Authors: Lisa Wilde
T
HE DAY after the break-up was Sunday dinner at his parents’ house. Henry knew that he couldn’t avoid them forever. He had to decide what he was going to tell them exactly. He wouldn’t lie, but she was to some degree, like family because of Tara, so he really couldn’t just say,
“Oh, Jackie is a raging bitch that treated me like a second class citizen, not to mention she’s kind of a bigot.”
Henry cringed at the memory of her recalling how she had treated the kids at the store. He’d attempted to talk to her about his work on numerous occasions, and she couldn’t feign any enthusiasm whatsoever. So her attitude about those kids shouldn’t have really come as a surprise.
Henry purposefully lagged in getting to the house. He wanted desperately to avoid the questions. He stood outside the house for a few minutes just thinking. Shaking his head and sucking in a breath, Henry started up the stairs.
As soon as his hand was on the screen door he could hear all the noise. Everyone was there. He froze, what if Jackie was there? Shit. What if someone had invited her? Hell, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she had invited herself. Well, there was no turning back now. He pulled the door open, sighed and walked through. As he suspected, they were all there. Even Jackie.
Yep, this was going to be a long Sunday dinner.
His mother and father were there, of course, and so was his sister Annie with her son, Louis. Louis was seven and Henry adored him. Also in attendance was his sister Julie, his brother Patrick and his wife Tara. She was who Henry was truly not looking forward to seeing, until he saw Jackie, that is. They didn’t appear to notice his entrance. It was a bit loud in the house, which was the norm. Henry made a beeline for his pop’s room first which was the front room of the house. It had been the living room when Henry was growing up, but ever since the stroke, they had moved his dad in there where they could fit the hospital bed and accessibility was easier. Patrick Sr. was in his bed; it was drawn up so that his father was in a sitting position.
Henry walked over and kissed him on the top of the head.
“Hey Pop! How are you feeling today?” Henry knew that he wouldn’t answer, but his father did make eye contact. Henry sat with him for a few minutes, talking sports and weather and work.
“Henry! When did you sneak in here?” His sister Annie interrupted. “Daddy, are you trying to hog Henry? And here I thought I was your favorite child.” Annie sat on the edge of the hospital bed and leaned in to kiss their father on the temple.
Henry was close with all of his siblings, but Annie more than the others. She knew things no one else knew about him. Not that he had told her all of his secrets, she had guessed most of them, not all though. She was one of those people. Her intuition and ability to read people were off the charts.
After one more kiss to her father’s cheek, she leaned in Henry’s direction. “Let’s go chat for a minute outside.” She motioned with her eyes.
Well that can’t be good.
Henry nodded and stood patting his dad on the shoulder. “Be back in a bit, Pop.”
Annie snaked an arm around Henry’s waist and practically dragged him back out the front door before anyone could stop them. Henry never looked toward the dining room, not wanting to make eye contact with any of them. Once they were down the front steps and around to the back, Annie let him go and turned to face him.
“What’s up little brother? And why is that phony bitch sitting in our mother’s kitchen right now?”
Henry shrugged. “Did she come with Tara or Julie?” Henry snickered, “Phony bitch?” raising an eyebrow, “That’s new.”
“Nahh, it’s not. I don’t like her. I just couldn’t hold it in any longer. When she showed up here on her own, I might add; well, I knew something was up. Please tell me you dumped her ass, and this is her desperate attempt at forcing her way back into your good graces.”
Like a book
.
“Well, you’re right, for the most part, I think. I mean yeah, we had a falling out yesterday, and I guess I just couldn’t do it anymore. I said I would call her, not to call me.”
“What did she do? Tell me, so I can go in there and toss her ass out with good reason.”
“Annie, you can’t. Tara, remember?”
Annie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “I guess. Damn but this just pisses me off. You dump her and she shows up here. Julie was surprised to see her without you. But Tara wasn’t so I wouldn’t be surprised to find out she knew this was going to happen.”
“It is what it is. Let’s get through dinner and then I’ll handle it, I swear.”
“Henry, if you don’t, I will. I don’t mind being the bad guy. Tara had no business helping her blindside you like this and sister-in-law or not, I will say something.”
“Point taken Annie, and by the way, we don’t know what Jackie told Tara. So let’s try to keep that in mind.”
Annie nodded. She wasn’t someone that you wanted to cross. She used to be a bit more docile until a bitter, ugly divorce and custody battle had hardened her defenses. It was great for her independence, but a bit sad that the end of a relationship had done this to her.
“Sit between me and Louis at dinner, okay?”
“I would love that. How is my little buddy doing?”
“He misses you. You haven’t been around much and his good-for-nothing father blew off his game the other day. Asshole. He made some excuse, but I knew it was bogus. I think that Louis is starting to realize they are too.”
Henry shook his head. He was never his ex-brother-in-law’s biggest fan, but he was still surprised at how he was acting. When Annie and Robert had started dating, he was so good to her, but once they were married and had Louis, he just changed. He was not as attentive to his family and eventually he cheated and that was the beginning of the end.
Annie hooked her arm around Henry’s and they began to walk back toward the house. Once they were back inside, it was time to face the music. Annie leaned into Henry’s side and whispered, “Let the games begin.”
He couldn’t help but smile.
Henry went to the kitchen to see his mother. Julie, Tara, and Jackie were all in there as well.
“Hey,” is all that he threw in their direction and went to his mother who was stirring a pot at the stove.
“Hi Ma,” Henry hugged his mother around the waist. Frannie patted her son’s cheek and turned to face him.
“Hey, sweetie. Where have you been hiding?”
“I haven’t been hiding. I’ve just been busy.” He glanced quickly in the direction of the kitchen table. They all looked away from him.
