Meeting the Family

I rang the doorbell at Wes’ house, as I do so often. Wes joked that he was going to have a key made for me. At least, I thought he’d been joking. You never could tell with Wesley, he was always so…sure.
Tiny feet thrummed on the other side of the door. The footfalls got louder as they got closer. It was Ever then, that would be greeting me this evening. The door flew open with such force that the little girl was nearly pulled away with it. Even if Wes did make me a key, I’d never use it. His little sister got too much joy out of answering the door. Ever bounced up and down on the heels of her bare feet. Her toenails were painted orange today. All two and a half feet of her were wrapped around my waist before I could cross the threshold. All the while she kept shouting, “Sam’s here!” over and over and over again at the top of her little lungs.
“I didn’t hear you ask who it was,” Emily’s voice called in from the kitchen.
“It’s okay, Mom, she was with me.” Wesley slid down the banister and kissed my cheek.
“I saw from the window!” Ever seemed hurt by the accusation. Wesley tugged lightly at a lock of her golden brown hair until she released me.
Wes pulled me by the waist into the kitchen. I had never been comfortable displaying my affection in front of a boyfriend’s parents before, but Wes’ parents were different. Nick and Emily were almost always connected in some way. It was as if all of their energy and passion came from each other. I’m not saying I would go at it with Wes on the living room couch, but I would stand with my arms around his waist while we talked to his mom. It was natural. And everyone in this house just did what came naturally.
“Sam, honey, it’s nice of you to come,” Emily said, blowing me a kiss. Her hands were covered in cheese and sauce, as were the hands of her younger son.
“Thank you for having me. Eli are you sure you don’t mind me being here?”
Eli pushed his overgrown bangs out of his eyes with his wrist to avoid getting sauce in his hair. The cinnamon curl just flopped back in place. He looked at me and said, “If he’s going to meet my family, he may as well meet everybody.” I smiled at him.
This was a big day for Eli; he had invited his first boyfriend over for dinner. Yes, boyfriend. At ten years old Eli knew exactly what interested him and exactly what didn’t. Girls were part of the latter. His parents never said things like “it’s just a phase” or “he’s just confused.” Eli being gay was just as accepted as Wesley being straight. Emily told me she knew the second he walked in from his first day of kindergarten and said, “Mom, I just met the most beautiful boy I have ever seen.” It was impossible for anyone to not love Eli. His confidence was magnetic.
“Shoot! I need to go get dressed! Mom, you got this?” Eli looked a little panicked.
“Yeah, I think I can handle it,” Emily said sarcastically.
“Dressed?” Wes’ chest vibrated against mine as he spoke. “You must really like this kid.”
“Shut up!” Eli called over his shoulder as he left the room. It was true though; Eli may be gay, but he was the farthest thing from flamboyant. He usually wore the same jeans that got steadily dirtier as the week went on, old band t-shirts of Wesley’s, and skateboarding shoes for as long as they lasted.
Emily rinsed her hands off and came closer to us. She spoke in a lowered voice. “I think he really does like this boy. I was going to make spaghetti, but E. insisted on lasagna.”
“And he sent Dad out to get a pie,” Wes added.
“Oh, I’m sure he just wants to impress the kid. What’s his name?”
Wes laughed. “Jamie! That’s the best part!” I looked at him and rolled my eyes.
“Says the boy whose girlfriend’s name is Sam,” I said smugly. Wesley thought about it for a second then smiled.
“We are fucked up.”
Emily gave him a disapproving look.
“This lasagna is going to be a while. Let’s hope Jamie doesn’t come hungry.” She paused for a moment. “Do you guys hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“Nothing, that’s the thing, where’s Ever?” And just like that she was off in search of the four year old child.
“Let’s go watch T.V.,” Wes suggested.
We curled up on the big, soft couch in the living room. I had no expectations of actually watching T.V. Wes changed the channel every three seconds and Ever would be making noise again soon enough, or asking me to paint her fingernails, none of which I minded.
Instead I looked at the family photo hanging above the mantle. It was a colorful picture, taken at some sort of outdoor gathering two years ago. I love this picture. Wes is standing on his tippy-toes so he’s the same height as his father, who has his arm around Wes’ shoulders. Eli is sitting on Nick’s shoulders. His hand rests on Wesley’s head. Emily is next to Nick, of course. She is holding his hand with the arm that is not holding Ever, who has one shoe on and one shoe off, naturally. They are all smiling, except Nick and Emily. They’re kissing.
Emily sat down at the large table with a glass of wine. She now wore a long, billowy white skirt with sandals and a beige blouse. We heard the garage door open, followed by someone walking in the door.
“Hey Dad,” Wes called over Ever’s excited cries. I shouted my own greeting when she had quieted down some.
“Hey kids,” he called to us. He went to Emily, dragging Ever along who was attached to his ankle.
“I’ll be right down, “he said, “I just want to change.”
“Better not,” Emily said warily.
“You’re kidding me?” They exchanged a look. “I got the pie; I’ll wear what I want. Where is the little tyrant anyway?” I doubted Nick would refuse to do anything Eli asked of him. He was wrapped around his finger.
“How ya doin’ Sam?” he asked me on his way to the stairs.
“Very well, thank you.”
It wasn’t long before Emily was joined again by her husband. They sat at the kitchen table with their ankles and fingers entwined. Both sat sipping wine, whispering together, laughing every so often. Ever was sprawled out on the carpet beside us putting on every piece of jewelry from her Pretty Pretty Princess game for the occasion. Farley, the big old sheepdog that had practically grown up with Wesley, was sporting the green and blue necklaces. Ever cooed to him softly.
We heard Eli’s bedroom door shut and turned our attention to the stairs.
“Lookin’ good bro,” Wes said.
“Really? You think?” I had never seen Eli so nervous before.
“Real sharp, E.,” I added encouragingly. He smiled. It might not have been “dressed up” but it was for Eli. He wore crisp, clean jeans, a bright green button down shirt, and new black Converse sneakers.
“Let us see,” Emily said excitedly. E. went into the kitchen, sticking the green ring that Ever offered him in his pocket when she wasn’t looking. At least he appeared to be a little more himself.
“You got the pie,” I heard him ask his dad as he helped with his shirt cuffs.
“Sure did,” Nick answered.
Just then the doorbell rang and Ever started running to answer it. Wesley grabbed the back of her shirt just in time and pulled her to his chest.
“Whoa, kid! Let Eli get it this time.” Ever nodded solemnly. Wes let her go and she crawled back over to Farley. Wes looked purposefully at the T.V. and I followed suit. We didn’t turn around until we heard E. say, “That’s my brother, Wesley, and his girlfriend, Sam. And that’s Ever, my sister. Guys, this is Jamie.”
“Nice to meet you Jamie,” Wes said, shaking his hand.
“It’s a pleasure,” I added.
Eli had a good taste in guys. Jamie was blonde and bronze, and exactly the same height as him. He had chocolate brown eyes that were warm and kind. He looked nervous. Why did anyone think that Eli would choose someone that wasn’t perfectly charming? E.’s own blue eyes couldn’t be separated from the boy. He pulled Jamie by the hand to the kitchen to meet his parents. I remembered the first time I met Nick and Emily. He won’t be nervous for much longer.
“Ugg, they match,” Wes groaned quietly in my ear, “Let’s go upstairs.”
We climbed the stairs as the two boys took our seats and prepared to play some sort of video game.

