Chapter Twenty-Eight
Everyone was having a blast. The music was loud. Empty bowls were either filled or replaced so quickly it was as if house elves had been set loose at the party and threatened with clothes. Mom and Dad were there, but it didn't really feel like they were chaperoning because the entire family was there. All of our friends were there too, even the ones we'd hoped would not be able to make it. In fact, from what I'd heard at school, this was the party to be at if you were anybody.
Our house wasn't big enough to have that many people milling around, so we had begged Coach Artemov to let us use the gym. And, by we, I mean me. I begged him, and I was practically on my knees. After I'd promised to be entirely responsible for anything that happened and essentially sold my soul, he agreed. When I told Marcus what I had to “pay” to borrow the gym, he'd smiled broadly and then spun me around the room. I'd like to say that he was more excited than I was, and it probably appeared that way to someone who didn't know me, but I was truly thrilled that Coach Artemov had asked me to run the gym. I'd be close to all my friends, it would be a flexible part-time job while I was at the junior college, and it would get me necessary experience that would help me once I became an actuary. I was happier than I had ever thought I could be.
Before the party was in full swing, we bounced around on the spring mats. We ate and mingled with the early guests. Mostly, Marcus and I spent the entire time touching each other. If we weren't holding hands, I was sitting on his lap or on the floor between his feet. I was ecstatic and nothing could dampen the mood.
The slight green tinge to Megan’s face did give me pause, but after a snappish “I’m fine”, I gave up and stuck my worry into a small part at the back of my brain. There is no reason on the face of the earth to piss off a pregnant woman.
After everyone had arrived, Mom and Dad reminded Luka and me that we had presents to open.
“Can't we wait until everybody leaves?” I asked, horrified at the though of that many people watching me open presents.
“Nope.”
And that was that. At first, Luka and I agreed that we would open the presents as quickly as possible, thank everyone as we went, and then get the party going again with as little interruption as possible. We could always send thank you cards later. Mom and Dad had a different idea.
“Why don't you guys sit here and we'll send everybody over one by one when they're ready. That way, the party won't have to stop, and you can have some quality time with your friends. You guys are graduating soon, you know. You might not see these people as much as you think once school is over.”
Mom had a point.
“Alrighty,” I agreed.
Marcus and I got comfortable on the spring mat. He sat with his back against the wall and I sat between his legs. It was nice to have his arms around my waist, even if it did make it difficult to lean forward to open the presents. Luka and Megan decided to sit near us. It took Megan five whole minutes to sit down, no exaggeration, and she still didn’t look comfortable perched gingerly on the edge. She looked like she was going to puke, but she was managing a tight smile and patting Luka's hair.
“Bring 'em on,” I called to Mom, tearing my gaze away from Megan.
Something wasn't sitting quite right with me, but I pushed aside the odd feeling that this was all a setup and decided to be the good daughter and play along. Eventually I would find out what Mom and Dad were really up to, until then I'd just enjoy the attention.
As I expected, family members stopped by first. It seemed to fit into the grand scheme of things.
“I've been deployed,” Jack said unequivocally while dropping his gift in my lap. “It'll be a long time before I get to give you another gift, so treasure this one.”
My heart dropped, but I remembered that they had not sent him anywhere dangerous yet. I reasoned that he was much too old to be sent over to a combat zone, but I knew my logic was faulty before the thought came to fruition.
“Where are you going?” I asked interestedly, trying to hide my concern, as I opened the gift. “Someplace awesome?”
“Of course,” he scoffed nonchalantly. “I'm heading for Australia. It's a six month hitch, so I'll be back in time for Christmas.”
“Christmas?” I exclaimed. “That's great. Christmas isn't the same without you.”
“It’s not?” Jack teased.
“You know it’s not,” I replied. “There’ve been too many holidays with you. And Inara, for that matter.”
“Australia sounds awesome,” Marcus said over my shoulder. “I'm jealous. I've never been.”
