It Had Been So Long.....

It had been a long time since I had been home for the holidays and I dont know what made me make this impromptu journey; but soon I had a bag packed and was in my car driving from New York to Philadelphia. No one knew of my arrival.

The family was preparing for a holiday tradition of coming together and giving thanks but little did they know William would be coming home but for now plates were being set on the table, pies were cooling and children could be heard talking about the new PS5.

"Should we stop setting a place for him?"

"Mother would have our hide."

(Sister touches brothers arm and takes in the different aromas)

"What are you two in here doing? Do not be putting your fingers in my pies." said mother.

"How long till we get to eat?"

"Soon as you go wash your hands."

After mother said those words all you could hear were feet racing to the bathroom.

One would have thought traffic would have been backed up but maybe this was a sign that this was supposed to be as William was closer to home then he thought and soon he descended into the driveway.

What awaited him?

He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

"Did someone invite anyone else as I thought we all had arrived and by now about twenty five family members (wearing masks of course) had made a place around the table?"

"Just get the door."

"Granny some guy is at the door I have never seen before." said little Christian when he looked up.

Mother came to the door and stared at the man standing behind the screen.

"Mama who is it?"

"Im going to need a second pair of eyes over here because mine can not believe what they are seeing."

Uncle Tip (Tipton) walks over to the door and stares at him as well but he said, "Do we know you?"

William takes a deep breathe and said, "Mother its me."

Suddenly, several other family members decided to check out the commotion and they too couldn't believe their eyes."

William had come home.

"Boy get your put in here." laughed Uncle Tipton.

"I cant believe my eyes." said mother.

"We should be wondering why he is here those fancy friends kept him away all this time; why come home now?" asked sister.

"Lets just be happy right now that God sent our long lost son back home because whatever reason he had for staying away and coming back we can talk about that later."

"So you expect us to sit at the table with this stranger?"

"Look I know so much time has passed and I had to smoke some cigarettes to calm my nerves but Im here now and I can come back later."

"Nonsense as you may just get in your car and not come back we will sit at this table and we will be a family and you will join us; questions over coffee and brandy egg nog."

Everyone even the reluctant ones made their way to the table and William was placed in the hot seat because Uncle Tipton knew that some could not hold their tongues until after dinner but William had to know there would be an inquisition.

"What have you been doing for the last twenty years writing a book?"

"I went to law school, got a job at a firm in Manhattan and joined the race."

"What type of law?"

A cousin who was actually the one who talked William into coming tried to shot him a look of solidarity; they both work at the same law firm.

"Did anyone at this table know about William coming home?"

Anton raises his hand.

Explain yourself.

"Will and I work at the same firm when he started I couldn't believe it myself but ive kept some sort of tabs on him since Auntie brought him up one day."

Anton smiles at his Aunt.

"I did a yahoo search and looked up his college admissions and even when I graduated I told you pops that I found William but I guess you didn't make much of it so I did my own due diligence."

"Pass the mashed potatoes."

"So, what kind of lawyer are you?"

"I went from family law to corporate law hence my move to New York. I know you all may want to know why I stayed away but it really was just time and my own need to write my own story."

"So being a lawyer got in the way?"

"I was working in family law and id either break up families or put them back together and i created all these scenarios in my mind that I couldn't be loved because I didn't love."

"Son, what are you saying?"

"Not for one second until today had I thought about any of you and my therapist says its because of a birth defect that neurons that form the information of love are not activated."

"Have you ever been in a relationship?"

"Only with myself and my best friend."

"What changed today?"

"I have no idea but it did and I am so sorry that I just ran off."

"Maybe its time you learned what you were running from?"

Mother takes a deep breath.

"You are not my son and when you were nine tears old you saw me talking with your birth mother on the porch and when you saw a glimpse of her face you stopped calling me mother."

The entire table gasps.

Brother drops his fork.

Anton looks up at his cousin.

All these years he William had blocked out the trauma only to be guided by it because in his subconscious there lied the truth and these past two decades and vast hours of therapy sessions that never amounted to much but billable hours his journey home was the beginning of his true story.

It had begun.

Happy Thanksgiving.

i