When we got to Wes’ room he lay down on his bed and pat the comforter at his side. I joined him, getting as close as possible to his body.
“Who was your first girlfriend,” I asked him. He lay on his back with his eyes closed. I couldn’t make out the song he was humming as he tapped out the drum beats lightly on my back. He smiled when I asked my question, but only answered when he had finished the chorus.
“Shelley Conlon. Why?”
“Shelley? Really? Hmm.” That surprised me. Before meeting me junior year, Wes had hooked up with half of the most popular girls in our grade. And Shelley was…well she was Shelley Conlon, the quiet girl that played in our high school’s band. I realized that that’s the only thing I really knew about her. She looks nice enough. “When was that,” I asked.
“Eighth grade,” then as an afterthought he added, “I still talk to her sometimes.”
“What?” I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous for a second.
“Relax, Sam. Shelley Conlon has nothing on you.” He smiled down at me and I did relax. A little. “Shell has third period free with me. She sits alone, so sometimes I sit with her. She’s really nice…and really lonely, ya know? So we talk.”
“About what?”
“It wouldn’t be right for me to tell you. They’re her secrets, not mine. But I promise you it has nothing to do with you and me.” He kissed me, and I understood. This is why I love him, I thought.
There was a knock on the door and Nick’s voice told us dinner was almost ready.
“Be right down,” we called in unison and laughed.

Dinner went well. Eli looked like he was going to burst with excitement when Jamie asked for seconds. Even Farley got some of the burnt rolls as we all stared at each other through a smoky haze. Wes called it exotic. Nick called it mystical. I called them crazy. Ever shocked us all with a proud display of eye shadow, lipstick, and blush on her face. Emily said that she looked very lovely, but could she please ask the next time she wanted to borrow make-up? Ever leaned in to Jamie and claimed that she wanted to look pretty for him. Jamie said it was a very nice thought, but he preferred a more natural look. No one missed that he looked at Eli after he said this. Wes was beside himself, turning his laughter into mock choking. Nick clapped him on the back.
After dinner Wesley and I joined Jamie and Eli for a few rounds of Mario Kart. Wes sat Ever down on his lap and gave her a wireless controller. He pointed to his screen and told her it was hers. She enjoyed beating us all as much as we enjoyed letting her think that she was beating us all. Jamie seemed reluctant to go when his mom came to pick him up, but Nick and Emily promised he could come back whenever he wanted. After he left, Eli was all but flying around the house on a cloud of happiness.
I left not long after Eli’s little boyfriend. I thanked Wes’ parents and Eli too, hugged Ever goodbye, and promised to be back tomorrow. Wesley walked me to my car. Twenty minutes later I climbed in and drove myself home.