Page 28 of Highway To Destiny

I hugged them as we said our goodbyes. Sylvia’s eyes were rimmed with tears. “Please be safe out there, and keep us up to date on any new developments in your life?” She gave me a wink as she rubbed my arm.

I knew what she meant, and I planned on doing just that.

22

CONNOR

The school term had ended, and Spencer and I were in Portland, sitting at my family’s dining room table, playing Uno with my mom and Kyle. The games were competitive. I knew Spencer was an excellent video gamer, but he seemed to excel at Uno, which pissed me off to no end.

“Can I win just one fucking game?” I blurted out in frustration, throwing my cards on the table.

“Language,” my mother said as she glanced at me over her glasses.

Spencer laughed as I glared at him. That delighted Kyle to no end, joining Spencer’s laughter since I was the one who usually took most of the glory whenever we played. Mom reached out and gathered the scattered cards to shuffle. I could tell she and Kyle enjoyed Spencer’s personality, as I knew they would.

“You boys are more serious at this card game than you probably ever were in those swim meets,” she interjected as she dealt the cards. I saw she had a glow about her with us all in her house. She loved mothering us with cooking, baking, and even cleaning up after our unintentional messes. She had always been that way with my friends, and I could tell Spencer liked the attention with his family gone for the holidays.

We had a light dinner of homemade chicken noodle soup with biscuits once my brother arrived. Mom had already prepped dinner for tomorrow, and a twenty-two-pound turkey was already thawed in the refrigerator, accompanied by prepped side dishes.

The house was overly decorated in holiday cheer, and the Christmas tree was a tad too large for the living room. Mom always preferred a big fir tree to decorate, and she always displayed the ornaments my brother and I had made over the years, along with the numerous gold-mirrored balls. It was always a nostalgic sight.

Stringing the tiny white lights came down to Kyle and me playing rock, paper, scissors to avoid having to do the dreaded chore. I always ended up with scratches down my arms from the fir needles. My brother never understood why I never wore a long-sleeved shirt when it was my turn. I guess I never figured out why either, and my arms showed the evidence.

It was Christmas Eve. I had been excitedly nervous when Mason called yesterday, letting me know he’d be down in Portland tomorrow after his last delivery in Vancouver, Washington. He didn’t seem hesitant when he said he’d enjoy having Christmas dinner with us, and I took that as a good sign. He asked if it would be okay to bring a bottle of wine. I said yes since I’d be drinking to calm myself down. I figured I’d have enough butterflies for both of us.

“UNO,” I cried out with my arms raised high. I knew I had it in the bag with the one card in my hand that would propel me to victory. There were groans around the table when it was my turn, and I threw the multicolored card down. “Finally,” I said as I threw my head back.

Kyle shook his head. “Happy now, grumpy?”

“Yes. Now I can go to bed tonight with visions of sugar plums up Santa’s nose,” I retorted, clapping my hands.

“I think you’re mixing up lines in that Christmas story,” Spencer said with a quizzical look. My mom giggled as she gathered our empty glasses.

We called it a night after that last game, so I started to pick up the cards to put them away. “Doesn’t matter. Tomorrow is Christmas. There’ll be presents to open, and Mason is coming to join us.” I didn’t want my nerves to show as I blurted the last part out.

“I’m excited to meet yourspecialfriend,” Kyle teased, emphasizing ‘special.’ Mom must have repeated my exact words when she told my brother Mason would be joining us.

I looked over at Spencer, but all he did was raise an eyebrow. Spencer knew I felt trepidation about inviting Mason on a whim, but I knew I could count on my friend to have my back, and I was happy to have his support.

I was quick to correct my brother. “His name is Mason. And no teasing him either,” I said as I got up from the table. Kyle brought his hands back in defeat and waggled his brow at me.

When everything was put away, I looked at the clock, which read 10:45 p.m.

“I’m ready to hit the sack,” I announced, and Spencer agreed with a stifled yawn.

“I’ll head home as I need to take Bunker for a late-night walk, but I’ll be back in the morning around seven-thirty. I’ll bring Bunker too,” Kyle said as he grabbed his jacket.

“Bunker?” Spencer asked as he looked toward Kyle with a tilt of his head.

Kyle wrestled with his coat, trying to find the armhole. “I guess Connor never told you I had a dog,” he replied. “He’s a two-year-old Corgi. I named him Bunker because when he was a brand-new puppy, and I hadn’t named him yet, I was walking him by a golf course when he yanked the leash from my hand, headed to a sand bunker, and began digging. Sand flew everywhere, and I felt the name was appropriate.”

We said our goodnights, and Mom finished up in the kitchen doing the dishes. She came around the corner, still holding a dish towel. “Since it’s Christmas morning tomorrow, expect a special breakfast of French toast and bacon, and then we can open gifts.”

Mom was beaming, and I could tell she really loved our gathering this year. She had her boys together at Christmas, and my close friends were joining. I hadn’t seen her that happy in a long time. I wanted the rest of our holiday break to keep that steady course, but my gut was telling me differently.

Spencer headed off to the guest room, and I followed behind him to my room. As I was about to get undressed, there was a soft knock at the door. I opened it, and Spencer stood in the hallway. He looked concerned when he whispered, “Are you doing okay? I mean, with Mason arriving tomorrow?”

“I’m doing alright. Yeah, I’m a little nervous about how Mason might be received, but I need to remember I have a good family, and I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I said.

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