“Wait, sir, we need to check–“
My father appears in the front entrance of the house, gives a curt head nod to the rent-a-cops, and they quickly return to their patrol.
“Knox.”
His greeting is simple, but I can tell that my father is happy to see me. We haven’t seen each other since the last time he visited Miami, which was over eighteen months ago.
“Pop.”
We tightly grip each other when we embrace, but I make sure not to lean too far into the hug. Part of me is always trying to keep my distance and prove to my father that I am a grown man now, even when it comes to small things like how I choose to demonstrate affection towards him. In his own reserved show of love, he taps me twice with the side of his clenched fist on my back.
“You look good, Son.”
“I should look good. I’m drenched in Miami sun every day.”
“Does wonders for the mood, doesn’t it?”
“Yep.”
My Grandma Juliette walks up behind Dad dressed in some sort of exquisite lavender and purple kimono that’s covered in delicate white flowers. She doesn’t look a day over forty if you ask me. She’s a beautiful woman whom my grandfather adores. Actually, everyone loves her.
“Come inside and put your things down.” She grasps my hand. “We’re all so excited that you’re home, honey. Can I get you anything to eat? They don’t feed you anything on the planes anymore. It’s Italian night, so I’ve made a spread. ”
“I’m starving,” I tell her as if there was any other answer when she’s gone through all of this trouble. “Give me a squeeze, Granny.”
Calling her Granny is a long running joke between us that started when she visited my elementary school for grandparents’ day. Most of the kids assumed she was my mom because she looked so young and probably because their parents looked old as hell. A lot of successful people have children later in life after they’ve established their careers, but my parents are different. They were already millionaires when I was born, so they were probably some of the youngest parents in my uptight private school.
I give Grandma Juliette a different kind of hug than the one I gave my father. This one is not as tight but it lasts longer and I sniff the side of her neck when I do because her scent reminds me of home: a mixture of Chanel No. 5 perfume, good food and love.
As I’m ushered into the dining room, I’m surprised (although I shouldn’t be) to see that the rest of my family is already here and seated around the table noshing on antipasto. My mother stands with watery eyes and I give her the tightest bear hug of them all as she kisses the top of my head.
“Hey, baby boy.”
“Hi, Ma.”
“You’ve been gone so long I think you’ve grown again. You’re so tall.”
“I’m home now," I tell her. “Maybe for good.”
With Aunt Kat and even myself, I’ve been waffling over whether or not I'm going to move back to Philly, but was waiting for a “sign” to make my final decision. Once I got the call from Dad that I needed to come home for a family meeting, I knew that was the universe telling me that it was probably that time.
I’ve learned a lot under the care and tutelage of my Aunt in Miami, but now it seems as if my family may actually need me back home. Because calling an in-person family meeting like this can only mean one thing… there’s trouble.
I continue making my way around the table giving respectful greetings to my Uncle Cam, Aunt Jade, Uncle Cutter, Aunt Sloan, Uncle Stone, Aunt Ariana, my twin brothers (Seven and Bronx), and last but not least my Grandpa Joe who’s seated at the end of the table with a stern look on his face. We're not all here though. The people who are noticeably missing are Uncle Cutter’s kids, who are away at college, Uncle Camden's son, Benji, who is God knows where and of course his daughter–Gigi.
That damn girl.
Huh, where is she?
When Grandpa Joe stands, I take my seat, and the room quiets. “Now that everyone’s home, and Knox, let me say that we are damn glad you are back, let me explain the shit storm that’s brought us here tonight.”
“Houston, we have a problem,” Uncle Cutter jokes.
“Don’t we always,” Aunt Jade chimes in too.
“This is a different,” Grandpa says and the grins on their faces disappear.
“How so?” Uncle Camden asks with a stiff expression on his face which tells me that he’s genuinely concerned.
