Page 15 of Employing Patience

Then help Drunky McDrunktits out the door.

4

ART

I walk into my sister’s house, hating these days where I’m too antsy for my skin and need to get out of Kilborough for a bit. She lives on a property on the outskirts of town, with nothing but grass and trees and hills for miles. I used to love the view of those hills. Now, it makes me frustrated.

Because the only times I come out here are on the days Joey is rostered off, and I know he’s becoming a huge problem.

I’ve never thought of myself as a weak man. I’m confident, determined, show all the emotion I like, and wring every last drop of fun out of life, but the last six months have been torturous. I’m a gay stereotype, crushing on the straight man.

No matter how much I put steps in place to move on from this … need, it’s only getting worse.

“You’re early,” Mariana says, twisting her dark hair up into a knot in the hallway mirror.

“What can I say? I missed my niblings.”

She chuckles. “You had them a few days ago.”

“A few days too many.”

My sister finishes with her hair and approaches to kiss my cheek. “The pastéis de nata stuff is in the fridge.”

I fist pump, and she chuckles.

“I think they know it’s your favorite.”

“Hey, I’ll cook anything with those little ankle-biters.”

She fixes her eyes on me, and the way her mouth sets reminds me of when Mom tried to get information out of us when we were kids. Usually incriminating information. And she’d always succeed.

“You’re an amazing uncle, so this isn’t about that, but … you’ve been coming around a lot lately. You hang out with the munchkins all the time …” And while her leading sentence is something Mom used to do, unfortunately for Mariana, I’m not a dumb kid anymore.

“Is that your way of saying you don’t want me here as much?”

“Definitely not. We all love having you here, and the time you spend with them is invaluable. I just …”

Another leading sentence. I keep my trap shut.

“I’m worried you’re leaving it too late.”

“What too late?”

“Kids, Artur! You want them. I see how you are with those two, and it would break my heart if you never got that for yourself.”

I stare at my sister and slowly let the relief sink into me. “You think I want kids?”

“Isn’t that why you’ve been coming around so much? You’re getting the male equivalent of baby fever. Don’t you think it’s time you settled down? The stories about you out there …” She shakes her head, and I can’t help it. The thought of me settled down with kids makes my head fall back with a laugh.

“I don’t want kids.”

“Then …”

“No kids. None. Ever. And it’s going to take a one-of-a-kind type of man to make me settle down; you’ll have to get better at blocking out the stories.”

She sighs. “I just wish there weren’t so many to block out.”

“What can I say? Your brother is in high demand.”

---