thousand times better with him next to me. He sent me a pair of square, silver cufflinks for Christmas with “Phison” engraved on them. They’re dorky and easily the best gift I’ve ever received.
Already had a vanilla coke and rum..
Sounds disgusting.
Nah its good ;) Ill switch to a whisky later just for you!!
Stick with the same drink, Ty. You’re going to throw up if you mix your liquors.
Lol yeah… Is it bad I’m starting early??
I blink. Something about the question is unsettling. Out of character for him, even.
Why do you ask that?
Two minutes pass before Tyson answers. Tamara starts bringing out the side dishes in the mean time and refuses my help again.
The holidays remind me of my parents… I’ve always made it a rule not to drink when I’m sad, but I’m kind of down now
Oh, Tyson.
Fuck it, I’m calling him.
“I’ll be right back in a minute.”
My thumb hovers over Tyson’s number while I get out of my chair. I amble outside to the frigid, wet suburban wasteland. No white Christmas this year. Pretty unfair I get to freeze my ass off without any pretty snow to look at.
Of course, snow is only good for, like, two seconds. Then it becomes a pain in the neck.
Tyson answers almost as soon as I call. “Hey! Didn’t mean to make you—”
“I wanted to listen to your fucking gorgeous voice. If you want to talk about your family, I’ll listen. If you don’t want to, tell me what awful brand of rum you’re drinking so I can properly tease you.”
He laughs and falls into silence. I pace back and forth on the porch and wait for him to say something.
“Did you go to college?” he asks.
“For business, yeah. Long time ago.”
He hmms. “Do you think it’s weird if I went but didn’t finish?”
“No?”
Tyson sighs. “That’s where we broke up. My parents and me. They always wanted me to be some fancy lawyer like them. Hated everything I did, like play soccer and have friends. But I never liked school, and I never liked the way they were always gone. I dropped out of college after my freshman year, and… We fell apart. There was a lot more going on, but that was the last straw.”
My throat tightens. Shit, I have no idea what to say. Every thought that springs to mind seems inadequate.
“Sorry,” he says after a moment. “Didn’t mean to get heavy there.”
“Don’t apologize. That had to be tough to share.”
“Yeah. But it kind of makes sense for you to know.”
Does it? I shiver and press the phone closer to my ear.
“I’m happy in life,” he says. “Not all the time, but overall? I got a great life now. All my choices. And you’re one of the best parts of my life.”
This guy. My whole goddamn face burns as his last sentence repeats in my head.
“You sound cold. Are you outside?”
“Yeah. Uh, you’re pretty great too,” I reply with all the magniloquence of Shakespeare thrumming through my brain.
Tyson chuckles. “Go back inside. Thanks for calling.”
“You gonna be okay?”
“More than okay. Gonna zap some aliens.”
“I’ll talk to you later. Bye, Tyson.”
“Bye, Phil!”
Hanging up is impossible. Turning into an ice cube would be worth listening to him breathe. I stay on the line and wait for the screen to show he’s ended the call.
I’m one of the best parts of Tyson’s life, huh?
Tamara’s taken her spot at the table by the time I go back inside. We’re not really a family who says blessings or even waits for everyone to be in the same room to start eating. Frank’s already slicing away at the turkey with the new electric carver I bought him, and he looks so happy to have such a useless trinket.
“Uncle Phil called his boyfriend,” Jillian announces as I sit down.
I shoot her a glare. One that I want to read as “you’re wrong” but probably comes off as “shut up.” Because my ability to lie dissipates when Tyson’s on my mind.
Jessa grins at me from across the dining table. “You’re always blushing when you talk to him.”
“It’s true, you do.” Tamara’s eyes dance like a cat about to pounce on her prey.
Frank arches an eyebrow. In that douche-like way only he can.
“When are we going to meet him, Phillip?” Frank asks. “I’m still not convinced he isn’t a serial killer.”
“Oh my God, Frank. He’s not a murderer. I’d rather be six feet under than have this conversation again.”
I’ve hated my brother-in-law for so long, I don’t remember why I hate him.
But maybe it’s time to do some soul searching and figure it out. Try to learn to like this asswad with impeccably straight teeth. Tyson doesn’t need any kind of negative tension in the air should he ever meet my family. If he’s ever comfortable with the idea.
I really want to bring him home for a holiday. Give him the warm family he deserves. Even if he didn’t have shit kin, I would want him here. With me.
I’ll be home within a couple of hours. Maybe sooner. I’m dying to spend time with you before you get trashed with Manny.
Yay!!
But for my heart’s sake, tell me you’re not drinking bottom shelf rum.
Too late ;)