Something About Sam

Chapter 4

Sarah had promptly slammed the door in my face, leaving me to my own devices while she and Sam were locked inside her bedroom doing only God knows what until dinner time.

For dinner, my mother had prepared somewhat of a feast. The six of us-- Marley had of course begged to stay-- sat around the dining room table enjoying Lydia Jefferson's classic pot roast. Marley had stopped home to shower after work and had brought over her famous chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

I was quite frankly astonished that the meal was going so well. My mother kept the conversation lighthearted and directed away from the nature of Sam's career, who we concluded was very, very shy. He didn't like talking about himself and that was evident from the blush on his face and his five-word-or-less responses to any question regarding his music.

After three successful courses of no one being excessively uncomfortable, my father decided enough was enough.

"Sammy, did I happen to mention Taite is going to be a freshman at the University of Virginia this fall? Following right in his old man's footsteps. "

"Pop--" the man held up his hand in my direction, silencing anything that was about to come from my mouth. I suppressed a cringe and the pressing desire to correct his facts.

"That's great, Taite," Sam, who was seated across from me, offered a smile in my direction. I hoped the hair that lay across my forehead kept my father from seeing the apologetic eyes I responded to Sam with.

"Yes sir," my dad continued, putting down his glass of wine. "Pre-med. Hopefully Duke for medical school after that, but he'll have plenty of options. Bet all those kindergarten moms who told us off for holding him back are regretting it, now. Did he tell you he was valedictorian? Had to give this big speech yesterday at graduation, too. Man, was he nervous. He spoke beautifully though, very mature—"

"Pop," this time, my dad stopped speaking. "I doubt Sam wants to hear about my silly speech," I glanced at Sam, hoping he got the hint that my father's bragging was a painful method of torture for me and not something I enjoyed nor encouraged. And frankly, it was painful for Marley too. Next to me, she was gripping her cup so tightly I swear I saw the glass begin to crack in small spider web like patterns. It wasn't that Marley was jealous of me. She was just disappointed in herself. She never tried hard in high school because her parents weren't strict like mine. She had given up all hope for college after she failed her freshmen year. Technically, she was Sarah's age. She wouldn't be going off to college in the fall like myself, as my father quite frequently liked to remind everyone. It got on her nerves, and I didn't blame her for that at all.

Continuing to speak, I wrapped my hand around hers and pulled it away from the glass and onto my lap, encompassing it in my own. "Besides," I said. "I only got valedictorian because the two girls ahead of me transferred before Senior year. And my speech was boring. To be honest, I couldn't even keep my eyes open."

"Amen to that," my sister raised her glass, her stare telling me that she saw exactly what was happening across the table. I laughed, squeezing Marley's hand. She forced a chuckle out too.

"Hey now, Sarah," my mother chastised, despite the smirk on her face. "Didn't you help him write that damned thing?"

After a few more jokes at Sarah's expense, cookies had been eaten and my mother had excused us from the table. Sarah left for her boyfriend's house, leaving the three of us alone in the family room. My father retreated back to his office, my mother still washing dishes in the kitchen.

Marley bit into her third cookie, settling into the sectional couch next to Sam. "Taite, you have to tell him."

Despite the apparently cryptic sentence, I knew exactly what she was talking about. "Keep your voice down, Marley," I begged, shutting the French doors that closed off the family room from the kitchen, enveloping the three of us in secrecy.