Chapter Twenty-Eight

The next day when Jordan got home from work, he walked in the door and nearly barreled right into Lucy who had been standing there waiting for him for God knows how long.

“Jordan!” she shouted. “Is it true that you wet the bed until you were my age?” she leaned in close to him and added, “It’s okay if you did, I won’t tell anyone,” in a whisper that could probably be heard across the Himalayas.

Jordan frowned and glanced over her shoulder where his uncle was standing in front of the fireplace with a smug expression on his face. Evidently one embarrassing story about Jordan’s bodily fluids hadn’t been enough for him.

Well two could play at that game.

“Yes,” Jordan confirmed. “I did.”

Lucy broke into a hysterical fit of giggles.

“But,” he continued. “Did my Uncle Kenny here happen to tell you about the time he thought he could beat me in basketball, but ended up tripping over his own two feet, falling down on the pavement, and chipping one of his teeth?”

Lucy snorted.

“Really?”

“Yep, really. And that’s not all either. He saw the blood from his gums on the pavement, and it made him so woozy that he passed out and fell down on the court again. We had to get someone to carry him away.”

Lucy turned her attention to Kenny and did her best to contain her laughter.

“I’m sorry Mr. Kenny,” she said. “But that’s pretty funny.”

Kenny turned his attention back to Jordan and glared at him.

“Boy, you best not be filling her head with stories like that. I taught you to respect your elders.”

Jordan laughed and gave his uncle a sheepish smile. Kenny pretended to be angry for a couple more seconds, but eventually returned Jordan’s smile.

“You settling in okay?” he asked him.

Kenny nodded.

“You weren’t kidding about how fancy it is in here. That basement looks like some rich folks threw up all over it.”

Jordan nodded his agreement and went to hang up his coat.

“So, what have you guys been up to today?” he asked.

Lucy, as per usual, jumped in before her guest could get a word in edgewise.

“Well first daddy picked me up from school. Then we went straight to the hospital to get Mr. Kenny. Then we showed him around the house, talked about old movies and things you guys used to do growing up, and just now I was showing him our favorite board games so that maybe later we can all play together.”

“That’s right,” Kenny added. “She says that if I win, she’ll share her cookie recipes with me. Isn’t that right Miss Lucy?”

Lucy bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically. It was obvious that she got a huge kick out of being called ‘Miss.’ Jordan should have figured Kenny and Lucy would get along great. They were two of the weirdest, sassiest people he’d ever met.

Jordan smiled at her and reached over to ruffle her hair.

“That sounds awesome, Bugs. Make him work for his junk food. His doctor said he needs to be on a special diet.”

“What for?” she asked, eyes wide. “You’re already so skinny.”

“It’s for my kidney,” he explained. “Too much salt or sugar is bad for it right now.”

“Oh,” she said, seeming disappointed. “Maybe I can ask my Daddy about making sugar free cookies then. They probably won’t be as yummy though…”

“Where is your dad by the way?” Jordan asked. Noah was usually out of his cave and indulging in some family fun time by this time of day.

“Working,” she said with distaste. “He said he’s got a big project coming up, so he can’t make us dinner, but there’s sandwich stuff, and he left money on the counter if we want to go out.”

Jordan quirked a brow.

“I’m down with that if it’s okay with you guys.”

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone out to eat with his uncle. Plus having Lucy there with them was bound to make everything a million times more entertaining.

“Yeah let’s do it!” Lucy said.

Jordan turned to his uncle, who looked troubled at the thought of spending someone else's money, but he also didn’t want to spoil Lucy’s fun, so he begrudgingly agreed to tag along.

“Whatcha feel like eating kiddo?” he asked Lucy.

“Can we get Italian food?”

Jordan nodded and pulled up his phone to start looking for a good place nearby.

“Go get your jacket and shoes on, and tell your dad we’re going out,” he told her. “Also, bring him some water while you’re at it. He probably hasn’t had any all day.”

“God, you already sound like a nagging housewife,” Kenny chirped once Lucy was out of the room.

“You got a problem with that?” Jordan asked.

“No.” Kenny smiled. “It’s just different is all. It’s strange to see you so tangled up with these people, but it’s nice. I can see why you fell in love with them.”

