Page 2 of Glass & Groundwork
Stunned at his certainty and directness, I found myself answering, “Okay. I’m on my way.”
I hung up and put his address into my GPS, feeling a mix of weird and hopeful all at once. This was not the direction I expected the call to go. Though, I really didn’t know what I expected when I hit his name on my contact list. Suddenly, here I was, driving out to his home, and joining his maybe wife and two-and-a-half kids, and making them wait for me to get there. The pressure of dinner getting cold made my foot a little heavier on the gas than it normally would be. Pressureandeagerness. I was looking for a friend, after all, so what was the difference if it was a friendandhis family?
I was an outsider in my own family, most of that was intentional, some of it was… not. Family dinners weren’t something I typically looked forward to. They were rituals more than anything. Polite, formal, a tie must be worn, and it was expected that you report on any profits or upward mobility whether professional or personal. Since I never had an answer for when I was going to settle down or when I was going to invest in something worthwhile, I often stayed quiet and simply tried to survive it.
My eyes cast downward briefly, assessing my clothes. My current outfit consisted of an orange and yellow crocheted shirtthat was probably meant to be worn over something as my skin showed through the gaps between the flowers. The sweater was warm enough for the slight breeze without being too hot, but it called to me when I saw it at the thrift shop. The top was paired with bell bottoms that had flowers embroidered along the side of the leg. It wasn’t exactly formal and I definitely would have been chastised for wearing it to a family dinner. Though I had worn it or other similarly non-traditional clothes to less-formal family occasions, secretly loving the eye roll from my mother whenever she had to introduce me to people in her social circles. Rebellion came in many forms, and I preferred retro fashion as my weapon.
Oh well, I shrugged to myself. This was who I was, so if I was going to meet new people, they might as well get to see the real version of me and not thewearing-a-tie-because-I-have-toversion.
Gio
Ihung up the phone with a smile at hearing Jasper agree to come. I didn’t leave him much choice, but I had a feeling he would have backed out or talked himself out of it if he felt like he wasn’t expected. Over time, I’d learned that for some people, the best way to ask wasn’t with a question. From the short conversation with Jasper, I could hear how much he was trying not to sound like he needed an ear, even though he clearly did.
“Nicky, set another place at the table, and get an extra chair,” I called out.
I set my phone down on the coffee table and went back to the kitchen where the kids were getting everything ready. Frankie was at the stove, stirring the chili, and I clapped them on the shoulder. “Keep it on low, we’ll be eating a little later tonight.”
They looked over their shoulder at me. “I thought everyone was accounted for. Who’s joining us?”
“A friend. His name is Jasper.”
They waggled their eyebrows at me. “Oh? Afriend, huh? Is this like aspecialfriend?”
I shook my head with amusement. “Nope, nothing like that.”
Eduardo was placing a pitcher of iced tea on the table and looked up at me. “That’s too bad, Papa. In all this time, I’ve never seen you bring someone home like just to hook up. You know it’s okay if you do, right?”
“Right. If you wanna bang some dude, you just gotta let us know, and we’ll give you space,” Yahir chimed in.
I let out a laugh. “While I appreciate all of your support, and not that it’s any of your business, but I’m not really looking tobanganyone. Hooking up, dating, whatever… it’s just not something I’m interested in, and I don’t really have time for it anyway. Jasper is new to the area. I think he’s feeling a little lost, and he needs a friend. That’s it.”
Nicky walked over and squeezed my arm with a supportive expression. “Saying you don’t have time is a total cop out. You make time for the things, or people, that are important to you.”
I smiled and pulled her to my side for a hug. “When did you get so insightful?”
She leaned against me and said, “I learned it from a special guy.”
I pressed a light kiss to the top of her head. “I think I learned even more from you all.”
My heart felt full as I looked around the room.My kids. The term wasn’t entirely accurate, but I’d taken to thinking of them in this way. Nicky was the youngest at seventeen and Eduardo was the oldest at twenty-four, though there had been others before him. They weren’t mine, per se, but they were in the ways that mattered. Whether they stayed or not, I always tried tomake dinner a time for us to come together. The tradition began before I inherited the farm from the man who’d become like a father to me, and now I carried it on.
It wasn’t a quiet life, but I wouldn’t change a thing. And in memory ofmy‘papa,’ my door would stay open and my table would always have room for those that needed it. Which, tonight, would include Jasper.
At the sound of wheels crunching on the gravel driveway, everyone looked to the front of the house, including the quiet Noah, who had been sitting at the table with his nose in a book. Noah was Nicky’s brother. He was the older of the two, more reserved and shy, to Nicky’s need for affection and approval, but he’d been his sister’s rock when she came out and vowed to look after her when she was forced to leave her home. Noah might not involve himself in conversation often, but the kid observed everything, even if it seemed he was lost in his book.
With the arrival of someone new, he set his book down, and positioned himself by his sister. The simple gesture made my heart warm, seeing how much he cared for his sister and was ready to protect her.
“Okay, everyone, be nice, please,” I said, as I walked to the front door. By the time I opened it, Jasper was hopping out of his Jeep. I meant it when I told the kids I wasn’t looking for anything, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t appreciate the view. Jasper took his hair out of a band and shook it out, sending the wavy curls flying around him. A smile stretched my lips as I took in his outfit. The few times I’d seen him, he'd worn a completely different style each time, and nothing that could be bought out of a box store. It was refreshing to see.
Jasper hit the button on his key to set the alarm and sauntered over, wiping his hands down his jeans. When he came up to me, he greeted me with a sheepish smile below the septum ring that hung from his nose. “Hey. Thanks for this, sorry if I’m crashing.”
“You’re not at all. I’m glad you’re here. Come on in, and you can meet everyone.” I shook his outheld hand.
“Yeah,” Jasper chuckled awkwardly. “Everyone. Okay, I guess we’re doing this.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “It’ll be fine, I promise.”
Leading him into my home, the crew were lined up along the kitchen, conspicuously waiting to meet the person I’d just invited in. It really shouldn’t be so unusual for them to see someone new, it happened often here, but they were all acting like this was some big deal, which it wasn’t.
