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- As Things Change
- Part XXXII
Matt walks into the kitchen wearing a pair of ratty sweatshorts
and an old T-shirt. Rachel looks at him with a frown. “Shouldn’t
you get dressed?”
-
- He looks at his attire. “I
am dressed.”
-
- Nora walks into the kitchen,
smiling when she sees Matt. “Happy Birthday, my wonderful
son!” She gives him a kiss and a fierce hug.
- Matt squirms away. “Geez,
Mom.”
-
- “What, I can’t
be excited that it’s my baby boy’s 16th birthday?”
-
- He shrugs. “It’s
just another day…”
-
- She takes in his look. “Shouldn’t
you get dressed?”
-
- Matt rolls his eyes. “What’s
with you two? I look fine.”
-
- “For a day at the gym,
maybe.”
-
- “What else am I doing
today?”
-
- Rachel gets up. “I was
going to take you out for a birthday lunch but I will not be
seen in public with you looking like that.”
-
- Nora grabs Matthew by the
shoulders and turns him around. “That sounds like a lovely
offer. Go shower and change into something more appropriate.”
He starts to turn back but she pushes him toward the door. “Now,
Matthew. No arguments.”
-
- He reluctantly marches out
the door. “Fine.”
-
- Nora turns to Rachel and
gives her two thumbs up.
-
- Rex walks into the bakery
and waves when he sees Bo in line. “Hey, partner. What are
you doing here?”
-
- “Nora asked me to pick
up the cake for Matt’s party this afternoon. Why are you
here?”
-
- Rex rolls his eyes. “Lauren
had a craving for chocolate fudge brownies. Now.”
-
- Bo laughs. “Ah, the
craving stage. I remember it well.”
-
- “I’m not even arguing
with her. I just say ‘yes, dear’ and run out of the
loft.”
-
- “That’s wise, Balsom.
You’re coming to Matt’s party, right?”
-
- “Wouldn’t miss
it. What kind of cake are you getting? It will give Lauren something
to look forward to.”
-
- Bo grins. “Chocolate.”
-
- “Good call.”
-
- Rachel slides into the booth
opposite Matt. “So little brother, you can order anything
you want on account of your special day.”
-
- Matt shakes his head. “Wow,
you’re a big spender. It’s Rodi’s. They pretty
much have burgers and not much else.”
-
- “Would you rather spring
for your own lunch?”
-
- He finally smiles. “You’re
so easy, Rach.”
-
- She grins. “And you’re
a pain in the ass.”
-
- “It’s good to have
you around. Do you really have to go home tomorrow?”
-
- Rachel nods. “Yeah,
it’s time for me to get back to real life. Not that I haven’t
enjoyed being ignored by you for the past week.”
-
- He looks down. “Sorry
about that.”
-
- “I know you’re
having a tough time. Are you ready to talk to me yet?”
- He shrugs. “Last chance.”
-
- Matt is saved when the waitress
stops by to get their order. When she departs, Rachel looks him
in the eye again. “Well?”
-
- “It’s nothing,
Rach. Everyone keeps making a big deal about it, but it’s
just not.”
-
- Rachel puts her elbows on
the table, leaning forward with her chin in her hands. “Let’s
examine the evidence. Your grandfather, whom you adored, just
died. You refuse to speak to your best friend or your girlfriend…”
-
- “Ex girlfriend.”
-
- “Whatever. You refuse
to take her calls. You’re opting out of the bikini camp
that I still can’t believe you talked Mom into in the first
place...”
-
- Matt grins. “Ski camp.
Actually, it was easier than I thought.”
-
- “You really have her
wrapped around your little finger. There is no way I’d have
gotten something like that past her in my day.”
-
- “Maybe you softened
her up for me?”
-
- “Maybe. But that was
one helluva scam and you’re throwing it away. That makes
no sense to me.”
-
- “I just don’t feel
like going right now. Maybe next summer…”
-
- Their order arrives and Matthew
digs in, trying to ignore Rachel staring at him. He finally takes
a drink, frowning at her. “What?”
-
- “You haven’t answered
my question yet.”
-
- He sets down his soda. “Are
you really going to ruin my birthday lunch by discussing this?”
-
- She shrugs. “It’s
my last shot. I want to make sure you’re okay before I leave.”
-
- “I’m fine.”
He decides to change the subject. “So, is this my birthday
present? Lunch at Rodi’s? Kinda weak for a big day like
this…”
-
- Rachel cracks up. “This
from the boy who doesn’t want a fuss for his birthday. That’s
really short-sighted of you.”
