“Doesn’t this look amazing, Whitney?” my mom asked, marveling at the spread. For such a small party, Paul had gone all out with the meal. A golden turkey sat waiting to be carved amongst a throng of delectables like homemade rolls, stuffing, different vegetables, and desserts. I would have really appreciated what he had done to make my mother and me happy if I weren’t so annoyed with his son.
“Go ahead, sit down,” Paul said eagerly.
As I sat down in the nearest chair, across from Ted, I saw Chad talk to his friend. With a confused look from Ted, he switched seats.
“What was that all about?” I asked Ted, glancing across the wide table at Chad. He was very focused on piling food on his plate.
Ted shrugged his shoulders. “He just said that we should get to know each other.”
His cute face was so confused that I couldn’t help but giggle. “Then I guess we’ll get to know each other.”
Unlike Chad, my first move was for the wine. I took a long sip of the red, letting the strong flavors cool my nerves. The alcohol in my empty stomach provided much relief.
We spent most of the meal in silence, except for my mom’s and Paul’s conversations. They were clearly in love with each other, despite only seeing each other for such a short amount of time. During dinner, they recounted their romance as I poured more wine and Chad shoveled more food into his face.
“And I know that this is a big surprise already,” Paul said, “but there’s something Sandra and I want to announce.”
They looked at us with goofy smiles on their faces. My mom’s eyes were shining.
“We’re getting married!” my mom squealed.
I felt like I’d just received a kick in the stomach. My head was spinning, and not just from the merlot. Not only would I be experiencing a life-changing event, but I would have to go through all of it with Chad. I couldn’t imagine anything less appealing at that moment. I couldn’t escape the awkward feeling around him. We were going to be step-siblings.
Maybe there was still time. If I started looking now, I could find a new job sometime in the next year at a different hospital, far away. Maybe the engagement wouldn’t last.
“When?” I asked, hoping for a date way into the future.
“Valentine’s Day,” my mom cried.
“Really?” Chad snorted.
“I bet you didn’t think your old man was romantic, did you?” Paul asked his son, beaming with pride.
“That’s only a few months away,” I protested.
“It’s not going to be a big event,” my mom said. “Besides, you’re great at planning. With your help, I bet I could get everything ready in a week.”
I forced my mouth into a smile as my stomach churned. There was no escaping this.
Looking over at Chad, I could tell that he was experiencing a similar reaction to this news. His hands were clenched so tightly around his knife and fork that his knuckles were turning white. His lips were tightly pursed together.
Poor Ted kept looking at everyone around the table, clearly out of place. To keep himself busy, he focused on cutting his slice of meat smaller and smaller until he got to the molecular level.
“Congratulations,” Chad said to our parents. “I’m glad that the two of you are happy.”
My mom rested her hands over her chest, beaming at her new stepson. It made me feel even more terrible to be so unhappy in response to their happiness.
“Yeah, this is really great,” I said, mustering up all of the sincerity that I could.
After their big announcement, we had dessert. I picked at a slice of apple pie while I nursed a glass of moscato. I usually didn’t drink this much at family functions, but I didn’t know if I could deal with this completely sober.
After dinner, Ted quietly announced that he was going to leave. I didn’t blame him.
“Are you sure?” Paul asked. “We could play a game or watch a movie. I just got new surround sound speakers.”
I cringed. If this were their plan, then I would have to stay for much longer than I wanted to. I didn’t want to ask for my mom to take me home because she seemed so happy with Paul. I wouldn’t dare ruin her Christmas.
“Yeah, I should get going,” Ted persisted. “Thank you so much for including me,” he said politely. “And congrats on the engagement.”
“Do you think you could give me a ride home?” I asked. “I’m starting to get a migraine, I’m afraid.”
“Maybe it’s the wine,” my mom said, frowning. “Do you want me to take you home?”
“It’s no problem,” Ted replied.
Chad raised his eyebrow at the two of us. I quickly looked at my mom and Paul.
“Thanks for dinner. I’ll see you back at the hospital.”
I gave them a quick hug, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Chad so he wouldn’t expect an embrace.
Ted and I walked out the door into the cold wind. I wrapped my coat tighter around my chest, feeling a chill that wouldn’t go away.
“That was the strangest Christmas dinner I’ve ever been to,” Ted said.
“Same. I’m sorry you had to sit through that. I’m sorry I had to sit through that.”
“Do you know Chad well?”
I expelled a quick sigh of relief. At least Ted didn’t know about Chad and me.
“Not very. He hasn’t been working at the hospital for long. I haven’t really, either, for that matter.”
“I’ve known Chad for a while. His dad’s a great guy. I don’t know your mom, but I bet she’s pretty lucky to have him. Chad’s family has been through a lot after his mom left, and then died later. It’ll be good for Paul to have someone.”
“I didn’t know about all of that,” I said softly.
“Chad doesn’t talk about it much. It was pretty awful for him. He’s okay, but I don’t think that pain ever really leaves a person.”
“I suppose it doesn’t.”
“I’m sure it’s weird to suddenly have new stepsiblings, but Chad is as good as they get. At least you’ll know that every family gathering will be a ton of fun. The guy is a legend.”