Takes place the weekend after Thanksgiving…
Kevin poured a cup of coffee for his dad, and then himself, carrying them both over to the dining room table, setting them down before taking a seat for himself. Christophe picked the mug up, letting it warm his hands before he took a sip of the black liquid, watching as his son sat down.
“It’s quiet.” he said, taking another sip before having a bite of toast.
“Amber and mom went holiday shopping.” he said, stifling a yawn before drinking his own coffee.
Chris grunted a little. “Those two shopping together worries my wallet.”
“Mine too, Dad.” Kevin said with a laugh.
“Kevin,” Chris began, looking at his son. “I’ve been meaning to bring something up to you, and now seems like the best time to do so.”
“Is everything ok, Dad?” Kevin asked, suddenly worried.
“Your mother and I are getting on in years. While she won’t admit it, she had a few health scares – things she didn’t want me to tell you about. She and I have talked, and we’ve decided to move away from New Orleans to be closer to family, and…well, you, Amber and the kids are the only family we’ve got.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Your mother and I will probably need to look into an assisted living facility.” he said, making a face. “For your mother’s sake. She’s not too bad now, but she gets spells of being ill now and again. She’s already sold the restaurant in anticipation of this, and we’ve gotten stuff into a storage unit.”
“What were you expecting to do once you got here? And when were you going to say something to me?”
“Probably stay in a hotel until we found someplace.” Chris sad, taking another swig of his coffee.
“I can’t let you do that. Let me talk to Amber – you guys can stay here, as far as I’m concerned. We can hire a carer if need be.”
“What makes you think I want that?” Chris asked.
Kevin shrugged. “I know you don’t want to be in an assisted living facility, Dad.”
“Well…you’re right about that. But you know your mother – she won’t want to be in the way.”
“You won’t be, and neither will she. Let me talk to Amber tonight, and see what she says. I’ll let you and mom know after we talk.”
“Alright, alright.” he grumbled, though Kevin could tell his mood was still a good one.
Later that evening…
“I know you don’t like the house being so empty, hun.” Kevin said, wrapping his arms around his wife.
“I don’t, you’re right.” Amber sighed. “And I love your parents, they’ve been so good to me all these years, especially after my parents died…more especially after Liv was born.”
“But?” he asked.
“No buts.” she said with a smile. “I want to help your parents if we can. We’ll make it work. Besides…it’ll be nice for them to be around. Liv never got the same opportunities from them that Nick got.”
“Alright.” he said, kissing her cheek before letting her go. “I’ll let them know.”
……
Over the next several days, arrangements were made for his parents to fly back to New Orleans and set up some movers to bring their stuff up to Las Vegas. They would sell the things they didn’t need or want, and things would be stored either in the basement or in a storage until room could be found for it.
While they were gone, Kevin looked over the house in his spare time, to see what might need to be adjusted for his parents. The house itself had plenty of room – it was a two-story affair, with four bedrooms, two of which were en suites with their own bathrooms. The downstairs one would work for his parents, so they wouldn’t have to navigate stairs, and he could work with other areas in the house to make them feel more at home.
By December 2nd, his parents were back in town and settled, though were cautioned to stay in the house for a while due to recent unsettling events, just to be on the safe side.
……
Jett drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of his car, still mentally debating with himself whether he should do what he was thinking of doing. It had been a week since the incident at Thanksgiving, and it was sitting ill with him that he had just left, not apologizing for anything. It bothered him more that someone else had to cover up his mess. With a sigh, he finally got out of the car. As he walked up the sidewalk to the door, he ran a hand through his hair. He raised his hand, hesitated, then knocked, taking a step back while he waited for someone to answer.
It didn’t take long, maybe a minute or two, before Amber answered the door. “Hello? Oh! You’re one of Nick’s friends, right?”
“Yes ma’am.” he responded.
“He isn’t here…did you need his number or something?” she asked, a bit puzzled.
“No. I’ve actually come by to apologize for the problem I caused with his grandfather. Would he be here, by chance?” Jett asked politely.
“Oh, I didn’t know there was a problem. Sure, come in.” she said, stepping aside to let him into the house, leading him into the living room. “Have a seat, I’ll go get him.” she said, disappearing into a different part of the house.
While she was gone, Jett took an opportunity to look around the room, noting the family pictures along the wall. There were family portraits, and the usual special moment highlights – with clear spaces for moments yet to come. Jett smirked a little. Nick had been a cute kid – he was ok now; and someone was going to have their hands full when it came time for their daughter to start dating. The brightness of her eyes did not escape him. It in fact reminded him, for the briefest of moments, of him looking at himself in a mirror as a young man, noting the intense color of his own eyes, his mother kissing his forehead, and calling him her changeling child.
“Here you go, Dad.” he heard Amber say as she came back towards the room. “Just call if you two need anything.” she said, and then left the two of them alone.
“Amber said something about you wanting to apologize.” Chris stated matter-of-factly.
“Yes, sir – about the photo thing. I didn’t mean to get you so riled up.” Jett responded.
“No, no. I’m the one that should be apologizing. I misremembered, is all. I’m sorry.” Chris said, then took a seat, gesturing for Jett to do the same. This time, he did.
“It’s alright. I was actually wondering…if it’s no trouble…if you cared to share some war stories?” he tentatively asked. “I mean, don’t feel obligated to, of course.” he quickly added.
“You really interested in that sort of thing? Listening to an old man’s stories?” Chris asked, a little skeptical.
“Best place to learn is from those who’ve been there.” Jett said honestly.
“Hah!” Chris laughed. “True enough. Well, let me think about how to start.”
Jett sat and listened to Chris’ stories. He remembered him, of course. The man had saved his ass a couple of times, and vice versa. They’d been friends, and he was curious as to his old friend’s perspective on things that had happened. Periodically, he’d drop in a question or incorrect fact here and there as a prompt, though mostly let him ramble.
As time went on, however, he began to feel more bothered. It wasn’t Chris’ fault – it was his own hangups, he knew. Jett wanted very badly to sit there and banter back and forth, sharing the memories together – good or bad – not just sit and listen, as though he knew nothing of what had happened. He had very few friends over the course of his life, and no friends that had shared the same experiences as he. Neither, though, could he afford to tell Chris who he really was.
Fortunately for him, his phone went off. While the message was nothing important – just a reminder to make his insurance premium – he used it as an excuse. “Sorry – that was work. I gotta head in. I’m running a little late.”
“Well, what did you let me go on so long for? Go…come back if you ever want to hear more.” Chris said.
“Thanks again, sir.” he said, knowing that if he ever came back, he was likely to spill the secret – after all, physical copies of the picture still existed, and Chris might have one – Jett knew he did.
They both got up from where they sat, with Chris leading him to the door. “Take care now.” Chris said to Jett as he waved goodbye from his car. Once the door was closed, he got into the car, and sped off toward home, occasionally wiping at an eye. That had been harder than he thought it would be, but thankfully it didn’t go poorly.