Page 85 of The Grizzly Situation
“And an aunt and uncle,” Eddie added.
“You’ll love them,” Brent said. “Uncle Jamie makes the best chocolate cakes.”
“Chocolate cake? Yum!” the boys shouted.
I shot him a look, then smiled. At least he was consistent.
“Okay, let Uly make his calls. You guys can help me make sure your room is clean.”
A chorus of groans and whines filled the air as I left the room. I went back downstairs and picked up my phone. Fifty-two missed calls and about forty frantic voicemails from Jamie and Deb. Apparently the blow job wasn’t as good as advertised. I dialed his number, waiting for the explosion. I was mildly surprised at his first question.
“Are Brent and the boys okay?” he asked, sounding short of breath.
I wanted to explain to him about the unusual situation we found ourselves in, but I’d promised Brent that not even Jamie would hear about it from me.
“Yeah, there was an uproar, and Brent was freaking out. I decided I needed to be here to help. I am so sorry. I turned my phone off when I got home, and just now turned it back on.”
He chuckled. “This is how I used to worry about you,” he said. “After Mom and Dad moved away, I’d be unable to sleep at night if you got sick or hurt, because I had to be nearby in case you needed me.”
I should have known that, but really, at the time I was pretty clueless about things. I was so caught up in my own issues, I couldn’t see anyone else’s. I was a shitty brother.
“You know I love you, right?” I asked.
“Of course. That part has never been in question.” He was quiet for a minute. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I am. Just… this thing with Brent and the kids had me out of sorts. I was so scared that something was really wrong, and the flight home didn’t help matters.”
“Ask you a question?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Do you love him? I mean, Deb said she thought you did, but me? I wasn’t sure.”
“With my whole heart,” I replied honestly. “He gives me strength when I don’t have any. He props me up when I need it. And the boys? They’re so damned special. I never knew having kids could be so fun and challenging. I’m actually a little jealous over you guys having one. But you know what? If you learned any of the lessons from Mom and Dad, you’ll rock it.”
He sighed. “Thank you. I think I needed to hear that. Tell you the truth? I’m scared shitless. I mean, a tiny life form is going to depend on us to keep him safe, healthy, and happy. What the hell do I know about that?”
“Do you think Mom and Dad knew about any of that when they had you? And look at how you turned out.”
“Mom and Dad are special. They’re prodigies or something. I’m just…. Well, not. Deb gets mad at me because I keep putting myself down, but I’m not sure I can do this, you know?”
“So she gets on you like how you got on me?”
“Yeah, yeah. Yuck it up. Have your fun while you can.”
But I wasn’t. Not really. “When we were growing up, you made me feel safe all the time. The teasing from your friends could have been worse than it was, but you knew when to step inand draw the line. You held me at night when the thunderstorms were so bad, I screamed every time it shook the house. And you never told Mom or Dad, because you were protecting me. You do this stuff for your kid, and you’re bound to win parent of the year.” He sniffled. “Jamie, you’re going to make an amazing father, just like Deb will be a wonderful mother. The two of you are unstoppable together.”
“The three of us. You’re part of that equation too. When our kid is all pissed at us, he’ll need to talk to his Uncle Uly, just like we talked to Uncle Dom. Who, by the way, had nothing but nice things to say about you at Thanksgiving. I’m sorry you missed it.”
I’d missed Thanksgiving? Crap. Even after calls from Mom, I’d blanked on it. I was so tied up in Brent and the boys, I never even thought about it. And Brent didn’t have a big celebration like our parents. We all sat in the great room and watched movies while noshing on popcorn and drinking juice boxes—apple for the boys, grape for me and Brent. And by grape, I meant wine.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. Uncle Ira showed up, already wobbling and as soon as he got into the house he headed straight for the open bar and had a few shots. After he got some more liquor in him? The party broke up really fast.”
“What was he complaining about this time?”
He dropped his voice an octave, sounding scarily like the eighty-year-old man who’d turned off more family members than anyone else. “Damn gays. Damn woke. Damn Congress. You know, all the usual talking points he learned from Fox News.”
