Chapter 20

Liam

November 24th, 2016 | 2:00 pm

Liam was aghast to hear that Lexi wasn't celebrating Thanksgiving.

"Why would you even want to celebrate Thanksgiving?" Lexi asked. "I'm pretty sure the indigenous people did not have one big feast with the pilgrims and live happily ever after, so why should we?"

"Well we don't celebrate the pilgrims," Liam said, rolling his eyes, even though Lexi couldn't see that through the phone call. "We just get together with friends and eat a good meal."

"We never really did Thanksgiving," Lexi confessed. "My mom always said we should be grateful everyday, not just on Thanksgiving."

"Well, why don't you come over?" Liam offered. "There's always room at the Summer's table."

"I can't just leave my dad," Lexi answered.

"He can come too," Liam said.

Lexi thought about it for a moment. "Won't your parents be uncomfortable?"

"I don't know," Liam shrugged. "It can't be that big a deal."

So, Lexi agreed to come over with her father. Liam went downstairs to tell his parents.

"Add two more plates to the table," Liam said as he came into the kitchen.

"Who's coming? Rachel and, Ryan or Josh?" his mom asked.

"No," Liam said awkwardly. "Lexi and her dad."

Liam's dad stiffened. "You invited them?" he asked.

"Yeah, she said they didn't have anything planned and I thought it would be nice to invite them over."

Liam went into the living room, but he heard his parents talking in hushed whispers from there.

"I think it was nice of him to invite her," his mother said as she set two more plates down.

His father said something but Liam couldn't make it out. There was more whispers and then he heard his father call his name.

"Liam?" he called.

"Yeah?" Liam said back. He got up and went to where his parents were talking.

"She does know that I operated on her father, right?" Liam's father questioned.

Liam nodded. "Water under the bridge."

His father contemplated this for a moment. "All right, well I invited over an old friend of mine, he is the basketball coach for the University of Florida," Liam's father explained.

Liam frowned. He hadn't really told his parents that he wanted to go to school for pre-medical and not just for basketball. His father noticed Liam's face.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I just thought it would be a good way to show your interest."

"I don't want to go to college to just play basketball," Liam said quietly.

The room grew silent, his parents stared at him in shock.

"What?" his mother asked. "Liam, you've been playing basketball since you were practically a toddler. It's all you ever wanted."

"How could you not want to play basketball?" his father questioned.

Liam sighed. "I just don't like it that much anymore."

"Why didn't you tell us?" his mom asked.

Here it was. A moment for him to get out how he felt. To be honest, like Rachel said she wished he was.

"Because," Liam sighed. "Because you're never around."

His parents glanced at each other. Liam didn't want to make them feel bad, but he knew he had to say it at this point.

"If I told you how I feel, you two would feel bad and then it would be my fault. So I didn't say anything, but here's a quick little life update," Liam said bitterly. "I don't like basketball anymore, Rachel and I have been in a fight for a little over a month now, and I hate that the both of you are never around."

"Liam," his mother said sadly. She came over and tried to hug him but Liam shrugged her off.

"I don't want your pity, I get that you both have really demanding jobs, but you also chose to have a kid which is also a pretty demanding job, I'm sick of being second to your work."

His parents looked hurt, but Liam didn't care anymore. His parents should know how he felt.

"Liam we don't treat you as if you are second to work," his dad said.

"Really?" Liam asked sarcastically. "Then do you know what I put down as my major? What colleges did I apply to?"

His parents were silent.

"Look, I'm sick of bottling it all up, my messed up relationship with you guys is the reason I keep messing up all my other relationships," Liam said quietly.

No one spoke, Liam's mom looked like she was going to cry. Liam's father looked like Liam had punched him in the gut. Liam turned away and went upstairs. He slammed the door to his room and angrily sat on the bed.

"Damn it," he whispered. He didn't mean to get so angry at them. He felt guilty at the huge release it had been to get it off his chest though.

Liam and his parents didn't speak to him for the rest of the afternoon. He watched from the banister as they silently set the rest of the table. His mother still looked like she was going to cry and his father looked guilt-ridden. Liam could tell they felt bad but he was too upset to try to alleviate their discomfort.

