Stuck On You

Decmber 24, 2014

The last plate is centered on the table, easing my nerves a bit. They would be here any minute. I hadn’t seen them in years. They couldn’t afford to fly out and visit all the time. I never went home for the holidays, it cost way too much and there were too many holidays.

I always offered to fly them out for Christmas. They never complied, my father especially, insisting they could pay for it themselves. They had just about enough money last year, but said they didn’t want to spend Christmas somewhere where there was snow. I understood; they always hated the cold.

Now that I was in Sydney, they agreed to come out. My sister was coming as well. I invited Michael, who was extremely nervous about meeting my parents.

He had interrogated me earlier about anything he could do to impress them. I knew already his whole aura was going to throw them off, from the color of his hair to his tattoos and piercings. I told him to be himself as his personality would definitely win them over.

But he persisted on dressing up, leading me to have to wear something a bit nicer. I didn’t mind dressing up; we used to always dress up on Christmas Eve. I was nervous about being overdressed.

A knock sounded against the door. I flatten my skirt down, although it really didn’t need it. I shouldn’t be this damn nervous it was just my parents. I’d known them my entire life.

Still, I hesitated to swinging open the door. I prepared to tack on my most comforting smile, the one I had practiced. My hand shifted and unlocked the doorknobs, eagerly anxious to see who was there.

“Hi,” I greet Michael at the door.

“They’re not here yet, are they?” He mutters; he is clinging for dear life to a small bag.

“No, not yet.” I stand there a minute, continually glancing at the bag before I snap out of it. “Come on in.”

I step out of the way and allow Michael to make himself at home. He goes straight to the couch. I walk back into the bedroom, ready to fish out the Christmas present I had gotten him.

“Are you sure you want me here?” I could see him down the hall, he was rummaging through the small bag. He took something out and put it in his pocket. “You said you haven’t seen them in years and I don’t want to intrude-“

I step back out into the living room. He’s stopped talking, having caught his eye on something. Quizzically, I raise an eyebrow.

“What is it?” I look down, hoping that maybe I didn’t have a huge stain across my dress. Maybe it had gotten caught and he could see me underwear?

Nothing seemed to be out of order, but I flatten my palms out over the material again. Michael was still looking at me. I elected to ignore it, instead coming around to sit next to him on the couch.

It was the first time I got a decent look at him. He was dressed nicely, a pair of skinny jeans as always, but a button up and blazer instead of a band tee. He looked really good.

“I got you something,” I edge the present towards him. I hoped he couldn’t automatically see the outline of the CD case.

He eagerly ripped it from my hand, suddenly becoming very involved in the gift. It was as if the present had awoken him from whatever daydream he was in. It was like watching a child on Christmas. Well…

He soon tore through the paper and uncovered the new Foo Fighters album. The noise he made was a mix between an obnoxious teenage girl and a scream.

“Thank you, Anna!” He threw his arms around me.

“Woah, yea, you’re welcome.” I accept it, wondering what the hell he could’ve gotten me.

When Michael pulls back, he pushes the small bag across the coffee table. It wasn’t exactly wrapped and there was no paper to block my view from whatever lied inside. Eagerly, I take the present, placing it on my lap.