Lavender Love (boyxboy)✅

Chapter 14

Whenever Dad asked us to his room, it was never a good sign. He wasn't the type of father who whipped his kids, unlike the fathers of some of my childhood friends. But he'd lecture us for hours at a time. He could go on and on, driving us all crazy.

I racked my brain, trying to remember what I did wrong. I'd done so many things wrong in my life.

"Uh-oh, what'd I do?" I asked, standing in the doorway. "I didn't push Alex into the fence, in case you're wondering."

"Of course you didn't push him. Come in, Jo Jo."

With hesitation, I took a few steps inside his room. Dad closed the door.

"Relax. You're not here for a lecture. Sit down."

I sat on the edge of his bed, curiosity killing me.

"How is Alex doing?" Dad asked, walking toward his closet. For the past week, Alex had been in bed recovering. I brought him food and water and sat with him every day.

"He's doing better. I think he'll be down for dinner tonight."

"Good. Relax, Jo Jo. You're not in trouble. I want you to have something." In his closet, Dad reached for a box on the top shelf. As he returned to me, he opened the box. "Grandma gave this to me when I was a boy. Her father gave it to her before she came to the United States."

Dad sat beside me and placed a pocket watch in my palm. I picked it up and examined it closely. A star with the initials JS underneath it were engraved on the back.

"Alex told me about these stars. It's a Star of David, right? It's a Jewish symbol, like us Catholics have the cross."

"Yes. Your great grandfather was a jeweler. JS was his initials. Jozef Schlechter. Joel was the name of Grandma's brother who died in Poland as a young boy. Your great grandparents weren't happy Grandma married a gentile, but they never stopped loving her. Family is family, after all."

"I don't understand. Dad, why are you giving this to me?"

"Because you'll appreciate it more than your brothers. Besides, your middle name is Joseph. Would you like to see a picture of your grandmother as a girl?" He removed a photograph from the box. The photograph was so old, I thought it would fall apart if I held it. "Her eyes were green and her hair was blond like yours. Of course, you can't tell in the photograph."

"Did Grandma ever regret leaving her family in Poland?"

"She never said it, but I think a part of her did. Can you imagine leaving your family?"

This was Dad's way of guilt-tripping me as my departure neared. He was more subtle than the rest of the family.

"It's not the same with me," I said. "I can just hop on a bus or train to come home. Grandma came here on a boat. It probably took forever back then, too."

"So? Train and bus tickets to and from New York aren't cheap, you know."

"Stop it, Dad. Why are you guys doing this to me? I can't stay a baby boy forever. I have to grow up some time."

"I know," he sighed. "If you couldn't go to NYU and had to stay in Boston, which school would you choose?"

"Harvard?"

"Let's be real, Jo Jo, your math grades weren't good enough to get into Harvard. You didn't even apply, but you were accepted into some very good schools: Boston University, Boston College, Emerson College, Holy Cross."

"Yeah, you'd love it if I went to Holy Cross, wouldn't you? It's only twenty-five miles away. I got into Amherst College, too."

"Amherst is two hours away. You might as well go to New York."