Page 3 of Glass & Groundwork
“Oh. Uh, hi,” Jasper said and gave a little wave when he saw the waiting group.
“Hey.” “Yo.” “Sup.” Voices replied all at once.
I placed my hand on Jasper’s lower back, gently urging him forward. “This is everyone, who, for some reason, are acting like they don’t know how to greet guests. From left to right, we have Eduardo, Frankie, Yahir, Nicky, and Noah.” Turning toward the group, I gave them a pointed look and they laughed, breaking apart to go sit around the table, leaving the chair at the head of the table and the one next to it open.
“So, this is your…family?” Jasper leaned close and whispered.
“Yup. Here, have a seat.”
Jasper bobbed his head, his eyes glancing around the table and he sat next to me. Frankie brought the pot of chili to the table and set it on a trivet. They enjoyed cooking and it had been nice to have someone to share the burden with. They pointed a spoon at Yahir. “Can you grab the potatoes out of the oven, please?”
“We’re having chili cheese potatoes. The chili does have beef in it, though, so if you prefer meatless, we have plenty of other fixings. Just help yourself.” I waved to the table covered in food.
Jasper watched with an awed expression as the food frenzy began with everyone passing bowls and plates around untileach person had exactly what they wanted. Jasper finally put a foil-wrapped potato on his plate and opened it carefully. It seemed like he wasn’t sure what the proper etiquette was, except everyone else was digging in, and conversation grew around the table between bites of food. It was noisy and chaotic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The man next to me leaned a little closer. “Is this a special occasion or something?”
I shook my head as I cut a piece of chili-smothered potato. “Nope, just a Tuesday.”
“So, you do this every Tuesday?” Jasper asked.
“We do this every night. With the exception of when Heartcraft does the night markets during the summer, of course. Sometimes there’s more, sometimes less, but dinner happens no matter what.”
“Wow.” The word came out quietly as he slowly took a bite of food.
“How are you doing? How’s the glass business going?”
Jasper breathed in deep and turned his chair toward me. “It’s not, really. That’s the problem. I keep hitting walls trying to get it up and running. Again, I’m sorry for calling out of the blue. I was just really in my head about it and didn’t want to go home and be stuck with my thoughts, you know?”
His eyes locked onto mine for a moment with that same lost and hopeful expression I’d seen on all my kids and it tugged on my heart. I patted his hand and offered a smile. “I get it. I’m glad you called. Do you want to talk about it?”
A burst of laughter sounded from the other end of the table drawing Jasper’s attention. One side of his lips tugged up and I could see him relax slightly. “Maybe later. I don’t want to take away from your time together.”
Before I could respond, Eduardo, who sat across from Jasper, spoke. “Did I hear glass business? What does that mean? Likewindows? Car windows? Home windows? I got a buddy who’s been working for an auto glass guy.”
Jasper smiled and shifted in his seat. I gave Eduardo a wink of thanks for drawing him into conversation. “That’s cool. I’ve watched a bunch of videos of people installing auto glass. It’s oddly satisfying, watching them sink into place, like watching those carpet-cleaning videos. But, no, it’s not quite the same. I do glassblowing.”
“No shit! That’s sick! What kind of things do you make with that?”
A light gleamed in Jasper’s golden brown eyes. He pulled out his phone and opened his Instagram account. “I started with some basic vases when I was learning, but I’ve been able to make some statues and art pieces as well. I’ve also done a bunch of smaller, more delicate lampwork stuff, sort of like the little crystal figurines you see atDisneyland.”
Eduardo took the phone and scrolled through the pictures,oohingandawwingat each one. I admitted I was anxious to see them myself, but I was glad for the exchange which had now piqued the interest of the entire table, and the phone was passed around. I met Jasper’s gaze and gave him an apologetic look for losing his phone.
He simply smiled and shrugged, but he seemed a lot lighter than he had when he got here and that made me happy to see. Of course, seeing the faces around the table always made me happy.
“Oh my God! I love this one, is it intentionally trans colors or were you just going for a pastel look?” Nicky exclaimed from the other end of the table.
“Thank you! I’m really proud of how that one came out, and yes, I used the trans flag colors intentionally. I’m really passionate about mixing art with representation. Some are subtle while others are more pronounced, but I love incorporating pride colors into my work.”
Yahir held Jasper’s phone and directed a mischievous gleam at him. “If you had a piece that represented your flag, assuming you have one, which one would it be?”
Jasper let out a laugh. “I appreciate the assumption that Ihavea flag while not assuming which one it might be. The rainbow floral arrangement would work, but if you’re looking for something more specific, then I would say the octopus.”
Yahir nodded as he flicked through the photos. “Uh-huh, uh-huh. I’m seeing blues, teals, and white. So… achillean?”
Jasper circled a finger at himself. “Yup. One-hundred percent gay here, which I would have thought was obvious given the crocheted flowers on my shirt.”
Frankie piped up, shaking their head. “Clothes have no gender, just like me.”