“Me either,” I added unnecessarily, opening the envelope quickly. “Thanks, Jack. This is fantastic; I really need some new clothes for my new job.”
“Gift cards are always the way to go, huh.” Jack said and mussed my hair before heading over to Luka's area.
I was trying to hear what Jack was saying to Luka when Phaedra hurled a box into my lap scaring the beejesus out of me.
“I'm doing this under protest,” she said sweetly.
Ever the two-faced charmer, I though maliciously. Of course, I couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit sorry for her. Of the nine of us, she alone seemed to get lost in the constant chaos that was everyone else. It was that thought alone that allowed me to respond with some measure of politeness. “Okay. Thanks, I think.”
Another gift card fell out when I opened the box.
“Thanks, Phaedra. This really will come in handy.”
“I know,” she said haughtily. “Just for the record, I don't think you deserve Marcus, but I guess I’m glad you're happy. I'll miss you at school next year. Did you hear? I'm going to be in six AP classes next year. That's more than you took, Rin, and way more than Luka. ”
“What a piece of work,” Marcus said as she walked away. “Just for the record, I'm not sure I deserve you, but I'm incredibly happy.”
“Thanks,” I whispered. “Don’t be too hard on her. She just doesn’t feel like she fits anywhere, I think. She needs a good friend and a big hug. Or, you can slap her. That might work too.”
“Don't listen to Phaedra,” James said as he walked up. “She's just being Phaedra. We all know she’s just living in her own world.”
“James!” I cried as I sprang up and hugged him tightly. “Will you be home for Christmas too?”
“Yup. I'm a starter next year, so you'll have to take some time off from your new job to come to one of my games.”
“Sure,” I said as I sat back down with Marcus. “We can make it a road trip.”
“I don't know if you can deal in the car for 11 hours,” James said, addressing his comment to Marcus. “You know, she'll have to pee every five minutes. Speaking of peeing, has anybody checked on Megs lately? She’s looking like she’s about to pop.”
“She’s nine months pregnant, she is about to pop,” I replied. “Duh.”
“You pay when you play,” James said sagely, winking at Marcus.
“Thanks for the gift card,” I said, elbowing Marcus when he nodded at James. “I'll really need some new clothes for my new job so it's perfect.”
“No prob, sis. See you soon. Oh, yeah. Happy Birthday!”
“Thanks.” Then, when James was out of earshot, I whispered to Marcus, “Does this strike you as weird?”
“What? James? He’s just giving you a bad time.”
“NO. Everybody is getting me gift cards to the same place.”
“New job, remember?”
“Everybody? The same exact store? Doesn’t it reek of conspiracy?”
“They want you to be able to get what you need.”
“Yeah. Must be,” I replied rolling my eyes and wondering if I had gone crazy.
Lex, Charlie, and Phelps dropped off boxes containing gift cards as well, before being ushered back into the 'kids' room to play games and watch cartoons. We hardly had time to thank them, let alone talk with them. Though, that might have been a good thing, since the amount of frosting around Charlie’s mouth could have frosted a whole cake.
Inara was the last to stop by and she looked a bit frazzled which was highly unusual.
“Are you okay?” I asked immediately.
“Yes,” she replied absently. “Yes. Mais bien sur. Of course. I am doing well.”
“Um. Okay.”
“Here is your gift. I am afraid that it is rather unoriginal and for that I apologize. I was instructed on what to purchase, and, quite frankly, I have been rather overwhelmed with applications and interviews. There is no excuse for such crass behavior. I should have made a better attempt for your special birthday, Catherine.”
“It's all good,” I replied. “Now it's my turn to apologize. I have no clue what you're talking about. It seems like I'm always the last to know what the heck is happening.”
“I am applying with several companies. I have an interview in Moscow at the end of the week and another in The Hague at the beginning of next week.”
“The Hague?” Marcus asked. “In the Netherlands?”
“Yes. Certainly, I would prefer to work in San Francisco or New York, but one has to take what is offered.”
