Not Who You Say You Are

Chapter Five

December 24th, 2022

Tiny slivers of sunlight peek through the curtains of my bedroom. My eyes open to a mostly darkened room. Miles is still asleep next to me but he is facing the other way. He tends to move around a lot in his sleep, so cuddling the whole night isn't a regular occurrence. By that I mean it never happens. I reach for my phone on the bedside table. It's eight o'clock. I gently kiss Miles on the top of the head, then carefully remove my legs from under the duvet and slide out of bed. I quietly throw on the same clothes I was wearing yesterday before opening the door, once again very slowly, and leave the room, closing it behind me. Miles had to be the one to wake me up yesterday, so I thought I'd give him time to rest. Even if he more than made up for it on the plane.

Walking down the stairs, I can hear my mother humming from the kitchen. She's not the best singer but, wow is she confident. In the daylight, I can see that the house has changed a bit. The last time I was home, the walls were painted white. Mom was obsessed with marble and the house reflected it. But now, the walls are made up of dark greens and blacks, with gold accents. It's actually really beautiful. Mom is standing in the kitchen, making breakfast for everyone. There are three large pans on the stove, full of bacon.

"Morning Mom", I say to her as I grab a seat at the kitchen island. "Merry Christmas Eve."

"Morning sweetheart", Mom says affectionately, walking towards me and giving me a hug before returning to the stove. "How'd you sleep?"

"Really well", I admit. "I might have to take that mattress back with me".

Mom laughs. "Is Miles awake?"

"No. I thought I'd give him the extra time", I tell her. 

"How thoughtful of you", she sighs sarcastically. 

"Are you excited to see everyone today?", I ask her. She stops cooking and turns to look at me.

"Yeah, I actually am", she admits with a smile. "I know we all have our issues, but it's been so long. Maybe I'm naive, but I just hope we can all pull our shit together before seeing Dad."

"You're not naive", I reassure her. "Although, you never know what's gonna happen. A fight might break out on the ferry."

Mom laughs. "You have to give them a little credit. It will only be snarky remarks and judgy glares on the ferry. Save the fighting for later. How's Miles feeling?"

"He's excited", I let her know. "He's stressed, but he's excited."

"Why's he stressed?", Mom asks me.

"He wants everyone to like him", I tell her with a chuckle.

"If he manages to do that, tell him to let me know how", Mom jokes.

We laugh with each other. I've been trying to let Miles know that everyone liking him is an impossibility, but he won't listen to me. Maybe he'll listen to my Mom.

"The house looks nice. I like the new paint".

Mom doesn't respond for a while. "Thanks, Theo".

"Why'd you do it?", I ask her. "Was it just for fun?"

"Well", she pauses. "Your father and I are actually planning on selling the house soon".