Chapter 6
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Urrm... Yes. Yes. Fine," I muttered.
He was about to speak again when on the spur of the moment, someone stood up from one of the tables and started making a toast.
"Here's to the man of the evening, ladies and gentlemen. He has been a symbol of perfection and proof that there truly is a level higher than the skies. I and my friends, and all the rest of us celebrate you as one family today. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" boomed throughout the club in an uproar. They all look at and point their glasses towards a man at a table adjacent to Diana and Garrick's. He stood up and threw his hands in appreciation, then did a mock bow, which sent everyone into laughter of frenzy. That was Harry Portman─ the owner of the club, and our host for tonight's Christmas Eunice celebration.
Kyle and I spent the next thirty minutes talking about each other and exchanging laughs. He told me about alcohol, and the names of different popular brands. He requested that we try a few, so I could get myself acquainted with some peculiar flavors. We tried another brand of scotch, then Vodka, then some others that my mind twirled too much for me to remember their names. I knew I would pass out if I didn't stop. I told him... He understood. We kept on talking about more personal issues. I was more open now; maybe a little too open. I told him about Nate. I was sure he already knew, though.
"Why do you think he did that?" I asked. A little stupid on my part, but then, I had thrown my care to the wind.
"Because he is a douche who did not deserve you." he replied calmly.
"You know, he was so special at the time or at least I thought he was.” I was feeling freer and more open. “We never really…”
“What?” A blush appeared on my face when he looked me in my eyes, urging me to continue.
“Urrm. We never really had sex.”
He smiled. “That was not so hard now, was it?”
“I don’t even know why I am telling all this to you”
“Come on. We have been friends for as long as I can remember. You used to tell me almost everything you know?”
I chortled.
“Sometimes I begin to think that maybe if we had sex, he would not have cheated. Maybe I pushed him to cheat. But why didn’t he trust me enough to tell me that he had a son?”
“You don’t have to blame yourself for every bad thing that happen to you as a result of the actions of others, you know,”
“Maybe I was not as attractive to him. Maybe─”
“Shuush…” he held my hand. I felt a sudden rush of electricity through my veins.
Just then, the host for the night, Harry Portman, got up from his seat and hit his cup with a spoon to gain the attention of everyone. He had our attention.
“Before I proceed, I would first like to thank all of you for making this possible. Last year, before we closed, I said that I would love this year’s celebration to be grander and more spectacular… and here we are… living in the dream.” He paused a while as people began to cheer and whistle.
“Now, it is time for us to drop the alcohol and move into the main event of the Night. It won’t be fair if we all celebrated Jesus, drunk and high, would it? Come on, I don’t think he would mind personally, I mean, he is Jesus─” that sent everybody into another frenzy.
“So now it is time to drop the alcohol. Desserts would be served now and the carol would begin immediately the guys at the back there are ready,” he pointed at the stage.
“By the way, let me be the first to wish all of you a merry Christmas!”
We clapped and cheered.
“Is it always like this every year?”
“Yes, actually it is. He enjoys a matured Christmas party with booze and enjoyment. But the moment the night starts drawing to its end, the holiness must come in sporadically. It’s a tradition.”
Just as he said, desserts were served. Small frosty fries, pastries, other small chops, Pepsi drinks, and every other tasty deliciousness were served. Then a small choir came on the stage as it lit up and kicked off the carol. Two well decorated Christmas trees stood at either side of the stage as the choir performed. The sand Silent Night in the most unbelievable way I had ever heard it. It was fascinating. Through all the songs, Kyle held my hand and I squeezed his even harder. I was overly comfortable around this man and I could not fathom why.
Some small cards were distributed, which showed the organization of the program for the night. We all sang our parts and enjoyed the show amid horrible voices that emanated from different corners of the club. Finally, it was gifts time… and I had not come prepared. Kyle went away for a while and came back with two wrapped boxes, handing me one. We were supposed to drop the gifts we brought under the Christmas trees. Each gift was numbered and the numbers were written in small pieces of paper. After everyone had dropped their gifts, each person went to the bag where the little pieces of paper were dropped and randomly picked one. Then he would go to retrieve the gift with the corresponding number under the Christmas tree. I had never experience sort of ritual before, but it was fun. Each person would un-wrap his gift before he went back to his seat. Once he was done un-wrapping his gift, the rest would scream and cheer. I almost screamed my heart out when I found a gold bracelet in the box that I picked.
By the time I got back to my bar seat, Kyle was gone and I could not find him anywhere around.
I was sad. I wanted to thank him for the wonderful night he gave to me. Still, I felt relieved that he was gone. I was not really sure if I was ready to move on already. When the Night finally drew to a close, I felt a sudden cloud of gloom embrace me. The realization that I was going back to my boring, unhappy life hit me hard.
At first, I was unwilling to even step foot into the house. What was the use? I had no Christmas tree or anything that even half resonated Christmas inside. After the party tonight, it felt like migrating from the city to the ghetto. With a sigh, I unlocked the door and strode in.
The first sight that greeted me left me completely speechless. Right there in front of me was a Christmas tree perfectly decorated with classic gold and silver ornaments and beaded garlands. There were led lights, globe lights, bubble lights, and some actual fruits hung on the tree. Lights also extended round the house, giving a multi colored flavor to the overall beauty of the masterpiece. I could smell something cooking in the kitchen. There were cup cakes (obviously ordered), a chicken, and biscuits, properly arranged on the dining table. I dropped my bag and held my velvet blazer in awe. Who did this?
Then I saw him walking into view, from the kitchen. A smile beamed from his lips… My joy was filled to the brim. There was Kyle… he had gone through all this stress just to make my Christmas at least blissful .I ran towards him and fell into his arms in a full hug. He was all smiles and all too willing to catch me. I felt his well-built masculine chest; I inhaled the fresh smell of fruits that exited from his skin. Who could ask for a better Christmas? For the first time that week, I was tranquil. My mind thought of nothing more but happiness and unrivaled love.