His Departure

Part four.

The clinking of glass cups and the chatter of the whole family having small talks is making it hard for me to hear myself think. It is Christmas eve, and I am trying my best not to feel blue, and not to put myself down like I'd done every year. I had the tendency of getting that inexplicable blue feeling whenever the holiday season comes up, but this year I wasn't going to allow myself to be sad, so I occupy myself with watching each one of my relatives, trying to engage in their talks. My aunt Amelia is talking about her son's college life, with her husband sitting by her side , and her daughter clinging to her on the other. My aunt Glen is having a very significant discussion with my sister, as it appears, about their nails and how to keep them healthy. My Grandma is sitting there in silence watching my uncle and father discuss business.

The evening rushes by , and by the end of it, I am exhausted. I've had too much wine and I was ready to leave. I glance at my dad, who is now interacting with the whole family, and I see a gleam in his eyes so powerful, that it forces me to keep my mouth shut and wait. My cousin , Will, walks towards me and sits down. We start going through random subjects, mentioning friends and acquaintances. Will is 3 months older than I am, which is probably why I feel so close to him. He is almost like a twin to me.

I don't keep track of time when I'm talking to him, but I suddenly realize that it is now 12 o'clock, and my distant relatives have to leave now. I stand up way too fast , and realize that it probably wasn't such a good idea, so I sit back down for a few seconds, and then get up slowly. I hug each and every one of my relatives and say goodbye. As soon as they are gone, I run across to my father, asking him for the house keys. "dad, can I have the..." I barely spit out, " Not so fast, Linda," I am interrupted by the only person who calls me that, Jenna. I turn to face her, wearing the most puzzled look on my face. " you're forgetting about our karaoke traditions!" she says that with such an enthusiasm that could knock out a pessimist. I nod in acknowledgement, aware of the fact that I am not going to be leaving anytime soon, and before I even get to speak, she grabs me by one hand, and Tina by the other, and we head upstairs towards her house. Karaoke night usually lasts about two hours, so I decide to take advantage of it. I sing every song found on the list, allowing my cousins to sing duets so it is my turn again, and emerge into another song. Two hours later, I am safe and sound in my bed, wondering why he hasn't called or texted yet.