Jordan blushed and glanced down at his phone so that he wouldn’t have to meet his uncle’s penetrating gaze or answer to his very astute observations.

They ended up at a small, hole in the wall type place named Anzio’s. The decor and menu looked like they hadn’t been changed since 1975, but the food had great reviews online, so Jordan was still cautiously optimistic. When the waiter came, he ordered fettuccine alfredo, Lucy asked for a heaping piece of lasagna, and Kenny, though it surely pained him to do it, ordered a salad. Jordan also took a moment to ask the waiter if they had coloring sheets for kids, not because Lucy couldn’t hold a polite conversation throughout the meal, but because she had a collection going of free restaurant crayons. She was trying to get one of each color of the rainbow, but that was proving difficult since Noah usually liked to cook for them at home, and rarely wanted to go out. The waiter seemed really put out by Jordan’s suggestion, but he did, in fact, scrounge up two nubby little crayons and a piece of white printer paper.

“Aww, yeah,” Lucy said, holding up the little wax sticks like almighty swords. “I’ve got a yellow now.”

Jordan smirked and explained the collection to his uncle, who got a big hoot out of it.

“This girl is thrifty,” he said. “Just wait until you start carrying a purse. You’re gonna end up with all kinds of weird trinkets in there.”

As they were waiting for their food, a swanky looking man dressed in tails waltzed in and manned the dusty piano sitting in the corner. He played a Mozart sonata in full, then stood up and took a bow even though no one was clapping. The man took a few steps away from the instrument and stood in front of the accompanying mic stand.

“Good evening everyone,” he said in a squeaky, nasally voice. “Welcome to Anzio’s. My name is Brian and I will be playing for you, and taking your requests for the night. As always, we have an open mic, so if anyone feels so inclined, please feel free to request a song and come up and sing for us. There’s no need to be shy. We’re all family here, am I right?” He grinned and waited for some kind of response. Everyone in the room remained silent. Brian cleared his throat and moved on with his introduction. “Right. Anyways, without further ado, let’s get right into it. Please enjoy the music.”

As corny as he was, Jordan had to admit, the guy was pretty great at what he did. It was a shame he’d gotten stuck playing for unappreciative restaurant goers, but his skills were top notch all the same. Kenny, in particular, seemed really into it. After a few songs were over and they still hadn’t received their food, he pushed his chair back and said, “I think I’m gonna go up and sing something.”

Kenny walked fearlessly over to the pianist, drawing curious looks from almost all the patrons in the restaurant, including Jordan and Lucy. Jordan hadn’t heard his uncle sing in years, but he knew he was incredible at it. He’d even recorded an R&B demo back in the early nineties. Why he was suddenly deciding to pick up music again after all this time, Jordan didn’t know. Maybe it was nostalgia, or just a brand new lease on life. Either way, he was excited to hear what he came up with.

Kenny opened his mouth and sang the opening note of Amazing Grace, followed soon after by the gentle piano accompaniment. Any heads that weren’t already facing him, turned that way now, as his silky smooth baritone filled the air. All around the room there were people who had stopped with their food halfway to their mouths. Lucy had abandoned her crayons and was staring at Kenny with her mouth agape. Jordan closed his eyes and smiled. Uncle Kenny still sounded just like he remembered. Health scares and years of struggle couldn’t change that. In fact, now his voice carried farther, and his words rang truer. It was impossible not to hear the entire story of the last couple of months carried on his breath. Needless to say, unlike with Brian, when Kenny was done performing, people clapped. 

“Mr. Kenny!” Lucy gushed when he returned to the table. “You’re so good at singing.”

“I’m all right,” he said with a practiced grin.

“You’re amazing,” she said. “Pun intended. Do you think you could teach me to sing like that?”

Kenny swirled his straw around in his glass and thought about it.

“I mean, I can’t teach you to sing exactly like me. Everyone has their own unique vocal qualities, but I can teach you some proper techniques. Believe it or not, the best way to get really good at singing is learning how to match pitch on a guitar or a piano.”

Lucy’s eyes were vibrant and wide. She was looking at Kenny like he was the coolest person she’d ever met.

“Jordan, can I start taking piano lessons?”

Jordan took a sip of his water and smiled fondly at the request. He loved that he was so much a part of her life now that she felt comfortable asking him in place of her father.

