Meet the Family
“What if he misses the bus, Noelle? My mom will just kill him if we’re late. I’ll have to send him back home to protect him!”
“You should call him.”
“Eh, he’s on the subway right now, I’m sure. At least, he should be. No, I trust him. He’s good with schedules like that. He’ll make the bus.”
My phone rings 20 minutes later. “I’m bringing sexy back…” plays on my phone.
It’s Jefferson.
“Hey sweetie, it’s Jefferson…”
“Hey!”
“I missed the bus.”
Oh God. I couldn’t breath.
“The subway stopped in the tunnel. But I got a ticket for the 12:30 bus…”
I couldn’t speak.
“You there?” he asked.
“Yeah, my heart stopped.”
“Oh your poor heart!”
My mind raced. We’d be late if the took the 12:30 bus.
“Umm…we’ll come get you,” I decided quickly.
“You sure?”
“Yes, we’ll drive in and get you. Half an hour. 20 minutes if no traffic.”
“OK, should I stay here or go somewhere else?”
“Stay there.”
“Ok.”
Luckily, Noelle and I were ready to go.
My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking, praying time and traffic would be on my side as I drove to Port Authority to get Jefferson. Luckily, it was.
“Assuming we get to my house on time, my mom doesn’t need to know Jefferson missed the bus,” I warned Noelle.
“Agreed.”
I pulled up to the bus station in good time and Jefferson hopped in next to me and I sped off back in the direction I just came from.
Noelle and I had argued before about who’d control the music. She deferred to the back seat, but still wanted to control the radio. I said, my car, my iPod.
Somehow it ended up being her iPod. But I’ll admit, she’s a pretty good DJ.
We made good time as we headed north. We’d get to the party right on time, and Jefferson could go home in one piece.
I pulled into the driveway just after family friends, James and Patti.
I kissed them hello as they handed me a wrapped jewelry box.
“This is Jefferson and my roommate from school, Noelle,” I said introducing them to my friends.
“These are family friends, James and Patti,” I told Jefferson and Noelle.
I knew though no one was going to get any names straight.
Even among my different-family family members. (My step-dad’s kids not quite remembering my cousins on my moms side, etc….)
“Hi Noelle! Hi Jefferson! Hi sweetie!” my mom chimed as we walked through the door. “Hey kiddo,” my step-dad chimed as he walked into the foyer.
My parents hugged me and Noelle and welcomed Jefferson, shaking his hand.
“That’s Zoe, the other love of my life” I pointed upstairs to a dog standing at a gate at the top of the stairs.
“Hey, I thought you weren’t going to show up to your own party!” my brother teased me as I walked in the living room and kissed him hello.
I made my rounds to kiss everyone hello that was already there and started introducing Jefferson and Noelle to everyone.
“That’s my brother and his wife there, and those are their two kids. That’s my cousin, her husband, and their two little boys. And that’s her parents, my aunt and uncle, and my other cousin. And then that’s my other cousin and his little girl.” Noelle and Jefferson nodded their heads blankly at me.
“Jefferson, would you like something to drink?” my mom asked.
“Oh I’m OK for now, thank you,” he smiled.
“Look, we have bourbon!” I said holding up a bottle of murky Jim Bean.
“Uh, it looks a little cloudy,” he said looking closer.
“Yeah, it does,” I said examining it better. “Well…there’s Jack Daniels…”
“It’s a little too early for bourbon, even for me.”
“Really? Wow…”
The appetizers were starting to go out and I dug right in since I hadn’t had breakfast.
There was lots to choose from, but most of it I had no interest in:
Meatballs- Swedish and Italian (a little mushy, I thought)
“Chicken nuggets” (breaded chicken pieces, a little bland I thought, perhaps from the cornflake crust?)
Deviled eggs- yummy yummy!
Stuffed tomatoes, pea pods, and escarole
Sausage and cheese filled wantons
And little mini Reubens
Plus chips and fresh fruit salad.
More guests arrived and soon the party was in full swing. I did my best to mingle with family while making sure my awkward friends were comfortable.
“Enjoying the food?” I asked when I found them standing quietly in the dining room where the food was.
“Mmm hmm…” Jefferson said between bites.
“We’re going drink for drink,” Noelle offered, raising her Malibu bay breeze. “This is my second though. He’s still on his first beer.”
Lite beer, I noticed. Oh man, my family is so going to just think he’s gay.
“Make sure you’re mingling with everyone,” my mom reminded me as she came in the room.
“I am, I am. I was just getting some food.”
“Hey, wanna see some art?” I offered to Jefferson.
“Sure!”
I brought him into our den to show him my honorable mention work. It was a hot air balloon on scratch paper. Hot stuff, I know.
“Hold on, here she is,” my step-dad said, handing me the phone. “It’s Aunt Dee, she’s not feeling well and can’t make it.”
“Hi Aunt Dee!”
“Hi sweetie, I’m sorry we can’t make it today, I’m just not feeling well,” she said. She sounded awful!
“Aww that’s ok. We miss you, but I hope you feel better!”
