Chapter 58: Singing for No Reason
A few days have passed since Thanksgiving. Uncle Alan, Dad, and I were out at night to watch a movie.
"Okay, after I get the tickets, you line up for the popcorn while I go nail down some good seats," Alan began outlining his plan to Charlie.
He went on, "I want butter in the middle - don't just let them squirt it on top. And a large cherry slushy."
"Then you hold the seats while I head to the men's room, and then I'll do the same for you. That way, we can enjoy our drinks during the movie without fear." He wrapped up his plan like a general briefing his troops.
"Got you," Dad acknowledged with a nod.
Alan stood in line for a moment before glancing back. "You're not gonna do any of that, are you?"
"Nope."
"Relax, Uncle Alan. It's just a movie," I remarked, sipping a cold Coke.
Then someone called my name. "Jake?"
I turned, spotting a familiar face. "Anna? You came to watch a movie too?"
"Yeah," she replied with a small smile.
"That's my dad and my uncle," I introduced, gesturing toward them. "And Anna's a classmate from my school."
Seeing that I was waiting for something, she told, "I came alone."
"Huh," I muttered, thinking for a moment. "I don't know if you'd like some company, but you're welcome to join us," I offered.
"Wouldn't your girlfriend get mad?" Anna teased playfully.
"Summer? She might get a little jealous, but she trusts me." I gave her a steady look. "I can be many things, but I'm not a cheater."
And just like to make things awkward, another voice called, "Dr. Pritchett?"
Alex Jensen, as always, stood there looking like a fangirl.
Anna shot me a suspicious eyebrow.
"Oh, sorry, is she your girlfriend? Are you on a date?" Alex inquired.
I motioned for us to step aside to clear up the situation. "Alright, let's straighten this out. Anna's just a classmate from my school, not my girlfriend." Then, turning to Anna, I clarified, "Alex is my assistant - I'm also helping her with her PhD."
"What??" Anna stared at me, utterly bewildered.
And I ended up explaining to her about the Moore-Pritchett project, since it wasn't exactly a secret, even though several people close to me didn't know about it yet.
Anna was looking at me completely differently now. "You must be kidding me! You're like Newton?"
But before I could respond, I spotted another familiar face (probabilities be screwed).
"Judith?" Uncle Alan called first, and she finally noticed us.
"Wow, look at you. New hair, new clothes. You look... wow," Alan exclaimed, seeing how his ex-wife was dressed.
"Thank you," Judith smiled awkwardly.
"No, thank you," Charlie chimed in. "It's a public service when a gay chick goes lipstick instead of lumberjack."
"So, how was the movie? Where's Jake?" Alan asked.
"Home with the babysitter," Judith replied, a little uneasy. "Alan, I'm kind of on a date."
Uncle Alan glanced at the woman standing next to Judith. "Okay, is that her?" he asked, pointing. "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm the ex," he added when the woman looked at him.
Judith denied it. "Alan, that's not my date."
Then a tall, broad man appeared. "Hey, Alan."
"Phil? What a coincidence," my uncle greeted. "Phil is Jake's soccer coach," he clarified to Charlie and me.
We exchanged looks, already understanding the situation.
"Phil, you remember Judith?" Alan asked.
Phil looked uncomfortable too. "Well, yeah..."
After a moment, Alan finally pieced it together. "Wait, you're dating Phil? How can you be dating Phil?" he blurted out.
"Alan, he asked me out," Judith explained.
He continued his rant, "What about the whole gay thing? Did you even give that a chance?"
I pulled Alex and Anna aside and told them about the situation.
"Yeah, not my thing," Anna shook her head about the family gossip. "Let's talk more about you being the next Grothendieck."
The three of us went to watch a movie together and kept talking afterward. I let Dad handle my uncle.
-----------------------------
The next day, we were having dinner at the house in Malibu. Jake, Summer, and I were sitting with pizza on our plates while Charlie was mixing a cocktail and Alan was grabbing something to drink.
"Hey, guess what? Coach Phil made me first-string on the soccer team," Jake announced to us.
"Is that so?" Alan's expression turned less than friendly.
Jake confirmed again, "Yeah, it's weird, 'cause I suck."
"Maybe Coach Phil sees some potential," Charlie commented, earning a glare from Alan.
"So, what else is new?" my uncle tried to change the subject.
"Mom's got new clothes and new hair. It's like she's a different person or something," Jake started explaining.
Alan shook his head. "But she's still the same person, Jake."
"No, not really. She walks around the house singing for no reason," he went on, then added innocently, "just like you do here, Summer."
Summer choked while Dad and I burst out laughing.
"I love this kid," I said amused, but Summer kicked me under the table.
Dad joined the conversation again. "Your Uncle Charlie also sings for no reason. Does Coach Phil sing for no reason?"
"For God's sake, Charlie!" Alan snapped.
Jake turned to him. "How come you haven't changed anything yet, Dad?"
"Why should I change?"
"So you'd look cool like Mom."
"You don't think I look cool now?"
"No."
"You know what, it doesn't matter if I look cool. We judge a person by what's inside them, not by what they wear," Alan lectured my cousin.
"Lucky for you, huh" Jake added with another gem.
Summer leaned against me to hold back her laughter. Jake went to his room to watch TV.
"Gentlemen, Summer and I are also going to watch TV in my room."
-----------------------------
If you enjoy it, please leave a Review and Power Stones
You can also support me on patreon and read up to 30 chapters ahead: https://[email protected]/Japa_Madrid