“Rose,” I tell him, reaching for the phone and swiping up. “And that’s Willa, my girlfriend, and Rose’s mom.”
Jay sets the phone on the table and pours us each another shot. He downs his, and I sip mine. That’s not my usual style, but I’m kind of taking it all in.
“Christ. I don’t know whether to bust a hole in the wall, vomit, or buy you twenty years’ worth of Christmas presents,” he says, shaking his head.
“I can relate,” I say. “And look, I’m serious. I’m not here to cause trouble. You’ve probably got a family, and I want you to know I’m not here to fuck shit up. I just...I wanted to know the other side of the story, I guess.”
He smiles wryly. “Yea, I’ve got a family, but not the way you’re thinking. You met Joey, my brother. And you met Vince, my cousin. He’s got two more brothers and a sister. And then there are my various aunts and uncles. The Morettis are a loud, prolific bunch. Take this as your warning.”
“Wow. My, uh...Heather, only has one sister, Jackie. And we’re not close. I’ve got a stepdad, who’s a good guy, and a little brother who’s seven and one of the coolest people I know. But all those relatives? Yea, that’s not what I’m used to.”
“But you had it ok? Growing up? I knew Heather came from money. We weren’t together long, but that much was clear. I guess, I don’t know. I guess I just want to make sure your life wasn’t shit up til now, you know?”
“Nah, I had it better than most in a lot of ways and I know it. Being her son wasn’t easy, but I’m lucky because she’s not my only family. I’ve got three best friends who’d do anything for me. They’re like brothers to me. And I’ve got my girls,” I say, nodding toward my phone.
Jay looks at the screen again, and shakes his head.
“I get it. It’s a total mindfuck. I have the ancestry thing,” I reach into my back pocket and lay the wrinkled papers on the table.
“I appreciate the nod toward honesty, kid, but, uh, unless Heather was also fucking a twin brother I didn’t know I had, I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say we’re father and son.”
“Fair enough. Look, I’ve got to go. Those best friends I was telling you about? One of them called a family meeting, so I need to get my ass back to Maryland, but uh...thanks.”
“Thanks?” he asks, raising his left eyebrow in the same way I do.
“For not kicking me out of your shop? Or laughing in my face? Or telling me to suck a bag of dicks?”
“Jesus. Glad to know your mother spoke highly of me,” he scoffs.
“She didn’t really speak of you. And when she talked—about anything—it was usually a lie. She’s the kind of person who says what she needs to say in the moment to get what she wants, which is one of the many reasons she’s not a part of my life,” I tell him plainly.
He nods in understanding. “I can respect that. And, for what it’s worth, I’d like to be. Part of your life, that is. Nothing weird. Like, don’t start calling me daddy or some shit,” he says, and we both laugh. “But, you’re welcome here, anytime. You and your girls. And your brothers. I can’t lie, my head is still spinning, but I’m not stupid enough to turn away family. My Ma would literally kill me. Woman’s a menace with a wooden spoon.” He smiles, then groans.
“What?”
“I just realized that while we were sitting here sorting our shit, Joey’s probably been on the phone with Ma and all the aunts, spilling the beans. So, unless you want to get kisses from a bunch of Italian grandmas, you should get on the road.”
I look toward the door. The coast seems clear for now, but I’ve met enough family for today, so I stand to leave.
“Will you take my number?” he asks. “In case you want to get in touch?”
“Yea,” I say.
“Let me get a pen,” he looks around, then stands and walks toward the bar.
“Just gimme your phone,” I say, and he hands it over.
“There,” I say, tapping in my number and giving myself a call. “Now we’re all set.”
He looks at me like I’ve just performed an act of wizardry, then laughs, “Kids today.”
“Yea, real cutting-edge high tech,” I joke. “Look, I meant what I said, thanks,” I repeat.
He smiles. “I’m gonna wake up tomorrow wondering if I was drunk off my ass and dreamt all this, but yea, I’m really glad you showed up.”
I stand next to him and snap a quick pic of us, then send it to his phone. “There you go, proof for future-drunk-you.”
He looks at the photo of the two of us and says, “Not sure this helps. Future-drunk-me will just think he’s seeing double.”
