Home is Where the Heart is - Pablo Gavi

Chapter 40: Chance

The doorbell of our new house rings and I head over to open it in the extra clothes Gavi packed for me. I open the door and both my parents, Gavi's parents and Xavi are standing on the threshold. When we woke up this morning we cleaned up and then invited them over for a tour.

"Buenos días, (Good morning)" I greet them, letting them inside. I feel Gavi join me, placing a hand on the small of my back. We're all standing in the lobby, door shut when I introduce them. "Mom, dad, these are Gavi's parents." I gesture to his parents. They shake hands and say hello.

"And this is our house," Gavi says, gesturing for them to follow him. First we go into the living room, the only furniture being the mattress on the floor. We made the bed after getting up this morning, but it doesn't look made as it only has some sheets and a few mismatched blankets. "This is the living room, I ordered a bed frame but it's not in yet."

We move into the kitchen. "As you can tell," I say, "we haven't gotten any furniture yet, but it's a work in progress. And here," I open the bathroom door and peer inside, "is the downstairs bathroom."

We head up the stairs, our guests investigating every nook and cranny but remaining silent. We show them the master bedroom and the spare room as well as the upstairs bathroom.

"I think that's everything," I say as we head back downstairs.

"The backyard!" Gavi exclaims. It's his favorite part. We show them the spacious fenced in backyard and Gavi explains our plans for it. "We're thinking of putting up a net over here, maybe building a deck right off the house because there's space and also adding a hot tub."

"Wow," my father says as he peers around the yard. "You've got big plans kid." He pats Gavi on the shoulder.

"Not surprising," Gavi's mom comments in a fond manner. "He's always been a dreamer." She holds a soft smile as well, seeming proud of her son.

"We're proud of you," my mom says, "but--"

"Can we stop at 'we're proud of you' today?" I ask. I want today to be a happy day, not a reiteration of our past arguments.

"But," my mother persists, "does this mean you've decided to stay? You cannot very well live here if you are attending University in Canada."

"Mom--"

"This needs to be discussed," my dad cuts in. "You only have ten days before your flight back."

"As we've said," my mom continues, "we will support your decision either way, but we need to know soon."

"I don't know yet," I tell them. "I don't know what I want." Or maybe I do and I'm afraid to admit it.

"Let's not fight about this today," my uncle says, leading everyone back into the house. "Who wants lunch?"

And so it's decided we're all going out for lunch together. Everyone hops in their own cars as we all have places to split off to after this. I get in with Gavi since my car is still at Xavi's. I'll move it with the rest of my stuff when I get the chance.

At lunch everyone keeps the conversation pleasant, no more discussion about my impossible decision surfacing. The only less then pleasant interaction of the event occurs while the waitress takes our orders. She asks for Gavi's number but he puts his arm over the back of my chair and says no thanks politely. I'm not sure if she knew who we are or thought Gavi was attractive. I can't blame her, but read the setting: two teenagers out with two sets of adults.

After lunch Gavi and I give Xavi a ride to training while my parents take his car back to his house. Today's session is set to be short and preparative, getting ready for tomorrow's match.