“Probably,” he said. “If it’s not too expensive, and it’s okay with your dad. I’ll look into it.”

“Awesome,” she said, and promptly went back to chatting up his uncle about singing terminology.

A few minutes later a different waiter than they’d had before came to deliver their food, which was all coincidentally huge, even Kenny’s salad.

“I just wanted to thank you for singing for us,” the young man said, hands fidgeting by his sides. “I um, I think I really needed to hear that today.”

The waiter all but ran away from them after that and Kenny stared at the spot where he’d been standing, amazed at the prospect of having touched another human life with his music. He licked his lips and looked down at his salad.

“I think I should sing more often,” he said softly, to no one in particular.

On that front, Jordan and Lucy were in agreement.

The three of them dug into their food, and just like the reviews had promised, it was perfect. They all ate and ate until their stomachs could not stretch any more. They still each had half of their dishes left. Jordan had the waiter box it all up before asking for the check.

Outside, it had gotten extremely dark. They had gotten so caught up in the food and the singing that they’d stayed out for nearly two and a half hours. By the time they got home it was already 9:30

“Shower and then bed,” he told Lucy. “You’ve got school tomorrow.”

Lucy nodded and then gave them big hugs goodnight. Kenny wasn’t expecting it and his expression was hilarious. Being in this house long enough was going to turn him into a hugger. Jordan knew because the same thing had happened to him.

“I think I’m gonna hit the hay too,” Kenny said with a yawn. “I’m exhausted. That girl is a handful.”

Jordan laughed.

“Tell me about it.”

The two of them said goodnight and Jordan was left downstairs alone. It felt weird and eerily quiet. He hurried to the kitchen to grab a fork and then took his leftover pasta up to his boyfriend. Noah was hunched over his desk, just where Lucy said he would be.

“Care for a food break?” he asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

Noah accepted the offer of nourishment and immediately started scarfing it down.

“Holy shit, this is good,” Noah said. “Where’s it from?”

Jordan filled him in on where they had gone to dinner and all the things that had transpired.

“Dang, I’m sad I missed it” he said licking pasta sauce off his index finger. “Does he really sing that well?”

“Like an angel,” Jordan confirmed.

“You know…” Noah began. “I could probably build him a website or something if he wanted to start taking gigs and doing music professionally.”

Jordan could imagine it now, his uncle Kenny smirking back at him from giant billboards and ads on the sides of busses. Or maybe just a small poster on the side of a building. Baby steps.

“That’s an amazing idea love,” said Jordan. “But you should probably finish whatever project you’re working on now first.”

Jordan nodded his head at the strings of letters and numbers that Noah had been slaving over all day. Noah grimaced and waved a hand at the computer screen.

“Fuck this project. It’s about as good as it’s gonna get before I get some sleep. I’ll come back with fresh eyes tomorrow. You ready for bed?”

Jordan nodded and helped Noah up from his chair. His butt had left two perfectly circular indentations in the leather.

The two of them showered together, sharing a few lazy kisses and not much else. They put on their PJs; Jordan was still rocking his Christmas ones, and crawled into bed.

“I love you,” Noah whispered after turning out the light.

“I love you too.”

Jordan did not fall asleep right away that night. He was too busy thinking about how perfectly ordinary and mundane today had been. In a lot of ways, it should have been grandiose and sappy and joyous; he’d gotten his uncle back after all this time away. And yet, it had just felt like a day just like any other. He’d worked, hung out with Lucy, gotten teased by his uncle, and come home to a boyfriend that was too mentally exhausted to move.

To most people, all those things might have seemed dull, or downright annoying, but not to Jordan. He couldn’t believe that this was his life now. All the people he loved the most, living under one roof and meshing together like an actual family.

He was sure that someday down the road there would come a time when the novelty of it started to wear off, and he, like every other person in the world, would get into little spats or arguments with the people in the house and they would have to grow and learn and apologize, and Jordan was excited for that day too, and for all the others. He was excited to just have a life worth living and so many people worth living it for.

He felt happy and perfectly content to leave all the darkness of his former years behind him. He drifted off to sleep with his uncle’s soulful rendition of Amazing Grace swirling around in his brain on repeat, marveling at how well the old gospel song fit his current state of mind ...was blind, but now I see.