“Ooh,” I squealed, poking Marcus. “Wouldn't it be fabulous to be able to tell everybody that my sister is with the American Ballet Company or the famous Bolshoi Theatre?”
“Dancing?” Marcus looked confused.
“Inara is graduating with a degree in dance,” I explained over my shoulder to Marcus before turning around to talk to Inara again. “How many places have you applied to? We thought you weren't going to try for a company. You sounded so certain when you had decided to go into interior design.”
“Twelve. I changed my mind.”
Inara blushed quite becomingly.
“Hold on one sec,” I blurted, tactless as usual. “You have a crush on someone, don't you?”
“I… I have come to be fond of one of my colleagues,” Inara stammered.
“Yay! I'm so happy for you, Inara. Thank for the gift card. It really will be helpful and it's perfect.”
Inara hurried away, thoroughly embarrassed and showing it.
“How did you know?” Marcus asked. “About the boyfriend?”
“There’s not much that would change Inara’s mind once it’s set. It would take a miracle, a natural disaster, or a boy. And, I recognize the insane urge to change your whole life for someone.”
“Ah. You women are pretty crazy, you know.”
“Yup. But, what does it say about you men that love us?”
Marcus and I didn't get a chance to talk much for a long while. Our friends paraded past us, dropping off gift boxes filled with gift cards. Marcus held me tight when Laura walked by, but she didn't make a scene. In fact, she apologized for her behavior. She had someone new in her life and she'd realized that she'd been a bit terrible to everybody. Her new relationship, with Noah Lester no less, had opened her eyes to the way she'd treated people. I wasn't sure that a tiger could change its spots, but Mom always said that people deserved another chance. Noah, on the other hand, was still creepy. He hadn't done anything outright creepy, but somehow, on the arm of Laura Ashley he seemed even more off-putting.
I was incredibly glad when PJ and Sarah stopped by to let us know they'd both been accepted to UCLA. Sarah's uncle, Jeff Dunham, had hired her to work as an intern on his TV show. Once she graduated with her MBA, he planned on having her run the Jeff Dunham Fund, a charity dedicated to helping those in crisis. She was thrilled, but her parents were skeptical that a man who played with puppets for a living could provide a stable job for their daughter. PJ, finally free of high school football, planned to make a genuine attempt to dedicate serious effort to his education. Of course, he was making very official looking air quotes as he told us, which led Marcus to comment on the asinine expectations of parents.
As I thought about what Marcus had said, the nagging feeling moved to the pit of my stomach. Everybody seemed to know what was going on except me. Even Marcus seemed to be conversing with everyone in an abnormal way. I can't explain what was different, it just was. I was starting to think that I was just paranoid, a side effect of being with Marcus, maybe. Then I could have sworn I saw my Mom wink at Shauna, and they headed over to us.
Bobby O. and Shauna, the most unlikely couple with the exception of Laura and Noah, were both staying local. Bobby was wrestling at the JC and Shauna was heading to Sonoma State to study math under the famous Doctor Bill Barnier. B-Squared to his students, those lucky enough to have one of his graduate level courses. I'm not saying Bobby was dumb, ‘cause he's one of the smartest guys I know and he'll probably end up as a aeronautic engineer, but he's rubbish in school. No one can figure out what they have in common, or what they talk about when they're alone. That's assuming they talk at all when they're alone, they might be engaging in activities that do not require an understanding of higher level math.
My brain, with a mind of its own, instantly went into the gutter. I tried to get the image of a naked Bobby O. on the line next to an equally naked Luka, both watching as Marcus, sans clothes, ran for a touchdown. Oli and Trisha strolled up, arm in arm, which only added to the horror. Now Bobby and Oli were both naked and Luka was giving hi-fives. I shook my head and tried to focus on Oli and Trisha, fully clothed, before everybody in my hallucination was naked and doing chest bumps. Thankfully Trisha dropped the gaily wrapped box in my lap, though I was a bit miffed that she laughed when I jumped. I guess it had been quite obvious that I was light years away.
