Kyle acknowledged my presence, grinning, before saying, “Sit down. I’m not finished withyouyet.”
And that’s when I got to hear his retelling of the time when I was eleven years old, at a waterpark with my friends, and they dared me to go down the slide both headfirst and backward. The string on my swim trunks had broken earlier in the day, and I’d tied it loosely together to keep them up. Well, the minute I hit the rushing water my shorts ripped clean off and I rode the whole way downnaked.
And, of course, he couldn’t forget to tell the story of the flock of geese that flew over the stage during an outdoor concert and began dropping shit-bombs on those of us performing below. Yes, I looked up at the most inopportune time and took a direct hit. The creamy white concoction splattered all over my face, invading my eyes, mouth, and nostrils. The concert was postponed fifteen minutes so I could go backstage to take a shower… andthrowup.
He then retold the story of his first meeting with Casey and how he knew the two of us were meant to be when I refrained from murdering Quinn after he made me eat the booger bean in the Bean Boozled jellybean game we wereplaying.
“Casey, on behalf of our family, I want to officially welcome you. And now that you’re a McKallister, you’ve got to start behaving like one. So just to make things easier for you, I’ve compiled a list of the family rules that we’d like you tofollow.
Number One: Refrain from laughing at our father’s jokes. They aren’t funny, and by doing so, you’re only encouraging the behavior tocontinue.
Number Two: Whoever sees the cat puke on the floor has to pick it up. Playing ignorant and pretending not to see it only works when no one elseishome.
Number Three: When you get up from your seat to move about the room, do not expect your spot to be there when you get back. The McKallister household honors the rule of ‘Move your feet/lose your seat,’ and those who fail to comply will be senselessly beaten. Please note… calling ‘slaps’ will not, in any way, protect your spot. However, carrying the chair with you throughout the house is not only acceptable, but alsoencouraged.
And finally, Number Four: Life is short. Break the rules and have fun doing it. But for the love of god, don’t let Mom catch you doing it. Oh, wait, that one was for me. Anyway, on a serious note, Casey – I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re proud to call youfamily.”
Kyle paused once more, before clearing his throat and addressing me directly. “And to my big brother who I’ve loved and admired all my life: I couldn’t be happier for you. I know you weren’t looking for love the day it came pounding on your door, but you never faltered, and now look what you have to show for it – a woman who loves you unconditionally. You’ve been blessed, man. Never forget it. And just remember, Jake, as you embark on this journey of love and marriage, that the very last person you think about right before you fall asleep is the one your heart belongs to. So, with that in mind, I’ll make sure to text you every night before bed. Love you,brother.”
* * *
Kyle’s speechearned him a standing ovation and my undying respect. It also ended the dinner festivities, and Casey and I headed to the center of the stage to share our first dance. The song was one I’d written for her soon after we’d fallen in love, and it had become one of my greatest hits. TitledShades of Blue, it was more than just a song about falling in love; it was also a song about falling back into life. I hadn’t realized how dark and monotonous my day-to-day existence had been until Casey came along and painted a bright swath across my normal path, and suddenly the sky was bluer, the grass was greener, and my world exploded into a kaleidoscope ofcolor.
Casey, her eyes glimmering, stepped into my arms and I gently took her face in my hands and kissed her. Unlike last night in the hallway, this kiss was tender and loving, mirroring the incredible love I was feeling for her in the moment. Dropping my hands to her waist, Casey glided effortlessly in my arms as we swayed to the music. I tucked my head into her shoulder and softly sang the words of our song for herearsonly.
* * *
After sharing our first dance,we began the mingling portion of the evening. And that’s how I found myself here, trapped in an impossible conversation with a pair of sisters I’d been told were Casey’s secondcousins.
“So is this your first trip to Arizona?” I asked the wide-eyedfemales.
Giggles, then more unintelligible words erupted. I hastily looked away, fighting to hold off the laughter that was threatening to override my goodmanners.
I had spent the last seven minutes of my life trying to have a conversation with these women, and although they were able to speak in full and complete sentences for Casey, neither one of them had been physically capable of communicating with me. So far I’d only been able to decipher nine actual words. Figuring it was a nervous habit these sisters had, I didn’t want to appear to be making fun of them, but with every garbled word they spoke I could feel my resolvefading.
Casey lightly brushed her finger against my hand, and we glanced at one another. The slightest tip of a smile on her lips forced me to bite down on my tongue. She was just goading me now. I gave her the ‘Can I go now?’ look that a small child might give his mommy, but she wasn’t letting me off the hook soeasily.
With a sly smile on her face, Casey said, “Louisa, why don’t you tell Jake about the trip you took to Mexicorecently?”
And when Louisa launched into her giggle chatter story, I had tostopher.
“I’m sorry. I need to catch my brother real quick before he leaves. When we see each other later, I’d love to hear the end of it.”Or even a couple words of it,for thatmatter.
And without meeting Casey’s traitorous eye, I kissed her cheek andhurriedaway.
“Quinn,” I called to him. He saw me coming and abruptly turned to leave. Great. Was this the state of ourrelationship?
“Hey,holdup.”
Quinn stopped and slowly rotated until we were facing one another. His body had taken on a rigid stance and that jaw of his was, once again, tightlyclenched.
“I’m sorry, okay?” he said, immediately defending himself. “I shouldn’t have said those things to you last night. And I definitely shouldn’t have flipped you off. I lost my cool and I regret it. But I meant what I said about not bothering you anymore. You’re right. I need to do this onmyown.”
“No, you don’t. I was being a jerk. You’re my brother, and I should be helpingyouout.”
“That’s the thing, Jake. I don’t want you to feel like it’s anobligation.”
“Look, even if I wanted to help your band get a spot on my tour, I can’t. The opening bands aren’t my decision. My label picks them. Even if I went to bat for you, it wouldn’tmatter.”
