Today is just December 28th for everyone in the world, but for me today is the day when Mason arrives.
I wake up early to plan all the things I want to do these days.
He will only stay five days, since she leaves on January the second and I leave on January 4th.
I get ready for the day; I wear a white dress, tights and boots.
Here the weather is not as cold as in Minnesota.
When I am ready to go and Mason's flight is supposed to arrive in two hours, I head downstairs.
"Dad, do you mind if I go in your car to the airport?" I ask him. He is sitting at the kitchen having a coffee and reading the news.
"Sure, there are the keys" he points at the kitchen countertop.
"Thanks. Where is mom?"
"She is at the doctor"
"Again? Why?" It is the second time he says she is at the doctor since I came.
"Nothing important..." he says waving me off and setting his attention back in the newspaper he is holding.
I sit in front of him "No dad. What is wrong? Can you stop hiding things from me, please? Because when you hide things like this from someone, it immediately makes them feel worried" I sound frustrated, but that's because I feel frustrated... I hate this hiding everything bullshit they have been playing with lately.
"Honey" he looks up to look at my eyes "everything is fine. Trust me, we'll tell you all you need to know at the right time" he says slowly.
"And that is..." I make a gesture with my hand to emphasize my impatience.
"You'll know when that is"
"Oh, really..." I get up and grab his keys "I'm out of here dad, you are making me insane" I say heading to the front door and I hear him laughing.
"Jess, Jess, wait!" I turn around to find Lola in her pink pajamas "estaré lista en cinco minutos, esperame" (I'll be ready in five, wait for me)
"No sweetie, don't you worry, I'll go alone to pick Mason up, and then you'll see him when we come home"
"No, I want to go!" She runs to the stairs to get ready.
"Lola is not necessary, and it's really late, you'll him later" I try to convince her and she stops and turns around.
"¡Que tonta! Quieres un momento romántico a solas, no me había dado cuenta" (What a fool! You want a romantic moment alone with him, I didn't realize) "have fun Jess" she has a funny facial expression that makes
me laugh.
I roll my eyes at her and open the front door "Bye!"
Today is a bit colder than the past days, but I'm sure Mason will still find this weather 'warm' because he is used to live in much colder places.
I drive to the airport, which is a bit far from where I live, and it takes me around forty minutes to make it there.
When I arrive, Mason's flight is supposed to land in ten minutes.
After those ten minutes, and another twenty, I see him going through security.
He looks as good as usual, or even better.
He is wearing black ripped jeans, a black sueter and a denim jacket.
His blonde wavy hair falls a bit down his forehead, long enough for him to play with it, but not that long that covers his eyes, which shine green in the middle of all the people.
When his eyes stop on mine, a smile is drawn in his face.
"Hey!" I run to hug him "oh my God, I missed you so much" I say breathing in his chest. I missed his smell.
"I missed you too" he wraps his arms around me, pressing me against his body "a lot"
After a while kissing and hugging, we walk to the car.
"Whose car is this?" He asks opening the passenger seat's door.
"It's my dad's car, I didn't buy one when I got my license because, apart from not having money, I knew I was going to the US, so it was pointless" I explain to him as we drive put of the airport parking.
He looks at the streets and pays attention to every single thing.
"Can you stop here for a minute?" He asks when we pass a square with a lot of Christmas decoration and kids playing.
"Sure" I find a parking spot and he walks closer to that place to take some photography.
He does this very often.
After stopping to have lunch, we make it home.
"We are here!" I announce as I open the front door, and two seconds later Lola is right in front of us.
"Mason!" She jumps and he lifts her up, holding her in his arms.
"How are pretty girl?" He tells her and she blushes.
"Good! I need to show you my room, and we have to go to my park and..." before she can finish, my dad joins us in the living room.
"Hello" he says with a facial expression I cannot read.
"Hello Mr. Castillo, nice to meet you" Mason shakes his hand, with Lola still in his arms.
"I didn't know you knew Lola" he says and Mason looks at me confused.
"They met when Lola came to spend some days with me"
"So he didn't really spend some days with you, she spent them with him"
"Dad, enough..." I warn him "Is mom back yet?"
"She is sleeping" Lola answers.
We sit on the couch and Lola shows Mason her Christmas gifts.
"Looks like she like him" my dad whispers.
"Yes, she really does"
"Great" he says with a weird voice.
"I'll make myself another coffee" he says standing up "do you guys want something?"
"Another one for me please" I say and he nods, then he looks at Mason.
"I'm fine, thank you" he says.
"Oh, I see you are that kind of person who drinks vodka or nothing, huh?"
"Excuse me?" Mason looks confused.
"Dad, stop it" I warn him again.
"Alright alright" he raises both hands "I didn't know he was an alcoholic, sorry"
"Dad what is wrong with you? He is not an alcoholic, but that is not a joke you can make!" Mason has some issues with drinking, which my dad doesn't know about, but he is not an alcoholic.
And this is something you can't joke about because there is a lot of people that a have really hard times because of this.
"It's okay..." Mason says trying to calm me.
"See? The guy is okay..."
He heads to the kitchen and I apologize to Mason "I am so sorry; I don't know what is wrong with him"
"It's okay, beautiful" he rests a hand on my knee and rub his thumb through my skin.
"Keep your hands to yourself" my dad warns him coming back into the room.
"Dad..." I sigh.
He sits down and takes a sip of his coffee "so tell me Mason, what do you do for a living?"
"Right now I'm studying Visual Communication, I'm on my last year, and I'm also working on a photography studio"
"Do you make any money from taking pictures?"
"Yes, sir"
"Oh... well Jess has bigger plans for her career, I hope you don't try to ruin them"
"Of course not"
"Dad! Stop being like this"
"Like what?" He asks like he is being normal.
"Like a bitch!"
"Look what you have done to my daughter... she was not like this until she met you" he says looking at Mason, but he stays quiet.
"What the heck? Dad I can't believe you are being like this! You said you would behave..." I am so shocked.
"That is because I thought you had a normal boyfriend not this... this..." he says looking at Mason with contempt.
"Enough dad! I am done with this" I stand up "Mason, let's get out of here"
"Jess are you..." he starts to say, but I hold his hand and walk to the door.
"Dad you are so bad..." I hear Lola saying.
As I am about to open the door, my mom walks out of her room.
"¿A qué viene tanto ruido?" (What's all this noise coming from?"
"Mamá este es Mason" (Mom this is Mason) "Mason, my mom, Marisa"
"Nice to meet you" he says
"Nos vamos, papá está siendo muy maleducado e irrepetuoso" (we are leaving, dad is being rude and disrespectful)
I slam the door behind us and walk to the car.
"I'llfind you a hotel and then I'll come back to leave the car"