The Gathering

“I told you I didn’t want to go.”

“And we told you to start getting ready an hour ago, Jimmy. Don’t make us late,” his mother says.

Thirty minutes later, they’re in the car. In the front, Jimmy’s parents hold hands, singing along to the music. In the back, Jimmy wears headphones and plays his favorite video game on his laptop, trying not to think about the day ahead.

When they arrive, Jimmy says, “I’m old enough to stay home alone, you know. You could’ve come without me.”

“Don’t be silly, Jimmy. You only see this side of the family once a year. Your cousins can’t wait to see you! And you know how much Auntie Cora loves you!” his mother says as they lift their things from the trunk.

As the sun peeks out, Jimmy trails behind his parents up the walkway. Here we go. It’s going to be a long day.

They are greeted at the front door by a crowd of unfamiliar relatives. Jimmy shrinks behind his parents, wishing he could disappear.

“Where is he? Where’s my little man?” calls out Aunt Cora. “There he is!” She yanks him from behind his mother, squeezes his cheeks, and rubs her nose against his. “Eskimo kisses!”

As they move further into the house, the voices get louder, dishes clatter in the kitchen, and the smell of lavender mixed with holiday spices turns Jimmy’s stomach. Please don’t let me puke, he thinks. Why did they make me come?

“Hey, Jimmy,” says his older cousin, Billy. “Wanna come outside and play catch with us?”

“No thanks. I’m good here.”

“I told you he was a baby!” Billy laughs with his younger brother, Scottie, as they run off.

“Don’t worry about them, Jimmy. It’s okay to be different,” says Uncle Will with a wink.

Different? I just need to find a quiet place to sit and play my game, Jimmy thinks. He finds a chair in a quiet corner, and hurries over carrying his laptop with him. Just as he opens it, the family dog barges at him and starts humping his leg. Oh no! Jimmy jumps and tries to kick him away, but it’s too late.

Billy and Scottie burst into the room. “Hey! Look! Buddy found a boyfriend!”

Jimmy runs from the room to find his parents. He spots them in the crowded kitchen, busy helping with the upcoming meal.

“I want to go home!” Jimmy yells.

“Jimmy! Don’t be rude!” his mother snaps, embarrassed by his outburst.

His father looks from him to his mother. “Come on now, honey. I’m sure you remember what it was like to be his age.”

“I was never rude. My parents wouldn’t have it.”

“Maybe we should talk to him, to see why he’s acting this way.”

“Go ahead. I’m busy. When we bought that laptop, I told you how hard it would be to pull him away from those video games,” his mother says, rolling her eyes.

When his father turns around, Jimmy is gone. He glances around, then back at his wife.

She shrugs as she turns back to the vegetables, “I’m sure he’s fine. He probably went to play with one of his cousins. We’ll talk to him about his manners when we get home.”

“Umm…okay. Sure.”

Jimmy runs out to the backyard and finds a quiet corner in the garden. He sits on a bench beside a statue, crying as he rubs the cold stone for comfort. His cousins spot him across the yard.

“Look! The weirdo’s talking to the statue!” one of them yells as laughter breaks out.

“I’m not a weirdo!” Jimmy shouts.

The cousins move closer. One smirks at the others and says, “Hey, we’re sorry, Jimmy. We were just messing around. Want to play a game of Hide and Seek with us?”

Jimmy wants to be left alone, but he also wants his cousins to stop calling him a weirdo, so he says, “Sure, I’ll play.”

“Great, Shelby, you’re it!”

“Why do the girls always have to be it?” Shelby complains.

“It’s your turn! Come on, Jimmy! I have a great hiding place over here,” Billy shouts.

Jimmy runs after, following him towards a garden shed.

“In here, she’ll never find us!”

Jimmy hesitates at the doorway. The shed is cold and dark. He looks at Billy, unsure.

“Go on, hurry!”

Jimmy steps inside. The door slams behind him. He grabs the doorknob, but it’s locked.

“Come on, guys! Let me out!” he yells, pounding on the door. He hears laughter in the distance.

Jimmy sinks in a corner, pulling his knees to his chest as tears run down his face. “I told them I didn’t want to come.”

As he sits quietly in the damp, musty shed, he hears the distant sound of laughter and clattering dishes. Everyone is having a great time. Do they even notice he’s gone?

Inside, the adults are setting the table and adding the final touches to the dishes that are about to be served. The mood is festive, and everyone is hungry. Platters overflow with meats and cheeses, casseroles steam on the counter, and every dessert imaginable waits to be devoured. It’s quite a feast.

“Kids! It’s time to eat! Come and make your plates!”

The children rush into the kitchen, piling food onto their plates, pushing and shoving, making sure to grab their favorites before they’re gone. Once all the children are seated, Jimmy’s dad notices that one chair is empty. He scans the room for Jimmy.

“Has anyone seen Jimmy?”

The children shrug.

“Where is Jimmy?”

“Haven’t seen him for a while,” Billy replies as he stuffs his face.

“Barbara, Jimmy’s not here!”

The room goes still.

“Jimmy!” his mother calls.

The adults jump out of their seats and look around. “He has to be here somewhere.”

Jimmy’s parents hurry through the house, followed by the rest of the family.

“Jimmy!”

“Jimmy?”

“Jimmy!”

When they realize he isn’t inside, they pour out into the yard.

“Jimmy!”

Everyone is searching now, calling his name, looking behind bushes and around corners. Some run toward the front of the house. Finally, his mother rushes to the shed.

“Jimmy?”

She yanks open the door.

Jimmy looks up at his mother with swollen eyes as she sweeps him up from the floor. She realizes that he had been trying to tell her something all day and she hadn’t been listening.

“Jimmy, what happened?”

“I told you I didn’t want to go.”