A long lane at night

2.17. GOODBYE Part 3

Twenty minutes later, we parked behind Henry's trunk and let ourselves up the stairs. Alice was already associating that place with Jack, because as soon as we reached the landing, she excitedly screamed 'Dada!'

As if in response to his daughter's voice, Henry's flat door opened to show Jack, who was already crouching with his arms open. When we were a bit closer, Brian put Alice on the floor and she crawled all the way to Jack, who took her and gave her a tight hug.

'Hello, Princess!' Jack had such a bright smile on his face. 'I missed you!'

'You said goodbye to her an hour ago,' Nate said, coming behind Jack and giving his daughter a kiss on the forehead.

'And it's been so long already!' Jack said, raising Alice high up as much as his arms could go.

'Nate!' Brian said. 'Good thing to catch you here, son. There's something I've been meaning to discuss with you, but I wanted to do it in person. Why haven't you been coming back home at the end of your days?'

'I ... I ...' Nate gulped. He couldn't find the words, or more likely, the courage to answer Brian.

'Jack,' Brian turned to our son, 'have you by any chance called off or postponed your wedding to Nate?'

'I have not, father.'

'Have you or have you not agreed you would live at the Big House until you got married and moved to your own place?'

'We have, father.'

'Now, Nate, is there any other reason for you to have spent almost the entire week God knows where but home other than you still not recognising your true value in this family and believing you wouldn't be welcome in your own house with your own daughter just because Jack isn't there?'

We all looked at Nate. Brian, Jack, Henry, and I, all waiting for him to show some kind of response. Even Alice, knowing all attention was on him, turned to face her father.

Nate looked at all of us, searching for a sign that I couldn't exactly tell whether he had found or not, then swallowed hard and turned to Brian.

'No, Uncle Brian. That was the only reason.'

'A stupid and non-existent one,' Brian said.

'I'm sorry, sir,' he spoke in barely above a whisper.

Brian wrapped Nate in a hug and held him tight.

'I thought ...' Nate said, still engulfed by Brian, 'I thought it'd be better if I respected your privacy and gave you time.'

'What our family desperately needs, Nate,' Brian said, 'is to go back to normal. And we already have to face this silly distance from Jack until the hearing, so please, don't make us miss one more of our children.'

Nate nodded and Brian let go of him, turning round to inspect the living room.

'Henry!' Brian said, turning to our friend with a lighter tone, diffusing the tension in the place. 'Looking sharp today, my friend! Oh, don't tell me Susan's finally said yes to a date!'

Both Henry and Nate spoke at the same time.

'It's not really a date—'

'THEY KNEW?! I can't believe you told your friends and didn't tell your son,' Nate held his chest in an overdramatic effect. 'Your son, dad. I'm family.'

'Tell me everything you've ever told Jack and kept hidden from me and you're forgiven.'

Jack was fast. Maybe a little bit too fast, if I know my son.

'No can do!' He stood up, holding Alice's hand with one of his while the other jokingly covered Nate's mouth. 'If you find out what he knows, I will have to kill you.'

'You do know there's already a restraining order against you here, right?' I joke, then turn to Henry, 'what do you mean, it's not a date? You're going out and she's going with you. Sounds like a date to me.'

Henry reached for a box that was lying on the living room table, opened it and showed its contents to us.

'It's not a date,' he said, suppressing a smile, 'it's a fig.'

'For fucking fuck's sake, mate,' Brian was getting flustered. 'That's your fucking lowest one yet.'

Jack laughed. He always laughs at Henry's terrible punches. I can't even call them jokes.

'See?' Henry tried sounding indignant. 'This one knows how to treat his father-in-law! He laughs at my jokes!'

'And what was his excuse for all the years before?' Nate asked, and we all roared with laughter. Five adult men laughing in a room and the one sound that caught us all was the high-pitched cackle of the baby girl.

'Et tu, Alice?' Jack said. He raised one hand and his face, making even more fake drama. 'Et tu, my own daughter! Blood of my ... well, not really, but still!' Then he started to bend backwards. 'Oh, the dark and cold-blooded stab to your old man's heart!' He was reaching lower and lower, his knees bending forwards. 'How could you, Alice? How could you?' He finally laid his back on the floor and looked at her. 'Have I not been good to you?' Then, he spread out his arm and turned his head, pretending to be dead.

Alice looked at him for one second before throwing herself on his face. She took his cheeks in her little hands perhaps with a little too much force, and said 'Dada!'

Jack opened his eyes and one of his widest smiles.

'Yes, Princess?'

Then, he got her in his arms and, still on the floor, started kissing her as much as he could.

'And to think he passed on the drama classes,' Henry said. 'Anywho, I must be going, or I'll be late for my fig with Susan,' Brian facepalmed. Henry looked at us for a second. 'Uh,' he said tentatively to Brian and I, 'I was obviously going to come back home later, but why don't we switch for a night? You guys spend the night here together. I'll crash at your guest room ... whenever that happens.'

'If you have sex on that bed, you're buying it,' said Brian.

Henry pointed towards his bedroom and said, 'how do you think I got that one? Relax, I'm not taking anyone up to the Big House before I know I can really trust them.'

'Thank you, Henry,' I said. I love how busy the house is, with so many of us coming and going all the time, but that's us, our little bubble. Even the twins know better than to bring any dates to the house. Party guests are one thing, there are boundaries. Dates, on the other hand, they can be invasive and I honestly don't like that. 'Enjoy your evening.'

'Hopefully,' and he motioned for the door.

'Hang on,' I said. 'Are you taking those figs?'

'Obviously.'

'If she laughs at that, marry her,' Nate said.

'Or run away from her,' Brian said. 'Can you imagine two of them in our lives?'

Henry chuckled. He knew Brian meant well and that his best friend has been his biggest support with reopening his heart.

Henry closed the door behind him and Nate was already on the phone ordering some pizzas.

'And, uh, do you serve potatoes?' I heard him saying as he scanned the contents of his dad's fridge and taking a tray of raw meat from it. 'Good, can you be a true life-saviour and send me a small portion of mashed potatoes? No spices, no milk, no fat, just the potatoes and a little salt, please? It's important. Thank you so much, that won't be a problem. Yes, delivery to the address you have. Sorry for being persistent, touchy topic, but can we have certain confirmation that it will be delivered? Thank you. Thank you very much, have a great night.'

Jack got behind him, hugged his fiancé and planted a kiss on Nate's cheek.

'You already ordered Alice's mash,' Jack said, 'let me at least prepare the meat.'

'Any other day, I will,' Nate said. 'But tonight, I want you to go and enjoy your fathers.'

Jack accepted the offer and we all sat in the living room. Soon, we were all talking and laughing and feeling light like we always did anytime we were together. The impending hearing didn't seem so much of a threat now that we were all close to one another in this small room.