Status: In Progress

Better Together

Please Help Us

We drove about two minutes before he reached over the center consol to take my empty hand. We really didn’t say much, but sat in a comfortable silence with music being the only thing heard throughout the truck. When I recognized a song, I would sing along and if it was a really good song, Jake jumped in to. He didn’t sing as often as I did because he claimed that his voice would hurt my ears. After twenty minutes of driving, we hit the outer edge of Pittsburgh. It would only take about ten minutes on the expressway to get into the city, but to my surprise, Jake headed around the city instead of towards it.
“So, you may hate me, but our parents are in town to congratulate me on Gold. I was supposed to get you to come anyways. So, this is not our first date, which will be tomorrow once our parents fly home.”
“Crosby, you are going to regret this! You know I hate going home as much as you do, so why would I want to eat with them, here, where I escaped to?” I let go of his hand abruptly and turned my torso to stare out the window towards the glowing city lights.
“Dan, I’m sorry. They would eat me alive if I came without you, you know that,” he responded as he pulled up to his parents’ home in Sewickley, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
“Please tell me that Rita cooked?” I winced just thinking about his mother’s cooking. Rita is their housekeeper/everything else a mother should be because Jake’s mom just isn’t cut out to be anything but a trophy wife.
“Dear god, I hope so. My mom almost killed me when I was ten, do you remember that?”
“Yeah, that was the last time I stuck around for dinner unless I watched Rita cook,” I laughed and forgave Jake. I would’ve done the same thing to get him to go with me to this stupid dinner. Besides, I couldn’t hide from mom and dad for more than two years. They might stop paying car insurance.
“I’m just jealous that you got out of two Christmases,” he chuckled.
“It’s nice to have an older sibling to visit on the opposite side of Canada. I’m sure my parents will figure it out soon enough and fly there one year. That will be the year I stay in Pittsburgh or where ever I end up after graduation.”
“Let’s get through tonight, and then start planning on how to avoid them next Christmas. It might take the next eight months to do it right,” I giggled and let myself out of the four by four. I slammed the door and met Jake in front of the truck. He boldly grabbed my hand before heading towards the back door that leads to the kitchen.
“Jake, Dani; welcome home, well, home away from home.” Rita said to us as we let ourselves in and slid out of our shoes.
“Rita, thank god you’re here. Please tell me you cooked,” Jake proclaimed rather loud as he went to give the aging woman of nearly 65 a hug.
“Of course I did, your Momma hasn’t gone near the oven since you left for college. Hi, Dani, give me a hug, Miss-I-Don’t-Come-Home-Anymore. Are you too good to come and see me?”
“Not at all, I just don’t like home for reasons you know about, it has nothing to do with you, Rita.”
“Your Momma has news, Jake. You two better scoot on in.” We gave her each one more hug before going to the formal room. We shed our coats first in the hall and hung them in the closet before going to where our parents were assembled.
“Why’d you use the kitchen door?” Jake’s mom, Liz, pounced.
“I didn’t want to trudge in any slush onto the new flooring, so we took our shoes off there. I hear you have news or something. Is that why we are really here?” he questioned her as if she were accused of a crime. I couldn’t blame him though, he had just won a Gold medal and she was going to try and top that with news of her own, how selfish.
“Of course not, Jake. We want to celebrate your Gold medal. Grandma and Grandpa Crosby will be here shortly.” Sidney Crosby, the Penguin’s poster boy even today as their coach and owner, said to his son.
“Fine, hello, Corine, Gerry,” he said to my parents. He placed a light kiss on my mom’s cheek and shook my dad’s hand. I kissed Liz and Sidney’s cheeks in greeting before receiving my parents’ hugs.
“You look nice, Danielle,” my mom plainly stated.
The doorbell rang and Jake was the first one to move towards answering it. I was stranded with my so-called family as they began to ask about school. I told them little and greeted the elder Crosby’s when they entered the formal room. Jake and I then headed to the dining room and claimed the chairs we usually sat in at family dinners such as these at this house. Everyone else shuffled in and took their seats as they spoke softly of the Olympics and now the returning of hockey.
“Now that everyone is here, Sidney and I have an announcement,” his mother said as she stood at her place setting. “We are expecting a new Crosby in seven months time.” Jake dropped his fork next to me, which he had been using to shove his mashed potatoes into his mouth and it clamored onto the dining wear. Everyone paused and turned their attention to him, including me. I took his hand beneath the table and squeezed it reassuringly and he squeezed my knee in return. I kept hold on his hand.
“My bad,” he let out. Grandma Trina’s gaze shifted off of him and back to Liz.
“Are you sure you want to start all over again? Jake’s 21 years old. I know you both aren’t old, but it has been twenty years since there was a baby in your house. Your father and I had a hard enough time raising you and Taylor ten years apart.”
“Mom, we think this is the perfect time to do this,” Liz told Trina, trying to be calm but I saw it in her face that she was appalled that Trina even asked.
“I think it’s great,” my mom broke in before standing to hug Liz.
Jake and I just continued to eat and ignore everyone else. I tried to engage in conversation later, just to be polite, but was shut down by my mother whenever I tried. I guess you can say that Jake and I have great reasons for not going home. I am too unique for my parents to handle because I didn’t use Jake for his money and Jake didn’t want to follow in his dad’s footsteps directly.
As soon as dessert was served, Jake claimed that he needed to catch up on some studying and we safely escaped from Sewickley after saying goodbye to Rita.
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Okay, how'd you like that? Seriously, just a single comment will make me feel better!
I think the next chapter or two will be in Jake's POV to switch things up a bit.