Page 161 of We Shouldn't Be Together
“Oh, hush and get over here,” Mom orders, the grin never leaving her face.
Both our parents squeeze Milo between them. Serves him right for not getting out of bed sooner.
“Someone said something about presents,” I comment as they finally release my brother.
Mom spins on her heels and makes her way back to the dining table. “All right. Sit down and I’ll get breakfast ready.”
“And…” Milo drawls, his eyebrows lifting over his glasses.
Dad chuckles to himself. “Just sit at the table, boys.”
Milo and I share a glance and then follow our parents to the dining table. This is our sixteenth year of this. We know getting impatient leads to a present delay.
Neither of us wants that.
I pull out a chair and Milo moves around to sit across from me.
“Aww, why don’t you sit next to your brother?” Mom says to Milo. “It’s your birthday. It’d be cute.”
Milo frowns. “But it’s my birthday. I don’t want to sit within punching distance.”
Mom huffs. “He won’t punch you on your birthday. Kai, don’t punch your brother on your birthday.”
I raise my hands. “I haven’t even made a fist today.”
Milo sits on the seat opposite me, still wary. Geez, did hugging him earlier totally rattle him?
“Keep it that way,” Mom says, moving into the kitchen. “Pancakes, boys?”
“Sure,” we both respond, keeping watch for any presents that might magically appear.
“I’ll give you a hand, hon,” Dad says, moving into the kitchen.
“This is weird without Grandma and Grandpa here,” Milo comments.
I nod at him, thinking about the possibility of them bringing a new drone with them. “Yeah, it is.”
“Doesn’t feel like our birthday without them.”
“Naw. When they get here this week, it’ll be our second birthday. It’s better they’re getting here late.”
Milo shrugs. “If you say so.”
Mom and Dad come back in, cradling several wrapped presents.
“Whoa,” I say as they plant the gifts on the table.
“You didn’t think we’d forgotten, did you?” Dad jokes.
I can’t help scanning the pile, wondering if there’s a set of keys there, or if this is a decoy.
Mom and Dad make us open gifts in some kind of strategic order. I guess they’re going up in price. We open clothes, headphones, baseball caps, sneakers, and vouchers for the multiplex.
When the pile shrinks, and Dad disappears back into the kitchen, my gut twists. This has to be it. This has to be when bring out thebiggifts.
Milo is given a big box, and he’s more animated than I’ve ever seen him when he tears at the wrapping paper.
No surprise, he gets his microscope.
