Metanoia

15: The House of the Running Boy

By the time we got up and made it back to the board walk, twilight had fallen and a slight chill wind started blowing off of the waves onto the shore. Lance saw me shivering back while we were walking on the cool sand and wrapped a towel around me and wrapped his arm around me; I didn't protest, surprisingly, I did stop shivering. The ambiance of blue hour and the yellow light on Lances front porch, the yellow seeping into the twilight blue of the sand in his front yard, it left me even more out of it then I have been for the past hour an a half. Lance let go of me as I stood just off the end of the boardwalk with the million mile stares. The yellow and blue shone off of him too as he sat on the worn wood patio edge wiping off the sand on his feet with his towel. If I had the motivation and confidence, I'd take a picture of how perfect the scene was; the yellow shining off him brought out the warm sun kissed tone in his skin while the blue highlighted some of his more chiseled features.

"Keith, you ok? Your looking into space again." Lance asked as he proped himself onto his feet on the patio so he doesn't get his feet sandy again in the yard. "If you need to go home, that's fine, it's been a long day. I can even walk you home if you want."

"No, I'm good. It's just- well, I haven't really been out at night here yet, always just locked myself in my room... twilight here is so much more different then in San Francisco. Not that it's bad! Just a different type of, I don't know, magic I guess?" I look over to lance, focusing my eyes to see him smiling,

"That's-"

"Don't you make fun of me Lance!" I cut in, realizing how sappy that must've sounded.

"Ok~" he said with his smile, then saying nothing else,

"So you were going to make fun of me,"

"Just tease you! The city is a lot different then being out here! maybe when we come out here later when I walk you home you'll be astounded by how you can actually stare into space!" Lance smiled as he leaned against a poll. I guess the light pollution out here is significantly less then in San Francisco, but the night sky can't actually look like how it looks like in astronomy books, can it? "Hey Keith? You look freezing, please come here and wipe your feet off so we can go in and warm you up?" I nod softly. "I'll wait for you inside," I nod again, silently.

I sit on the edge of the porch like he had done, brushing the sand from my feet with the edge of my towel before opening the broken screen door and joining Lance in his house. It was a slight chaos, children running around, people chatting in the kitchen loudly, Lance already setting up the plates on the dining room table for eleven. The children's faces light up when they see me again, starting to ask me those questions from before again since I didn't answer them last time. Lance came up quick though and pulled me away from the children so he could introduce me to the rest of his family. They were all standing in the cramped kitchen, leaning against the walls and counters drinking a beer or a glass of wine when we entered. They paused their conversations and looked up at me and lance; I coward behind him, a bit shaken and uncomfortable by all the eyes seemingly on me.

"You must be Keith! It's nice to meet you! Lance has told us a lot about you," a woman said with a bright warm welcoming smile on her face. I breath in sharp and hold it, trying to hide and avert my gaze even more. I know lance noticed how I hid behind him, but he made no effort to pull me out into view like others might've,

"Keith, this is my Mamà and my papà, they're are my sisters Veronica and Rachel, my brothers Luis and Marco, Luis' wife Lisa, and their two kids Sylvio and Nadia!" He points them each out to me as they wave gently with a smile, Luis and Lisa holding their children so they don't clobber me. "And everyone, I'd like you to meet Keith!"

"Again, it's so nice to finally meet you Keith," the woman who lance identified as his mother said again.

"The more the merrier!" Veronica chips in, raising her beer in a quick cheers before taking a sip. "Game night is gonna be fun with one more voice!" Game night?! I don't think I'll be able to handle that after spending dinner with so many people. I slightly tug at the back of lances shirt.

"Well I was actually planning on walking him home after dinner. Maybe he can join us for game night some other time," Lance said, glancing to me in a way that said I didn't have to stay if I didn't want too.

"Booo!" The children call out, Lisa bending down to calm her children,

"Come on don't pressure him. I'm sure he'll come back, don't you two worry." Lances siblings laugh at how Sylvio and Nadia are making such a fuss over it.

"Lance, Keith, can you help me bring the food out to the table please?" Lances mother asked as she handed lance a dish of food, then handed me one to bring out. Lance instructed me where to put at the center of the table.

Dinner went as I expected it to, loudly. I kept my focus on the food on my plate, pushing it around and eating a bite every now and then. The enchiladas were delicious, the best I've ever had, I just didn't know how comfortable I should feel here with lances family, so it was making my stomach uneasy; it didn't help that I was exhausted. Listening to their criss cross of conversations across the table did bring me joy, their teasings, stories, jokes; if I stay here long enough I can tell I will get comfortable with these people and grow close to them. I instinctually try to punch that thought away, but I remember lance and my conversation on the beach, and I don't know what to think again. Perhaps that's better then instantly starting to build a higher wall. I guess Mrs.McClain noticed me zoning out and barely touching my food before trying to get me to eat more to 'get more meat on my bones', it was a sweet gesture, but I'm done eating.

"Are you sure you can't stay for games, Keith?" Sylvio pleaded,

"He needs to get home, Sylvio, before it gets too la-" lance started, trying to back me up,

"I can stay, at least for one game. I can text Takashi to pick me up if it gets to late." I spoke up, pretty much for the first time since I've entered the house other then soft mumblings. If I was going to start experimenting with a less strict emotional barrier between myself and others, I should try to open myself up more to hanging out with people. Right? And if I felt too uncomfortable I can just leave. "What game are we playing?"