Trisha and Oli were making the most of the last few weeks they had together. Oli had joined the Army. He'd had his heart set on being a dentist his whole life. He'd worked hard in school and had managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA while playing football, volunteering at several local charities, and tutoring in his spare time. Unfortunately, his parents were broke. Oli had jumped at the chance to have the army pay for his education; he'd make a good salary for working during his breaks from school to boot. Trisha was heartbroken when she found out he was being stationed in Georgia. She'd just accepted an invitation to dance with the Mark Morris Dance Group and they were based in Brooklyn, New York. It was an amazing opportunity with a prestigious dance company and she couldn't give it up. Oli felt the same way about the opportunity with the army, so they decided to split amicably. I don't blame them for trying to squeeze as much out of the end as possible.
Evie and Sebastian stopped by next, dragging Leena and Giancarlo with them. Marcus was on his feet, standing toe to toe with Giancarlo before I had even realized he'd dumped me on the floor. Crap, I didn’t even think a Cullen could move that fast.
“Okay you two,” Sebastian said loudly. “Enough posturing. We’re all big strong men here.”
“Yeah,” I added, jumping to my feet between them. “Let's just calm down. Can't we all just get along?”
“Si, bella,” Giancarlo said hastily. “I only wanted to wish you a happy birthday and to apologize for my unacceptable behavior.”
“No worries,” I said. “I've heard worse. I think.”
“Doubtful,” Leena interrupted. “Gio here doesn't hold anything back when he's upset.”
“Gio?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “Nice, Leena. Glad to see everything worked out for the both of you.”
“Thanks,” Leena and Giancarlo said simultaneously.
Marcus was holding his arms halfway to punching Giancarlo, attempting to look relaxed.
“Everything's fine, Marcus. No big deal. I promise.”
“Fine,” Marcus huffed.
We sat back down and he wrapped his arms around me protectively.
“You're mine and I'll protect you from any type of hurt, big or small,” he whispered in my ear.
Sebastian and Evie were heading to Nationals with Coach Artemov for the last time. They were reluctant to talk about it; afraid they would bring up too many bad memories, but I pressed them for details. After a few questions, they opened up about training and the competition. It was nice to hear their enthusiasm and excitement. I know I would be the same way a few months before a major competition like that, so I got caught up in their excitement.
Giancarlo and Leena were also going to Nationals, but Leena was an alternate so it was doubtful that she would even get to compete. Most people would dismiss her because she was 'just an alternate' but those people are morons. It takes a great deal of work to be able to compete on the National level; in fact, Leena was better than 95% of all of the gymnasts in the entire world. Not many people can make that claim, though I do suppose that she wishes that she had scored just a tiny bit better in her last competition so she wouldn't be 'just an alternate'.
That was the end of the parade of friends. Mom and Dad came by to give me their present and I skipped straight past conspiracy theory into full blown paranoia. Something was up and I needed to know immediately.
“Open our gift,” Mom said firmly.
I ripped open the envelope and there was a jagged piece of paper that told me to give all my gift cards to Luka and Megan. At first, I was tempted to keep one or two so I could get some new clothes for work, but Mom and Dad had something planned, so I decided to go with it. I would have spent hours agonizing over the chicanery until I finally confessed. Plus, Luka and Megan really needed the money more than I did. There must have been a couple thousand dollars worth of gift cards in the pile between Luka and me.
I hopped up and took the gift cards over to them, dragging Marcus by the hand.
“Are you sure, Rin? You could use some new clothes.” Megan said quietly, her eyes moist. “I mean, for when you start your new job. Not that there's anything wrong with your clothes now. I'm sorry.”
“I understand. Don't be sorry. And, yes, I'm sure. Even if Mom and Dad weren't up to something completely insane, you need these much more than I do.”
“Thanks, Rin,” Megan said in a sharp voice.
Megan buried her face in Luka's shoulder and started to cry.
Marcus put his arm around my waist, “There's something you should see.”