“Sure, Henry, whatever you say. Do me a favor, go out back and help your brother. He’s hanging a tire swing for Louis.”
“A tire swing? Wow, we haven’t had one of those in years. Can I use it?” He gave his mother a cheesy grin.
“I will whack you with this spoon if you do! That is for Louis and my future grandchildren. You, my darling son, break tire swings, which is why we haven’t had one in years. Now get!”
“Yes, ma’am!” Henry saluted his mother and darted past the kitchen table where the troublesome threesome was sitting and out the back door.
“Hey shithead,” Pat Jr. said as he climbed down the ladder.
“Mom sent me out to help you. Looks like you’re already done?”
“Yeah, no thanks to you! You’re too late. Next time move your ass faster.”
Pat walked over and gave his brother a hug. “What’s up man?”
“Nothing much.” Henry tried to act casual, but he knew what was coming.
Wait for it
.
“Sooo… what happened with Jackie? Tara was on the phone with her for hours last night,” Pat asked.
There it is.
“Seriously Pat, you want to gossip?”
“Listen brother, I have to ask or my wife will have my head. And not the one I want her to have, if you get my drift. I would like to have sex again this month. So spill.”
Henry rolled his eyes. Pat was never one for decorum. He also thought he was king shit around here being the oldest, especially since the stroke. Henry could never think of it without his chest constricting. It was like when you heard a song that reminded you of a certain point in time. Something painful and sad and the minute you heard it come on you either cried through it or shut it off immediately, because it was just too painful to hear. The words
Dad’s
stroke
were Henry’s sad love song. The irony in that thought was not lost on Henry, ever.
“Hey, Shithead, I said spill.” Pat snapped his fingers, pulling Henry out of his thoughts.
“Sorry. Listen Pat, it’s just not right you know? We aren’t a good match, and to be honest with you, I stayed longer than I really should have to begin with.”
“You’ve been together for a while now, since about my wedding right? What changed?”
“She just showed her true colors. I don’t know. Don’t go telling Tara all of this or I’ll tell Tara some dirt on you!”
“I am an open book, brother. There is nothing you could tell her that I haven’t already,” Pat said, a smile on his face and his arms open wide as if to show that he had nothing to hide.
“Oh really, what about the time we all went down The Cape that summer after you graduated?”
Henry cocked an eyebrow at his brother, trying very hard to look serious.
Pat went pale and his hands dropped to his sides. “I swear if you do it…”
“Relax, I won’t as long as you keep your mouth shut.”
“Damn, I need to tell her something, Henry. Come on, do you really want to be the reason I don’t get laid for a month?”
“Pat, why do you think I care if you get laid or not?”
“Cold Henry, just cold.” Pat shook his head in disapproval at his younger brother.
“All right, all right, why don’t you tell her that it just wasn’t working out, and I didn’t want to get Jackie’s hopes up that things were going to go any further? How does that sound?”
“Is that true?”
“Yes, it is. It’s the edited version.” Henry winked and slapped his brother on the back as they started back toward the house. “So, how are things in the life of the best damn electrician I know?”
~~~~~
While his mother was preparing dinner with help from the other women, Henry went back to his father’s room for a few minutes, then to the dining room where Louis and Pat were. He would have offered to help his mother, despite risking death glares from the others, but she wouldn’t have any part of it; very archaic in a sense, but his mother felt that the kitchen was her domain. And they needed to stay away and let the ladies handle it. That, or the time he and Pat had blown up the microwave had essentially banned them for life.
When dinner was finally ready, his mother called to them. Pat and Henry got their dad settled and he had fallen asleep. They took Louis and went to set the table; that they were allowed to do. When everything was ready, right on cue, Annie piped up. “Henry come sit with me and Louis, he has missed his favorite uncle.”
“Ummm Hello…. Who hung the tire swing out back for Louis? Not his favorite Uncle Henry. Wow, I get no love,” Pat said, using air quotes around the word favorite. Then he hung his head and pouted.
“I love you, Uncle Pat.; Thank you for hanging my tire swing!” Louis giggled.
Henry dove into the seat between her and Louis that his sister was patting with her hand.
After all this time in the house and the awkwardness, he finally made eye contact with Jackie. She looked sad until she saw him looking, and then she smiled and winked.
Seriously?
At least she was across the table and to his right. No chance of her trying to reach him under the table. She had done that before.
“Pat, say Grace,” Henry’s mother said.
“Grace,” Pat said and winked at Louis. Louis covered his mouth and giggled.
Frannie reached over with her wooden serving spoon and whacked the back of Pat’s hand.
“
Oww
, Ma.” Pat shook his hand in the air. That got a laugh from everyone.
“Henry, say Grace.” She pointed her spoon at Henry. He put his hands up in a defensive manner. “Okay, okay. I don’t need to get the spoon.”
Henry said grace, usually everyone added personal gratefulness to this but Henry opted to keep it simple. They all ate and talked about random things. Jackie contributed to the conversations, but she kept all her hateful opinions about others to herself.
Surprise, Surprise.
As soon as the human garbage disposal known as Pat was finished with his first plate, he went to grab two beers for himself and Henry.
“Umm hello, Pat, you Neanderthal, you couldn’t ask anyone else?”
“Ha-ha, you did not just call me a Neanderthal, Julie. That’s cute when you use big words like that. Let me guess, toilet paper word of the day?” Pat sat down passing a beer across the table to Henry. Henry took it snickering at the banter. He really did love being with his family.
Tara smacked Pat on the back of the head. “Don’t be a jerk, Pat.”
“
Oww
, sheesh. If one more person hits me, I’m leaving. You women are so mean to me!”