“Thanks honey. I just want to wish you a happy birthday and hope you have fun today!”
“Thank you. And maybe when you feel better me and mom can come visit you!”
“I’d love that!”
“Good, I love you and feel better, ok?”
“Thanks, sweetie. I love you too.”
I ushered Jefferson next into the living room where I had a drawing from high school, plus a lot of family drawings.
“Wow, this is nice,” he said of my drawing.
“Thanks! And these are my grandparents’ paintings. These are my grandpa’s- well, actually he was my grandma’s second husband…” I said pointing out his paintings. “And these are an uncles, and this one my grandma’s. And there’s more back in the dining room.” I said walking him back. “Hey mom, is this one grandma’s?” I asked about one painting without a signature.
“Yep. These were my mom’s and these were my step-dad’s” she said, pointing out different ones.
“This is my absolute favorite,” I said of a large one my grandpa did.
“I love the motion around the bird’s wings,” Jefferson commented.
“Mmmhmm, he was really good at rocks too.”
Now with food in my belly, I thought it was time I start drinking! It was my 21st birthday party after all! I had recently bought a new drink I wanted to try that I saw in an ad in a magazine that sounded just yummy! Lol. X-Rated liquor. Vodka with blood orange juice, mango and passion fruit. Totally my drink. And it came in a pretty frosted bottle!
I poured a little bit into a cup, just to sample it first. It was very…sweet. And tart at the same time.
“What’s this?” my brother asked.
“A new drink I wanted to try. It’s very sweet.” He poured an even smaller amount into his cup to taste.
“Phew! It needs something, like tonic, to tone it down.”
“I’m not a tonic person…”
“Well, something without flavor.”
I drank it straight, but enjoyed it more as the ice melted and watered it down a bit.
It really takes a lot for me to think something is too sweet!
“Oh Jefferson, try this garlic dip!” my mom said.
“OK…Oh this is good,” he said dipping a chip and taking a bite.
“They got Ruffles at my request,” I said, opting for the sour cream and onion dip.
“Your request?” he laughed.
“Yep. They’re really the only chip worth eating. Plain wise at least.”
Dinner was getting ready to go out soon, but my mom started ushering people outside to the porch to sit in the sunshine. It was a beautiful spring day, with only a bit of a chilly breeze. First it was just me, Jefferson, and Noelle, but soon more and more people started pulling up chairs around the one table. Soon Jefferson started talking with everyone and got into talking about his latest project. Noelle and I exchanged a glance and I smiled as I watched him fit in just perfectly. As I knew he would.
The next course of the meal was announced as ready (as if we hadn’t had enough to eat!). Flank steak and London broil, mac and cheese (one plain and one with sherry), my Mom’s famous bean salad, and stuffed zucchini. (And we still have dessert coming up!) As birthday girl, I felt it was completely in my right to cut in line to get some yummy mac and cheese and some steak.
I sat back down at the table and soon people started joining me.
“Do you want something to drink?” Jefferson asked me, putting his plate down.
“Oh you don’t have to do that!”
“It’s no problem.”
“Well, Ok, Diet Coke, thanks!”
“Sure thing.”
Dinner was yummy. I enjoyed my steak and mac and cheese, and everyone else enjoyed everything else as well. When people were done, dishes were cleared, and as I was standing, my mom pulled me into her lap.
I made one request of her for that day- not to embarrass me!
“We should tell some Avah stories!” she suggested.
“No, we shouldn’t!”
“Hey honker-buns…” my aunt chided me. I, uh, had a habit of running around naked when I was a toddler. But didn’t we all??
“Ugh,” I groaned, looking over at Jefferson. He was laughing.
My mom got up and I took her seat, pulling my nephew, Max into my lap as he ran in my direction. Now, my nephew is just the cutest little boy in the world. He has these beautiful white-blond curls and bright blue eyes and the biggest, happiest smile. He just turned 2 in March, but has yet to talk.
He kneeled in my lap and his cold fingers went immediately down my shirt to my tattoo (which was showing to family for the first time since I got it in November. That sure raised a lot of eyebrows!).
“Ask him where his bellybutton is,” my brother suggested.
“Max, where’s your bellybutton? Show me your bellybutton!” He lifted his shirt and pointed, smiling at everyone. “Where’s your nose?” He pointed to mine and started pulling on my nose ring! Everyone was laughing. “No, you’re nose, silly!” He giggled and pointed to his nose. Zoe came out onto the porch and Max climbed down to play with her.
As it got later in the day, clouds moved in and it got chilly, sending people inside. Happy Feet was playing on the TV for the little ones.
“So, having fun?” I asked Jefferson.
“Sure am,” he said, kissing my cheek. I blushed a little and looked to see if anyone noticed that. I think we were safe.
Noelle was sitting in a chair watching Happy Feet, and Jefferson on the arm of it as I explained the awesomeness of Happy Feet. I sat on Noelle’s lap to watch the movie myself, but after a minute she started tickling me relentlessly. And I dunno, I must have been sitting at an odd angle because I couldn’t get up until my step-dad came and gave me a hand up!
