The Humdrum Life of a Hero

Epilogue

The television went to commercial and I flipped it off, waiting for Jay to respond. Looking at him from the couch, I watched him contemplate and digest the interview his father gave. Slowly, his hands raked down his face as he began laughing hysterically. I couldn't distinguish if he was having a meltdown or was just thoroughly amused with his father's antics.

"Jay?" I squeaked, unsure whether to interrupt him or not.

Still catching his breath, he wistfully said, "Sorry, sorry. I'm fine. Although I might puke I'm laughing so hard."

I continued to sit on the couch as he pulled on his shoes and coat. Before walking out the door though, he came over and kissed me and told me he loved me.

He does the same thing now as we're standing in the LEGO aisle in Target.

It's been two weeks since Winter Formal and the beginning of my Fifteen Minutes of Fame. After the article was published, people started coming up to me and expressing their admiration for what I was doing. The only bad thing was that it dug up the way people acted around me when my mother had first left, as if I was lost little puppy.

Let's just say the attention was a blessing and curse.

Another pretty cool event came out of Jay's project and Kylie's article: my dad has started to cut back on the hours. Starting after Christmas, which is in two days, he will be home every single weekend. I initially didn't show him the article or mention it, but Tony called him that Sunday night and told him to go buy a paper. That led to him realizing he needed to be home with his kids as much as our financial situation will allow.

Which, actually, is a lot more than we'd all been led to believe.

I suppose you do build up quite the savings account when you work almost 80 hours a week.

Speaking of family, the battle lines drawn between Jay and his father are slowly being crossed out. His mom came home a couple of days ago from rehab for the holidays, and one of her conditions for being let out for a few weeks is that she continue her therapy sessions. And apparently the therapist here thought some of her problems stemmed from Jay and Jay's father, so the therapist asked them to join the sessions, which have actually allowed everyone to face and own up to the shit they've put each other through over the years.

Jay says the amount of yelling and cursing in the sessions gradually decreases each time they go, which is, and I'm not sure I'd consider it this, an improvement. But we all have to take baby steps to begin with.

"So do you know what the boys have, LEGO-wise?" Jay asks while he looks over the wall full of LEGO sets. We've been shopping for a few hours now while my dad and Tony watch the boys, who I'm not sure are the best people to keep them in line and out of trouble, but anyone who doesn't blurt out their problems with their female reproductive system has to be at least a smidgen better.

I'm still apologizing for Mrs. Valencia's lapse of judgement.

"They only have what you bought them for their birthday," I lean on the cart and close my eyes. The last few days have been a whirlwind of finals, Christmas decorations, and quickies with Jay whenever we find ourselves alone. We still haven't told my dad about us dating, and I'm pretty sure he's still under the impression that Jay is just a friend of Tony's.

We intend on keeping it that way for a little while more at least.

"Man," Jay glances over at me. "That was a long time ago."

"It was only like a month and a half ago, Jay." I roll the cart toward him, which is already filled with toys from the Disney and Barbie aisles. I took Jay up on his offer from the boys' birthday when he suggested we switch shopping lists. I honestly had a blast picking out scantily clad Barbies and new Disney Princesses that I didn't even knew existed.