Family Reunion
Eight
I wake up a few hours later with John turned towards me on his side, still asleep with his arm now across my waist. I attempt to stretch a bit and he stirs when my hand bumps his chest. His eyes open slightly and when he sees me, a smile makes its way onto his face. He props himself up on his elbow and looks at the clock on the night stand behind me. "It's eleven at night," he says, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.
I sit up a bit, leaning against the headboard. "I'm starving," John says, getting up to raid the mini fridge on the other side of the room next to the sofa. "And there's nothing in the hotel room, what kind of restaurants around here are open?"
I laugh, "Unless you're planning on breaking your diet and going to McDonald's, nothing."
He groans, thinking about it for a second before grabbing the room key, his phone, and then my hand before pulling me out of the room.
Now that I'm more awake than when Joonas drove us to the hotel from the airport, I recognize where we are in the city. "Looks like it's your turn to get us where we need to go now," John says, referring to the first night I got to DC. I laugh, pulling him down the sidewalk for a few blocks before we see the neon sign of McDonald's.
We walk into the restaurant with only a few other people inside, and go up to the counter to order. "What do you want?" I mumble to John, glancing over the menu hanging above us.
"Do they have a big mac?" he asks, the Finnish names of the meals throwing him off. I nod, going up to the counter and naming off what we want in Finnish. The cashier hands us our soda cups and reciept. "What do you want to drink?" John asks, taking my cup from my hands.
"Coke," I say, smiling thankfully at him before turning and waiting for our food. One of the people behind the counter brings a tray up to me, smiling before turning back to the next customer. I bring the tray over to the table John picked, unloading the food from its bag, and giving John his sandwich and fries.
We sit in silence, eating, before my phone starts ringing. I recognize the ring tone immediately, and pull my phone out of my pocket, seeing a picture of Tuukka on the screen. John gives me a confused look before I set my phone on the table so he can see who's calling. He nudges it towards me, urging me to answer, but I shake my head, hitting the volume button to stop the ringing. I hold back the tears as John comes over to sit beside me, aware that this the first time Tuukka has even attempted to call me since I left Savonlinna in September. "He didn't know. Your parents probably didn't even tell him. He's trying now, don't push him away," John tries to reason.
I shake my head, "You don't know my brother." He relents after a minute, but puts an arm around me before pulling his food from across the table so he can finish eating.
-
"When do you want to pick up your car for the rest of the trip?" Joonas asks in Finnish, coming into the hotel room the next day while John's in the shower. I shrug, debating whether to tell him that Tuukka called or not.
"Today I guess. Once John's done," I say. It goes quiet for a second before I decide to tell him, "Tuukka called me last night."
He looks up from fiddling with his keys, "Did you answer?" I shake my head. "Mom and Isä said he came home for the break, he must have found out you left. It's the first time he's been home since the season started."
"Has he talked to you?" I ask, hearing the shower stop.
"I haven't been to the house for a couple weeks, and he hasn't tried to call me once."
John comes out, fully dressed, a few minutes later and we head out.
I sit up a bit, leaning against the headboard. "I'm starving," John says, getting up to raid the mini fridge on the other side of the room next to the sofa. "And there's nothing in the hotel room, what kind of restaurants around here are open?"
I laugh, "Unless you're planning on breaking your diet and going to McDonald's, nothing."
He groans, thinking about it for a second before grabbing the room key, his phone, and then my hand before pulling me out of the room.
Now that I'm more awake than when Joonas drove us to the hotel from the airport, I recognize where we are in the city. "Looks like it's your turn to get us where we need to go now," John says, referring to the first night I got to DC. I laugh, pulling him down the sidewalk for a few blocks before we see the neon sign of McDonald's.
We walk into the restaurant with only a few other people inside, and go up to the counter to order. "What do you want?" I mumble to John, glancing over the menu hanging above us.
"Do they have a big mac?" he asks, the Finnish names of the meals throwing him off. I nod, going up to the counter and naming off what we want in Finnish. The cashier hands us our soda cups and reciept. "What do you want to drink?" John asks, taking my cup from my hands.
"Coke," I say, smiling thankfully at him before turning and waiting for our food. One of the people behind the counter brings a tray up to me, smiling before turning back to the next customer. I bring the tray over to the table John picked, unloading the food from its bag, and giving John his sandwich and fries.
We sit in silence, eating, before my phone starts ringing. I recognize the ring tone immediately, and pull my phone out of my pocket, seeing a picture of Tuukka on the screen. John gives me a confused look before I set my phone on the table so he can see who's calling. He nudges it towards me, urging me to answer, but I shake my head, hitting the volume button to stop the ringing. I hold back the tears as John comes over to sit beside me, aware that this the first time Tuukka has even attempted to call me since I left Savonlinna in September. "He didn't know. Your parents probably didn't even tell him. He's trying now, don't push him away," John tries to reason.
I shake my head, "You don't know my brother." He relents after a minute, but puts an arm around me before pulling his food from across the table so he can finish eating.
-
"When do you want to pick up your car for the rest of the trip?" Joonas asks in Finnish, coming into the hotel room the next day while John's in the shower. I shrug, debating whether to tell him that Tuukka called or not.
"Today I guess. Once John's done," I say. It goes quiet for a second before I decide to tell him, "Tuukka called me last night."
He looks up from fiddling with his keys, "Did you answer?" I shake my head. "Mom and Isä said he came home for the break, he must have found out you left. It's the first time he's been home since the season started."
"Has he talked to you?" I ask, hearing the shower stop.
"I haven't been to the house for a couple weeks, and he hasn't tried to call me once."
John comes out, fully dressed, a few minutes later and we head out.