-
- “I never said I didn’t
want presents. I’m expecting something big and shiny with
4 wheels from Mom and Dad.”
-
- “You wish. You don’t
even have a license yet.”
-
- “No, but now that I’m
16, I can test. I want to go next week.”
-
- “Really? But you’d
have to leave the house for that…”
-
- “Funny, Rach. So seriously,
no present?”
-
- “Finish your lunch and
then we’ll see…”
-
- Nora opens the door and ushers
Kallie and Stevie into the house. “Thank you both for coming.
Matt is out with Rachel but he should be home soon.”
-
- Kallie takes a seat on the
sofa. “Thanks for inviting me. I wasn’t sure Matt would
want to do anything for his birthday.”
-
- “Oh, he doesn’t.
He wants nothing to do with a celebration, but I couldn’t
let this day pass. Matthew may want to forget, but I didn’t
want to let that happen.”
-
- Stevie drops his present
on the table. “I can’t wait to see his reaction.”
- He looks around at the streamers
adorning the room. “Nice decorations.”
-
- Nora is about to respond
when Bo walks in with the cake. “Here it is, honey. Just
as you ordered.” He sets it on the table. “Hi Kallie,
Stevie. Thanks for coming.”
-
- Stevie grins. “I wouldn’t
miss this.”
-
- Bo turns to Nora. “I
ran into Balsom at the bakery. He was making a brownie run for
Lauren. They should be right behind me.”
-
- Nora smiles. “Cravings…
Rachel took Matt out to lunch. She knows when to bring him back.”
She turns to Kallie and Stevie. “Can I get you something
to drink?”
-
- Stevie grins. “Beer?”
Bo frowns at him. “Just kidding, Mr. Buchanan. Soda is fine.”
-
- “Soda for me too.”
-
- Bo heads toward the kitchen.
“Coming right up.”
-
- The doorbell rings and Nora
lets Rex and Lauren in. Bo returns with the sodas and heads back
into the kitchen to get water for Lauren and a beer for Rex.
They are all sitting in the living room when they hear car doors
slam in the driveway, signaling Rachel and Matt’s arrival.
They all stand as the door opens. Matt walks through first and
sees the streamers. “Surprise!”
-
- He frowns when he sees the
group in the living room. He turns to his mother. “I told
you I didn’t want a party. Doesn’t anyone listen to
me?” Without waiting for a response, he takes off upstairs.
-
- Nora is mortified. She glares
at Bo. “I’ll take care of this.”
-
- Bo turns to the group as
she heads upstairs. “Anyone need something else to drink?”
-
- Stevie gives him a sly grin.
“Now can I have that beer?”
-
- Nora pushes Matt's door open
without knocking. “Just what do you think you’re doing,
young man?”
-
- He crosses his arms defiantly.
“I told you no party.”
-
- Nora copies his stance, glaring
at him. “I know what you told me. But those are your friends
down there and they’re here because they care about you.
You are my son and I love you, but I will not allow you to continue
to act this way. Asa dying is not an excuse for you to behave
in such a disrespectful manner. I won’t allow it anymore.”
-
- Matt is taken aback by his
mother’s outburst. “Sorry,” he mutters.
-
- “Sorry isn’t enough,
Matthew. Something is obviously bothering you and hiding in your
room isn’t going to make it go away. If you refuse to talk
to me or your father or your sister or your friends, I will find
someone for you to talk to.”
-
- “You mean like a shrink?”
-
- “If that’s what
it takes, absolutely. This is not an acceptable way to handle
things. We all understand losing Asa hurts, but I will not let
you hide from the world indefinitely. And I won’t allow
this rude behavior to continue unchallenged.”
-
- Matt is incredulous. “You
would really make me go to a shrink?”
-
- “Yes, I would. I will
do ANYTHING to help you. If that’s the only way to get you
out of this funk, so be it.”
-
- Matt sighs, shaking his head.
“I don’t need a shrink, Mom.”
-
- Nora softens, sitting beside
him on the bed. “Then what do you need, sweetie?”
-
- He shrugs. “Just time,
I guess. I just need to sort out this whole dying thing for myself,
you know?”
-
- “Okay… Maybe you
could take a day off from this ‘sorting’ and enjoy
your 16th birthday? It only comes around once, Matthew. I didn’t
want to spring this party on you, but you left me no choice.
You don’t get this day back. Once it’s gone, it’s
over. I don’t want you to look back and regret missing it.
The other stuff can wait for another day. What say we go downstairs
and have some cake with your friends and we can revisit the heavy
stuff tomorrow?”
