Just You

Fifteen

Fifteen

#Dylan

"Dylan! The pot roast! Bring it over! Robbie, plates please! Now!" Mom shouted from the living room. 

I rolled my eyes at Kyle who was tasked with washing the used pots and pans. Mom was panicking now so we all had to be patient with her and her demands. She always wanted her Christmas dinners to be spic and span and just perfect so that Dad's family wouldn't criticize her. 

The doorbell rang.

"They're here!" Mom shrieked. 

The thing about Dad's family was that every single year, they would all come to our house in one big group. We don't know how they do that but the doorbell to our house only rings once on Christmas Eve and all of our guests would be completed. It's like they all arrive at exactly the same time!

Mom grabbed the pot roast from me and roughly pushed me out into the hall to open the door. 

"Hi Dylan," Jake greeted me. He looked adorable with snow in his hair.

"Jake! Where's your mom?" I asked, ushering him in. 

"She wasn't feeling very well," he said, a little embarrassed.

"Mom! False Alarm! It's Jake!" I hollered from the hallway startling Jake.

"You'll understand when you meet my family," I told Jake.

"I'm excited," he said enthusiastically, "So, how can I help?"

"Uhm, you can calm my mom down, maybe?"

He chuckled as we came within my mother's view.

"Jake! Glad to have you here!" My mother greeted, giving Jake a hug.

"Thank you for having me, Mrs.McKenna," he said.

"Of course, honey! You're practically family!" Mom said.

"Especially when you and Dylan get married," Dad added, emerging from the living room where he had just finished setting up the fireplace.

"Dad!" I hissed.

Kyle soon emerged from the kitchen wiping his hands on his acid-wash jeans.

"Oh hey, bro!" he nodded at Jake.

"Hey Kyle."

"You mean bro-in-law," Dad said nudging Kyle's elbow.

"Dad! Please!" I hissed gain.

Everyone chuckled at my expense. I saw Jake laughing along. To his credit, he was being cool about this. The doorbell rang again, interrupting their laughing fest.

I went to get the door and screamed when I saw a slimy-looking, grotesque gargoyle head. Then, I heard more laughter. Everyone seems to be laughing at me today.

"Uncle Marcus! It's Christmas, not Halloween," I said, a little breathless.

"I know, honey, just trying to be unique."

I officially have the weirdest family ever.

The rest of my family piled into our living room where they were soon joined by our guests. Aunt Helen handed me some lemon meringue piewhich I immediately put away for dessert. After some chatter and some introductions, we were all finally seated on the dining table which was meticulously  set up by my perfectionist mother.

I sat beside my cousin Lizzie who was beside her twin Crizzie. On my other side was Jake who was chatting away with Kyle and my cousins George and Uriah who were both soccer fans. Robbie sat across from us with cousin Felicity who was only five and Ysobel who was twelve but already wearing thick eye liner and combat boots. They seemed to be arguing about something.  The adults were on the other side of the table chatting away with the occasional "Please pass the <insert name of food>".