Pretending to Be Andersen

Uncomfortable Situations

Tomorrow was the day Vincent went back to Harvard. I had been dreading it for days but I tried not to let it get in the way of spending as much time as I possibly could with him. He didn't talk about school much and I wondered if he was actually enjoying it or if he was just trying to keep me from worrying over the distance.

     But today was the day my mother arrived for a week-long visit before the last semester of my senior year began. I ended up calling her after Rebecca dropped me off the day we went dress shopping. It was last minute and completely out of the blue, but she asked to come visit. And after not letting her come celebrate Christmas with us, I couldn't say no to this.

     "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you to the airport?" Vincent asked as he helped clear breakfast from the table.

     Today was also the day the rest of the extended Andersen family all went home. This was our last big breakfast.

     "I don't know. Honestly, I don't even want to go myself. That's going to be a long and awkward ride home. What do I even say to her?" I wondered. "'Hey, you completely shut me out when I needed you the most but I'm glad you're here'?"

     It was clear by the look on Vincent's face that he didn't know what to say. That, in itself, was an idea of wonder. He always knew just what to say.     

     "Maybe Lucas can haul the bike back with my truck and I can stay a couple more days...," he said, unsure.

     As tempted as I was to accept the idea of more time with Vincent, I knew better. "And I will spend those couple days avoiding my mother and getting lost in you? Yeah, not a good plan."

     "So you actually plan on talking about your problems with your mother?" he asked.

     I sighed. "I don't want to but I'm sure I'll have to," I answered.

     Once the dishes were cleared and any leftovers taken care of, Vincent and I began breaking down the long table. First step: move chairs into the storage cupboard in the garage. We worked from opposite ends, each hauling two at a time until I came back to Vincent standing over the last three.

     I watched him drop slowly to his knees with his hand over his mouth. The look in his eyes was one I couldn't describe. He looked amazed but also somewhat emotional.

     I realized the three chairs that were left behind belonged to Vincent, Lucas, and me. I had just finished the carvings on mine this morning when I couldn't sleep. Now when you put all three of our chairs together, they formed one grand design. Almost vine-like in the way the grooves curved. I was a little surprised Vincent hadn't noticed what I had been doing all along. I never really tried to hide it but I didn't talk about it either. Vincent looked back at me with a goofy grin on his face.

     "How did you do this?"

     I shrugged. "With a knife?"

     "Okay, I guess that was a stupid question." Vincent laughed. "But why?"

     I shrugged again. "I always feel like I'm coming between the two of you—you spend  most of your break here with me, you're apart at school, and you didn't even drive back together. I'm told that there was a time where you guys were inseparable." That last part came out as more of a joke. I knew how close they were. I've dealt with the repercussions from Lucas himself. "You and Lucas had such beautiful pieces of art and here was my plain chair coming between you two again. So I thought I'd join the art instead of get in the way of it."

     Vincent ran a hand through his hair like he didn't know what to think. He couldn't take his eyes off the chairs. I watched him taking it all in over and over again. There was such pure wonder there, such genuine happiness, I couldn't look away either. His hand reached out to touch the designs, guiding along the grooves as they curved and swirled around the edges.