When the doorbell rang the first time, Liam glanced through the window to see who it was. He sat back down when he saw it was his parent's work friends. He kept checking for Lexi though, he wasn't really sure if she was going to make him feel better but at least she would listen. That was the best he was going to get right now. So when he finally saw her walking up his driveway, Liam practically ran for the door.

"Hey Liam," she said when he answered the door.

"Thank God you're here," Liam said gratefully. Lexi was wearing a simple maroon colored dress. Her father was standing behind her in nice pants and a button up shirt. She took her father's arm and guided him in. Liam then led them to where everyone else was and Lexi watched as her father went and sat down on the couch by himself.

"Sorry, I know he seems kind of rude but he just really likes football," Lexi said as her father watched the television screen intently.

"No, it's fine, it's totally understandable," Liam said reassuringly.

Lexi glanced over at the kitchen where Liam's parents were. They were staring at them.

"You're parents don't seem particularly happy that my dad and I are here," Lexi said softly.

Liam sighed. "It's not about you, I kind of blew up at them."

Lexi glanced over at him. "What happened?"

Liam explained to her what he had finally told his parents and how he felt. Lexi looked sympathetic but she was also dealing with a lot of stares. Clearly, his parent's work friends recognized her and her father. As he continued to tell her what happened, she watched as the basketball coach tried to make conversation with Lexi's dad who wasn't really responding.

"You know Liam in the grand scheme of things, yeah, you have a right to be angry, but your parents look upset, maybe it was a good thing for them to hear," she said, glancing back at him.

"That's what I'm saying," Liam explained.

"Yeah, but now that you have said what you wanted them to hear. You should listen to what they have to say."

Liam frowned. That wasn't what he wanted her to say. "To hear them apologize?" he asked.

"Well they might, but Liam you want resolution don't you?"

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"Well what happens now?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Are you going to be angry and ignore them for the rest of your life?"

Liam sighed. "I guess not." That wasn't really what Liam wanted to hear.

Soon, they were all called for dinner and Lexi went and got her father. He kept mumbling incoherently but it seemed as if Lexi knew what he wanted and she whispered back to him patiently. Once they were all seated, they began to eat. Lexi was helping her father put food on his plate and Liam watched as she slowly explained what each thing was. When he was sorted out, Lexi ate as well. Liam couldn't quite place the look on her face. She seemed apprehensive of the people around them. Almost as if she knew what everyone was thinking. In all fairness, she probably knew. Liam's parents didn't exactly have subtle work friends. Lexi and her dad got ready to leave soon after eating.

"You can stay," Liam offered as she put her coat on.

"It's okay, my dad's tired," she explained.

They both looked over at Lexi's father who was struggling with his zipper. Lexi went over and helped him.

"You should talk to your parents, Liam," she said, sighing. "I would do anything to talk to my parents like I used to."

Liam looked away guilty, he knew it was the right thing to do. It ached his heart to know he was angry with his parents when Lexi couldn't even really talk to her parents anymore. Lexi said goodbye and left with her father. Liam looked back at everyone else, they were all getting ready to leave now.

As one woman put on her coat she shook her head disapprovingly. "I will never understand why people choose not to get further treatment when it is readily available, what a pity."

That upset Liam, this woman didn't even know Lexi. How dare she talk about what she didn't know. However, before Liam could say anything, his dad beat him to it.

"Not much could be done anyway, why put the man through more suffering, better to leave him in peace," his father said, quite agitatedly.

The woman shook her head. "There's always something that can be done."

Liam's hands had curled into fists. His mother noticed this and quickly ushered the woman and the rest of the guests out of the house while his father quickly pulled Liam into another room.

"We really need to talk, Liam," he whispered in his son's ear.

Liam glanced between both his parents as they stood across from him. He unclenched his fists and nodded.

"Lexi's father may be too late to save but our relationship with you is not," his mother said softly.

"Tell us what's wrong, we can't fix what we don't understand," his father encouraged.

So, Liam sat down with them. They talked and he told them everything going on and they listened. Although tears were shed, they also made a plan for the future, and by the end of the night, Liam wished he had spoken up a long time ago.