Ner’s mom waited for us at the entrance and took my chin in her fingers, as if inspecting me. She was at least a head smaller than me, but her expression told me she took no shit.
“Mom, this is—”
“I know.” She interrupted Ner, then she patted my cheek affectionately and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Rick.”
“It’s a pleasure, Mrs. Hali.”
“Call me Scylla.”
She smiled, then released a sharp whistle. The loud talking and banter in the house quieted and the entire living room full of people looked our way. “This is Rick, Ner’s friend and he’ll be joining us today.”
I half expected the moment to turn into an uncomfortable silence, but instead, one by one, the adults and kids waved at me and returned to whatever they were doing, eating, or talking about.
Not even an hour had passed, and I was familiar with who were Ner’s immediate family, his dad, brother, and grandma, and who were his cousins. I had a vague grasp of where they came from but hadn’t remembered most of the names yet. Roughly twenty people introduced themselves and treated me like a part of a family.
Ner’s mom dragged him away from me, but when I offered to help with preparations, she handed me a drink and insisted I stayed in the living room.
I was admiring the glass baubles on the Christmas tree when a tall man with short, green hair approached me. His black band t-shirt and tattoos of trees and flowers spanning his arms told me he was Robert, the uncle who’d bought Ner his first guitar.
“She’s testing you,” he said in a conspiratorial tone, and shoved his hands in his pockets. “If you survive some time alone with the family, you’ll earn your seat at the table. I’m Robert, by the way.”
“Rick.” I shook his hand. “Thanks. But why are you helping me?” I had to look up to see his face and how he watched me with an assessing gaze.
“Ner told me about you. It’s a good thing you came, but dude, you better live up to the image of you he built in his head. You’re cool, but I’m watching you.” His sharp, Polish accent added gravity to the words.
A man with spiky blond hair approached him and wrapped an arm around his waist from behind. “Hi, I’m Tomek,” he said, stood on tiptoes, and kissed Robert on the cheek. “I’m stealing my husband before he threatens you. He’s the sweetest guy you’d ever meet, but his protective streak—Eek!” He yelped when Robert scooped him up into his arms which promptly turned into tree branches, then he ran with him down the corridor.
I chuckled, then turned around when someone touched my shoulder.
“Rick, you need to try my daughter’s baklava and Chad’s rizogalo.” Ner’s grandma had materialized from out of nowhere and wrapped a purple tentacle around my wrist. She steered me to the kitchen, meandering between family members carrying drinks and dishes, trying not to step on the smaller kids running and screaming. Her sweet smile turned into a look of a movie villain when the door behind us closed. “Nereus went to Miami to get work experience, but when he returned, all he talked about was you. Not what he learned there, not the future of the restaurant. You.” Her melodious Greek accent complimented her raspy voice. I imagined she could be a spectacular singer, but her piercing gaze told me I didn’t want to be on her shitlist. She narrowed her eyes on me. “I don’t know what you did, but you made my grandson happy. I hope you haven’t come here to break his heart.” She pointed a tentacle at me and whispered: “Because they don’t call me the Sea Witch for nothing.”
I grabbed the counter behind me and offered her the most innocent look I could muster. “I hope for just the opposite.”
“Good.” She patted my cheek with thick suckers. “Now go eat, you look like you’re about to keel over.”
“Well, you just threatened me.”I did not squeak.Nope, not at all.
“Oh pft.” She waved four tentacles in the air, dismissing my words.
The door burst open and Ner walked in with his mom on his heels.
Fucking hell, this was a whirlwind of a place. Threats aside, I loved it. The chaos gave off a true family feel.
“There you are,” Ner said, and took my hand. He lifted his eyebrows at his grandma. It seemed like an entire conversation passed between them in that gaze. Finally, she shrugged and sashayed out of the kitchen.
“It’s so nice to have you, Rick. You know, when I visited Nereus last a few weeks ago, I had to take something from his bedroom and I saw he had a magazine with your shirtless picture on the cover. Of course, I didn’t know who you were at the time.” Scylla’s eyes twinkled with mischief as her expression remained innocent. “I picked it up, but the pages were crusty and stuck together—”
“My gods, mom! That’s not true!” Ner turned to me, his cheeks tinged blue. “Don’t believe a word she says.”
I laughed so hard, I wheezed, wrapping my hands around my middle. This was priceless. I couldn’t wait to see Ner’s childhood pics and hear all the stories.
“Oh, relax, Nereus. I was just kidding.” She winked at me. “Or was I?”
Ner groaned, but his fond smile told me the family shenanigans were nothing new.
“Well, let’s prepare for the New Year.” Scylla grabbed the tray on the counter and turned to us. “Soon it will be time for Saint Basil’s cake, but—” She indicated for us to sit on the kitchen stools. “First, you two need to talk. I’ll leave you to it and make sure no one comes in.” With that, she pivoted on her heel, taking the baked goodness with her.
“At least that wasn’t a threat,” I said when the door clicked shut.