The kids were itching for cake, so my mom sent me down to get my ice cream cake from the basement to start defrosting a bit.
“Did you get the cake?” she asked me a moment later.
“In the 30 seconds since you asked me? No.”
I brought the cake up as my mom set out the other desserts. Oh yes, we had a huge ice cream cake, but my mom also whipped up a carrot cake and 2 key lime pies. You know, just in case people don’t want ice cream cake. But really, who doesn’t like ice cream cake?
After defrosting for a little bit, 21 candles were put in it and everyone was ushered into the dining room. Everyone sang and I picked Max up so he could see. I made a wish (secret, or else it won’t come true!) and blew out the candles. It took a couple tries, but I eventually got them all.
My mom started cutting the big cake, giving to the eager kids first. My brother started cutting up the carrot cake and Jefferson sweetly volunteered to dole out some of the key lime pie.
“Do you want some carrot cake?” I asked Noelle. “It’s really yummy, even though there are no raisins.”
“No, I really just don’t think carrot should be in a cake. But uh, this pie tastes kinda funny. The whipped cream is bangin’ though,” she said, taking a forkful.
I laughed as the kids devoured their cakes, their mouths turning shades of blue and green from the frosting.
I soon started opening my gifts after my sister in-law said I should, since they wanted to see me open it. I got mostly cards with money, but also 2 Barnes & Noble gift certificates. But I also got a Coach bag from my sister in-law, some booze from one of my mom’s teacher friends, a nice journal and Paris walking guide from a family friend, and the necklace I was handed when I first got there.
Now, Noelle has a weakness for babies and kids (I swear she’ll have 10 once she gets over the gross out factor of birth…) and so she was all about playing with my cousin’s new little baby boy, Oliver. Jefferson, sitting next to her, reached out for the baby. “My turn,” he smiled making goo-goo faces at him. Jefferson lifted Oliver up above his head and Oliver’s face screwed up as he began to cry!
“Aww, you made the baby cry!” Noelle said.
Oliver’s Grandma (my aunt) came and took him in her arms to soothe him.
“I can’t believe you made the baby cry,” Noelle said shaking her head. “He was fine with me…”
“What can I say?” he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
The party was winding down and I started kissing departing guests good bye.
In between good byes, I pulled Jefferson upstairs to show him some of my paintings. What I really wanted to do was rip his clothes off and fuck right there, but that really wasn’t possible. I really did only just show him my paintings. I tried to get a little kiss in, but my mom was calling to me that people were leaving.
Soon everyone was gone and the 3 of us sat with my parents for a little bit.
Jefferson excused himself to the bathroom and I whispered to my mom next to me, “So, what do you think?”
“He’s very nice,” she whispered back.
“Do you like him?” I asked my step-dad.
He nodded his head in approval.
Noelle had already weighed in earlier. “He so freaking gay,” was her opinion.
“I thought it was sweet when he offered to to cut the pie,” I said.
“Yes, that was very nice,” my mom agreed.
“So, that Jefferson, huh?” Noelle said loudly when he started coming back.
It was getting time to leave, so Noelle and I packed up some left overs to take back to school, and I packed up a container for Jefferson as well.
Soon it was time to go and my parents hugged us good bye and we loaded into the car to head back.
I grabbed my iPod cord before Noelle could get to it and played Mika for me and Jefferson. Didn’t matter anyways because soon Noelle was passed out in the back seat with her head hanging out the window.
“I just have to drop Noelle at school real quick,” I told Jefferson as I pulled off the high way towards our school.
“Good lucking studying for French. I’ll see you in a few,” I said as I pulled up to our dorm.
“It was nice meeting you Noelle,” Jefferson said waving good bye.
“You too,” Noelle replied climbing out of the car.
They never shook hands.
“Which one is your apartment?” Jefferson asked me.
“The only one with stairs,” I said, pointing to where Noelle was headed.
It was an easy drive the rest of the way into the city and to Jefferson’s building. I pulled into the drive in front of the building and immediately pulled him in for a deep kiss.
“I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” I said when I pulled back.
We kissed a bit until a car behind me beeped to get out of the way. Jefferson grabbed his food and jumped out, thanking me for a fun day and kissing me good bye. I watched him walk through the doors as I sped off back to New Jersey.
By Jefferson, May 15, 2007 @ 8:49 am
Your family was lovely. There’s a very strong “cute” gene in your family line.
Some people found me “so gay?” Funny your cousin didn’t mention that when he blew me.
By Avah, May 15, 2007 @ 9:46 am
That’s not funny!!
By Cody, May 16, 2007 @ 12:02 am
I love Zoe!!!
By Noelle, May 16, 2007 @ 1:34 am
hahahha yeah it is
By FritzVonT, May 16, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
Yeah, Zoe is awesome! What breed is she? She reminds me of my dog, a black lab/irish setter mix.
By Avah, May 16, 2007 @ 8:53 pm
She’s a flat coat retriever.