Chapter 175: Chapter Fifty-Two-1

Chapter Fifty-Two Giselle's birthday is a success. We have a little party for her in the lounge room on the second floor of our building, streamers and cake everywhere. Our group of close friends attend. Tanner comes late and Giselle glares at him and throws an empty cup at him. But later, I see them in the corner and Tanner pulling out a bracelet for Giselle. Something's definitely going on there... Jess shows up with her girlfriend, Suzy, who is a fashion major and incredibly nice. We all sit around on the couches, talking and playing charades and other hilarious games. It's a cozy night but eventually more and more people show until we end up going to seventh floor to expand our party. And it's actually fun. Can't remember a thing but I'm sure it was fun. "You ready to go?" Daniel says, loading the taxi with our bags on Thanksgiving Day. I place my phone in my coat pocket, just ending my phone call with Mom's doctors. They are to inform me if anything changes while I'm gone. I spent the whole day yesterday in her hospital room, watching comedy shows and eating the hospital's turkey dinner, pretending like she could hear me. Her increased security were right out her door. "Ready." "Great," he says, grinning. Daniel's shaved and his hair is done cleanly this morning. We're flying out to spend some days with his parents, Thanksgiving dinner included tonight. We would drive but he has no car and I have mine at the shop to get it ready for winter. Besides, flights are a little cheaper than yesterday or tomorrow since today is Thanksgiving. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was completely nervous about this whole thing but it's a rather better distraction than sitting alone cooped up in the dorm room, contemplating life and everything Madam Jin told me. The hour flight to Boston is quick and I fall asleep through all of it. Boston is a bit chillier than New York, its wind biting as it blows by. In the taxi, I watch the buildings and city life as they blur by. It's a beautiful city. It's also saddening this is the first time I've been out of New York. While Brent backpacked through South America before college and even moved to a completely different state for college, I haven't set a foot anywhere cool or exotic. Daniel's parents live in South Boston and you can almost see the blue line of the sea down the street. Their house is a simple fading white with dark blue shutters and roof. The lawn is small but that's the disadvantage of living in the city. Besides, it seems as if they might have a whole beach to themselves down the street. Joanne, Daniel's mother, is a nice brunette woman. She has teal bangles on her wrists and wears khaki capris with a flowy white shirt, blue flowers embroidered on them. Her smile is pretty and so are her welcoming eyes. "Welcome to our home," she says as Daniel unloads our luggage from his father's car. He picked us up from Logan. Prices for planes are no joke for Thanksgiving, so Daniel and I have established we'll take the cheaper bus or train back. I have no clue why we didn't do that in the first place. New York and Boston are only hours apart and we are two broke college kids. Daniel's dad, Rogerio, is more of a silent yet happy man. He played some jazz in the car and bopped his head to the beat but he never made unnecessary conversation which was relaxing in its own way. He only grunts as he carries our suitcases and silently leads them upstairs. I step onto their porch. There's a small swing in the corner with a floral patterned cushion on it. I imagine little Daniel swinging happily on a summer day or pre-teen Daniel listening to music or sixteen year old him having his first kiss on the swing. It's strange. I haven't known Daniel that long and yet I feel like I have been with him forever. It sounds incredibly cliche but that's just how it feels. "Ah, that swing needs to be fixed again," Joanne says, shaking her head as she stands next to me. She yells into the open doorway to the house, "Rogerio, que debe arreglar el swing de nuevo, querido!" She turns back to me, her short brown hair swaying. "I wouldn't recommend sitting on it. Daniel broke his arm once from it." A smile eclipses onto my face as I turn and see Daniel standing there, rolling his eyes and cheeks turning pink. "Oh, really?" Joanne laughs. "Yes, it was hilarious really." "Mama!" Daniel says, begging for her to hold back her "when Danny was a kid" tales. A quick ding comes from inside the house. Joanne raises her eyebrows and says, "Oh, that must be the turkey. You kids make yourself comfortable. Daniel can show you up to the rooms and the rest of the house. After that, a hand in the kitchen would be deeply appreciated! Be right back." She scurries away as I nod, smiling at how motherly she is. The insides of my chest burn a little. I didn't think I'd miss Mom so much but Thanksgiving and Joanne together just makes me want to cry. Daniel gently touches my chin and makes me face him. "Hey, you okay?" I breathe in and roll my head back to stop any tears. "Yeah, fine. Just a little homesick—a little mom-sick. You know...the usual." He purses his lips and then frowns. He isn't wearing his glasses today and contacts only since his mother loves it when he cleans up. His beautiful eyes are full of emotion. "I wish I could make it better and remove your pain." I place my hand over his on my face. "It's fine. I'm happy being here where you grew up. Thank you for having me." Daniel takes my hand in his and then kisses it. "Thank you for coming." He lets our hands down, intertwined. "Now, enough of this sadness. Would you like a grand house tour of the Daniel Rivera household?" Rolling my eyes, I smile. "Oh yeah, because the whole household is named after solely you. On with the tour, Mr. Rivera." He kisses my cheek before leading me into the house. It smells of apple and cinnamon and I can see several candles around the house as we travel by. He shows me the basic rooms downstairs—living room, kitchen, dining room. We go out to the backyard porch where he gives me a tour again of every corner of the small yard. Eventually, he leads me to his bedroom. It's actually not much different from his dorm room. Just a couple more band posters and the bed sheets are black and white. There are a couple books on his desk and music CDs on his shelf. It's mostly clean except for a couple random pieces of clothing on the mini couch in the corner. "Not bad," I comment, walking around his room after we step in. "Thanks." He closes the door behind him and jumps onto his bed, kicking back with his arms behind his head and his legs crossed. "God, I missed this bed."