What Keeps Us Together

chapter 5: chicken and waffles

“So you lost your phone and that’s why you didn’t text back?” I heard Par ask from the den as I walked into the kitchen.

 “Yea, but then I found it. You will never guess where it was.” Ethin laughed.

 “Where?” Even though I couldn’t see him, I knew Par had that expression told everyone around him that no matter what the answer is, he still won't be surprised.

 “It was in my underwear drawer! Can you believe that!?” Oh my gosh, this guy is strange. Cue a fake laugh from Par because, let’s face it, he’s into Ethin.

 “I’ve had to listen to this for a while.” A voice behind me made me jump and I took a defencive stance. It was Dad. He went back to work on dinner. My favorite breakfast, lunch, and dinner all in one. Chicken and waffles, the ultimate meal. I like it with ranch dressing and hot sauce. I barreled into the den and lept onto Par.

 “We’re having chicken and waffles for dinner!” I hollered jumping all around the room, waving my arms in the air like a crazy lunatic.

 “Your brother is very interesting.” Ethin looked thoughtful, like he was choosing his words very carefully. “Who would put chicken with waffles? They aren’t even within the same meal.” Par and I looked at him like he was unhinged.

 “You have never had chicken and waffles? What is wrong with you?” Par looked upset, but in the way that one would be upset if their friend hasn’t heard their favorite song. Just then…

 “DINNER TIME!” Dad called out to us. Since there were so many people at the house we had to make seating arrangements that weren’t as formal as we would have liked. Half of us sat in the den and watched tenis while half of the remaining people sat in the dining room and the rest in the kitchen at the little blue plastic table we set up early in the summer. By the end of the night Par and Ethin become so close and I got to know him. He’s actually a good guy. Very neat and orderly. He wants to be a psychologist or a therapist someday. I didn’t even know there was a difference.

 A knock on the door interrupted my lazy Saturday. I paused the movie and Par started complaining. It was is his favorite. I groaned and rolled off of the couch falling onto the floor, face down.

 “I’m coming!” I yelled as loud as I could.

 “I already got it, don’t get up.” Great. I got up, popcorn all over the floor. I hate lazy days because they always end up making me lazy. I don’t want to be lazy, laziness makes fat. Popcorn is just going to make it worse. Just as I shoved a handful of popcorn in my mouth, a boy, about 16 came into the room. His pale blue hair looked like it was made of ice and his deep green eyes stared right through me, like I wasn’t even there. I have never felt so insignificant and so important at the same time. I had never seen this boy before, yet there was a feeling I knew him, he was so incredibly familiar yet I couldn’t figure out how I would know him. Then it clicked.

 Standing in the brightly lit hospital room I looked up at the two men who treated me like their own son. Theodor and James, my friends, my family.

 “I so sorry Chrystal, they aren’t coming back.” There was a scream, a cry for help, a plea to deaf ears. The rollercoaster, the crash, the fire, death. My first experience with something so devastating I just pushed it away until I forgot all about them.

 The next two days felt like I was watching my own life happen, but I couldn’t be apart of it. Then Comet was born, the same day as I left Russia, the same day I decided to never look back, have no regrets, no fear. I left him behind.

 I woke up in my bed. I guess I passed out. I made a vow, I would treat Comet like his parents treated me. I would be a father to him, help him, love him, make sure he is always happy. I jumped out of bed and rushed to the kitchen.

 “Oh, you’re up.” Comet looked at me. “Are you ok? You fell hard, almost hit your head on the glass table. By the way, why do you have a glass table, that’s just strange, it doesn’t really make sense, I mean glass is so fragile and-” I cut him off by giving him a hug. “You know what, it doesn’t matter.” He gave me a hug back. He knew who I was. I didn’t realize that maybe there was something I don’t remember, mostly because I don’t want to remember. I guess I was crying because next thing I knew, Comet was telling me to just let it all out. I pushed away and smiled at him.

 “It’s good to see you again.” I pulled him into a hug again and continued. “I can see if we can have my dad make your favorite meal. What do you want for dinner?”

 “Chicken and waffles sounds good.” I laughed.