She handed me a glass and took a sip of her drink, then I followed suit. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I was too young to be drinking. Yes, I had been drinking more than I should have. But I promise you I was being responsible.
“Spill,” she demanded.
I recounted Thad’s conversation with me from Sunday afternoon and how he had been feeling confused and asked to have some time to himself. Yes. After I leaned into him, telling him we didn’t have to worry about it, that we could take it slow, he asked if I would give him a little space to think. He was confused. He’d never liked a guy before me. He didn’t know how his friends would react, and he didn’t know what to do about his parents.
She leaned in and wrapped her arm around me. “That really sucks, Étienne.”
“I don’t know what to do,” I whispered.
“Let him have some space. Don’t push him. It could make things worse.”
We sat in the back room for a while. She finished her glass before returning to the floor. I only took another sip then went into the kitchen cupboard to make myself a relaxing chamomile tea. It did help in letting me relax a little, which encouraged me to organize an entire box filled with hundreds of old single-use molds.
My mom noted my mood change on the way home from picking me up. “How was work today?”
“It was fine. I got a lot done and Jason wasn’t there to pile on the work.”
I did feel better. All I needed when I was feeling down, or when I was in a pickle, was to have someone who would listen to me. My head was clearer. I knew, or at least hoped, that things would get better, and that Thad and I would move past this obstacle.
“What do you say we go to Greektown tonight for dinner? Like old times,” my mom proposed.
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied.
Greektown is a small area of downtown Detroit filled with restaurants surrounding one of the three casinos. Throughout my childhood, we’d dine out as a family every Sunday afternoon. Normally we’d pick one of the several restaurants near the Nautical Mile, but on special occasions we’d drive down as a family to Greektown so my dad could run into the casino and gamble a bit while we waited for our orders. My mom and her friends would also go there a few times a year for a night out.
Once home, my mom ordered us all to change our clothes and to put on something less casual. Where we were going wasn’t the type of place you needed to dress up for, but my mom wanted to make an occasion of it. It was easy for me since I didn’t really own anything too casual, compared to Riley and the twins who loved dressing comfortably. Though Riley had been making more of an effort after she and Nate started dating.
“You’re driving. I’m going to have a drink.” My mom threw the keys to me as I closed the dog gate to the rear living room.
“See ya later, little man.” I waved to Frankie as everyone exited the side door.
“Argh. Callum! You idiot,” Riley yelled after I heard a hard thump. We’d barely left the driveway.
Both of my brothers decided it would be a good idea to bring one Nintendo DS to share. Both had one, so I don’t understand why they left the other at home. They fought over it after Niall decided to restart a session after losing a game, then Callum grabbed it and threw it against the window, causing it to bounce back and ram Riley in the forehead. She screamed at them before my mom had the chance to, then chucked it behind her and into the trunk. My sister wasn’t above destroying your property if you angered her.
Trust me, never get in Riley’s way. I was the one who faced the wrath of her very first explosion when we were much younger. She threw a snow globe at me once during a Christmas party. It missed my face by a few hairs and shattered into the wall behind me.
“Étienne. Hold your brothers’ hands.” My mom pointed to the three of us as we exited the car.
“Ma, why? They’re fine.” I stepped back, watching Riley chuckle.
She glared at my sister. “You think it’s funny?”
“I mean come on. They’re not babies. They can follow behind us,” said Riley, hand rested on her hip.
“No. It’s a few blocks away and we’re downtown. Niall, grab Étienne’s hand. And Callum, grab Riley’s.”
I know my mom still thought of the twins as little kids, which they technically were. But was it really necessary to hold their hands to the restaurant?
As we turned the corner onto Monroe, I looked up at the massive shiny blue skyscraper sticking out like an awkward-looking shard of glass on the far end of the neighborhood. This new thing dwarfed all the restaurants and businesses bordering the narrow street. It blocked much of the view of the sky, almost ruining the twinkling strings of lights that crisscrossed the street. I hadn’t really seen it up close since it began construction. It seemed like something my dad would have wanted to see since he liked this area so much. Outings as a family had become few and far between.
Niall loosened his grip when we approached the restaurant entrance, and revulsion kicked into my throat. “Eww.”I looked at my hand.Why is his hand sticky?
“Do you remember when you brought Liz and me down in the middle of the night?” my mom asked. We had just been seated at the restaurant and were waiting to place our order.
“I do. I passed my test for segment one and got my learner’s permit,” I responded, admiring the happiness on my mom’s face.
Riley put down her buttered bread. “When was this? Why wasn’t I there?”