“What?”
“Come see.”
“What am I coming to see?” I asked, reluctant to leave Luka to deal with my Megan mess.
I can be rather exasperating, from time to time.
“My birthday gift to you.”
“Oh. Sure!”
He handed me an envelope. I opened the envelope and found an itinerary, airplane tickets, and a note from Mom and Dad. The tickets were originally for Luka and me as a birthday/graduation present. Once the situation with Megan solidified, they began making alternate plans. Eventually Marcus got Luka's ticket and we were going to a distant continent by ourselves for two whole weeks. Mom made us both promise that we'd be responsible because she said, and I quote, 'if you come home knocked up, there'll be hell to pay, young lady'. I would have laughed, but I knew she was dead serious.
After a ‘thank you’ to everyone and about a million hugs and kisses, we were released back into the party to have a good time. Marcus and I headed onto the makeshift dance floor to mingle with everyone and dance with reckless abandon. It's possible I might have broken a few toes and bruised a few shins, but I'll never admit to it in a court of law. It was my party and I was going to have the best time.
Before I knew it, it was time to cut the cake. Oli's Mom had gone all out; the cake was fabulous. The cake was a perfect replica of the drum set used in the Tainted Love show, only the drummer was a naked baby. That lady has one wicked sense of humor.
I couldn't cut into Megan and Luka's baby, so I called her over to cut the cake. When she saw it, she started laughing hysterically.
“I can't cut into my own baby,” she said, still laughing, a shadow of pain behind the merriment.
“Of course you can,” I argued. “Now's the only time you can without criminal charges being filed.”
“Oh,” Megan gasped. “It's time to go, Luka.”
“What?” Luka asked, looking up from the slice of cake he'd already managed to snag and eat.
“I can’t wait any longer, Luka. It’s time to go.”
“Luka,” Mom bellowed. “Get your woman to the hospital. She’s been panting quietly through contractions through the whole damn party.”
“You’re coming?” Luka asked in a panic.
“We’ll be right behind you,” Dad assured him.
“Do you want us to call your parents?” I asked Megan.
“NO.” Megan shouted. “I'll call them later.” She called over her shoulder when she caught her breath as Luka hustled her out of the gym.
“Let me know when I'm an aunt,” I yelled at Luka.
He waved at me over his shoulder and they were gone. My parents hurried out after them, along with several other party guests. The atmosphere never regained the lighthearted frivolity and people started leaving soon after. Marcus stayed to help me lock up the gym, waiting while I left a note explaining the situation to Coach Artemov – nobody wanted him to think we were leaving the gym in that condition – and we headed to the hospital.
As we drove to the hospital, Marcus and I talked about our trip and made plans for our eventual return to our normal lives. I was smiling, thinking of the many trips my family had made to the Kaiser hospital when Marcus and I walked through the doors to the maternity ward. We made it to the waiting room and found everybody there already celebrating.
“I'm a poppa,” Luka crowed. “I have a beautiful baby girl. Seven pounds. Twenty inches. Her name's Grace.”
Luka hugged me, spinning me around crazily.
“Did you hear me, Rin? I'm a poppa!”
“I heard you,” I replied happily. “Half of the North Bay heard you.”
“I've got to get back into the room, I just wanted to tell you guys the good news.”
Phones were flipped open and text messages sent. I watched my family, sublimely happy to be a part of such a wonderful family. There wasn't room for all of us in the room comfortably, so Marcus pulled me out into the hallway.
“I love you, Rin.”
He kissed me softly.
The world, much like my family, was often crazy and unpredictable, I mused. There was always a give and take, as I had discovered painfully. Doors opened and closed, like the saying, but very rarely in sync. This makes it seem like the bad times will never end and the good times are far and few between. This is an illusion that stems from the craziness of the world itself. Despite the illusion, here, in this moment, enveloped in Marcus' arms and surrounded by the warm voices of my family, everything was just fine. Purt near perfect, if I don't say so myself.