-
- Matt gives her a small nod.
“I guess I could do that.”
-
- She pulls him into her arms.
“I love you so much, Matthew. We’ll work this out.
I promise.” She kisses his cheek and leans back. “Come
on. Let’s go downstairs before Stevie devours all the cake.”
-
- Matt laughs as he gets off
the bed and follows Nora out of the room. Everyone looks up in
anticipation as Nora comes down the stairs, followed by Matt.
He grins at the assembled group. “Let’s get this party
going!”
-
- Nora walks over and stands
beside Bo. He puts his arm around her waist and leans in to her.
“Nice job, honey,” he whispers.
-
- Matt smiles at Kallie as
he takes a seat at the head of the table. Stevie picks up his
package. “Presents first.” He hands it to Matt. “You’ll
never guess.”
-
- Matt grins as he pulls off
the paper and holds up a T-shirt with a picture of a Porsche
on the front. “Is this a hint?”
-
- “Come on, Buchanan.
You know you’re getting a car. I figured the shirt would
match your ride.”
-
- They both look at Nora and
Bo. “Does it?”
-
- Nora frowns. “A Porsche?
I don’t think so.”
-
- Rachel shakes her head. “Dream
on, little brother. When I got my license, I got the oldest clunker
Mom could find on the lot. Something about it being safe…”
-
- “It WAS safe!”
Nora protests.
-
- Matt looks at her expectantly.
“So it’s not a Porsche. What is it?”
-
- Nora looks to Bo. “Ah…
Well, the truth is, we haven’t gotten your present yet.
We thought we would still be in Texas so we didn’t really…”
-
- Bo nods. “It’s
coming, Matt. You just have to be patient.”
-
- “Right… Patient.”
-
- “Ditto for me, little
brother,” Rachel chimes in. “It’s still in Chicago.
I’ll send it when I get home.”
-
- Matthew is about to say something
as Nora looks around the table, eager to change the subject.
“Who wants cake? Should we sing?”
-
- “NO!” The crowd
cries in unison.
-
- “Okay. No singing. What
was I thinking? We’ll just cut the cake.”
- Lauren stands. “I’ll
help you, Nora.”
-
- She grabs the plates as Nora
slices into the cake. Rex hands a box to Matt. “Here ya
go, squirt. Happy Birthday.”
-
- Matt opens the box, pulling
out a pair of stuffed pink lips with ‘never been kissed’
emblazoned across the front.
-
- Stevie cracks up. “It’s
perfect, Buchanan.”
-
- Matt frowns at Rex. “Yeah,
perfect. Thanks.” He jams them back in the box, embarrassed
that Kallie has seen them.
-
- Lauren shakes her head at
Rex. “He’s teasing you, Matt. Look in the bottom of
the box.”
-
- Matt digs around beneath
the paper and finds a new video game. He grins at Rex. “Thanks!
I was going to get this before we went to Texas but I didn’t
have time.”
-
- Rex nods. “I know. I
also bought myself a copy and I’ve been practicing, so whenever
you’re ready, I can kick your a…”
-
- Nora sets a plate in front
of Matt. “First piece for the birthday boy.”
-
- “Mom!”
-
- She ignores him and kisses
his forehead. “Kallie, would you like a piece?”
-
- “Sure, Mrs. Buchanan.”
-
- Nora hands her a plate as
the doorbell rings. She walks over and pulls the door open to
see Michael and Marcie standing there with Miki.
- “I’m sorry to just
stop by, Nora. I got your message and we couldn’t wait…”
Marcie stops when she sees the assembled group inside. “You
have company…”
-
- Miki is practically jumping
out of Michael’s arms, wanting Nora to take her. She reaches
out, taking the little girl from him. “We’re just having
a little party for Matt’s birthday. Please, come in.”
-
- Nora walks back from the
doorway as Michael and Marcie follow her. Bo approaches and shakes
Michael’s hand. “Come on in.”
-
- “Cake!” Miki squeals
as Nora walks over toward the table.
- Nora grins, kissing her on
the cheek. “At least you’re saying something besides
‘candy.’”
-
- Marcie laughs. “We’ve
been working on it.” She stands in front of Nora. “What’s
her name, Miki?” She looks confused. “Nora. This is
Nora.”
-
- Miki gets a big grin. “Nana!”
she says triumphantly.
-
- Nora laughs as she tickles
Miki’s tummy. “That’s close enough.”
-
- Kallie smiles at the giggling
toddler. “She’s adorable. I’ve seen her at the
Center.”
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