Roger Barr

"Roger?" My eyes shifted from the empty plate to a pair of worrying eyes. "Do you want seconds?" She asked. "No thank you. I'm pretty full from the cake," it was their anniversary and we've planned a small party with just us. A cake for three was too much hence the leftovers were now residing in the fridge.

"Should we play Monopoly?" Dad excitedly repeated the same story of buying the new version of Monopoly, apparently making it more complex. "Sure." We cleared the table before moving to the living room, switched on the radio for the white noise, and sat down on the floor with the fire warming us.

It was winter and I was on my vacation for Christmas. This is my third winter without Tiffany and the wound is still raw and fresh. One less present to buy, I joked with my parents and they awkwardly laughed. The game ended pretty late and mom said, "That's a wrap. Let's clean this up and get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow."

Our family time ended with dad gloating his victory and mom rolling her eyes in response. Can we ever have this back?

The night stayed quiet and dark until light decided it was time. The sun rose right on schedule. I shuffled to the bathroom to freshen up, the mirror portrayed a lethargic man with stubbles growing wild like mushrooms in an untouched forest. My eyes beat red but I couldn't get a good sleep even if I was tired.

My phone never dared to make a sound ever since I arrived. It was still in my bag, forgotten. I grabbed the light-weight luggage and saw a dead phone.

My negligence killed it and I was happy.

I hated the sound and the expectation even if the hope for us is dead.

"Good morning," I kissed my mom and sat down next to my father. He secretly glanced from his newspapers while mom from her mug, their stares were loud and heavy but I pretended not to notice. It has become a habit in this household. Every day, eyes would be on me as if it's a new profound way of communicating but we still haven't been able to meet in the middle.

After a few minutes, their eyes softened and they were no longer on me. They focused on breakfast and today's news. Dad listed out what he wanted to do and mom told him what she had in plan, I went along like a puppet.

"I'll help mom with her shopping and then I'll help you with the lights."

"What should we get for everyone?" Mom was talkative and kept asking for my opinion which I gladly responded to. Gifts were nicely wrapped by the shop: we bought chocolates for the young visitors and uniquely decorated pens for the rest. It was our turn for the Christmas dinner party and mom was super excited.

"Should we invite a few friends over?" She asked and I nonchalantly agreed. It doesn't matter as long as they're happy. They need a break from my life and I need to as well.

We bought all the ingredients needed for the Christmas dinner with some extra (because you always need extras, mom's favourite answer) and began to head out. She went to stack away the presents while I stocked up the fridge.

After putting everything away and taking a big bite of the ready-to-eat waffle, I went to find dad. He was talking to someone and had his back towards me, not realizing I was there. The man was slightly taller and had a very charismatic tone.

"That's great! I can't wait to meet them," dad said with excitement - I wonder who's coming. They kept talking and by then I knew who he was by the amount of gossip that had been running around. People talk but when it's a spicy topic, it'll last longer and it will travel.

"An old man with his girlfriend decided to retire here and quietly ended up in failure when his girlfriend dumped him in front of the whole neighbourhood." Mom narrated a few days ago. She was a splendid story-teller and the little me would always sleep while listening to her.

Mom's re-enactment of what had happened made me understand why people couldn't shut up about it for a whole month.

"Hey dad," I let them know of my presence and dad quickly introduced me to him. "This is my son, Roger." I smiled and shook my hands. "Roger, this is James Johnson. He lives a block away but we go to the same barber shop." Dad retold about their first meeting and how they ended up being friends.

"He's helping me with the lights. Oh, didn't you complain about your leaking toilet? My son can check it out for you and give it a fix. He's an engineer and young. So you can take your knees for a break and let the youngsters do the work."

That adds another thing to do on my list. I didn't mind since moving is better than letting your brain do the work. He declined at first but dad wasn't taking it and I offered to help. It was a game of boomerang before he gave up.

The lights decorated the house nicely, we weren't going big but it was festive and inviting. "James was whining about his knees after he fell down the toilet. Puddle came out of nowhere and he would have fixed it but he doesn't have the hands for it or the knees," Dad gave me his tool box. "His daughters are coming for Christmas and one of them is pregnant. It would be a danger zone! He worries that it won't only be his bathroom flooding with puddles but the guest rooms as well. It's an old house but it's still strong. Just need to give her a lot of love before she can be at her top again," dad reminisced about his young days and the fun he had at that house when his friend still stayed there.

I rang the bell and someone yelled out wait in response. Heavy footsteps went towards the main door and then the unlocking sound came before the door flew wide open. "Oh dear, you shouldn't have come. I know you're busy for the dinner party. They need you more than me," he invited me in after I told him everything was under control at home and it would only take a few minutes.

"It's a simple gesture as neighbours. I heard you fell down because of the puddles?" He groaned in pain at the thought. "Took me down like the titanic, faster even," he joked. "I'll just take a look and give a good knock." He rumbled about how he would have done it by himself if he knew how. "I must shamefully confess that I'm a city boy and rarely do any of this. I wanted to call a plumber but your dad stopped me saying it was a waste especially when you're here." He accompanied me while I fixed the pipes. It was a good company and he had many stories to tell, especially about his daughters.

"That should stop the leaking," he nodded at my explanation of the problem. "Oh dear me, I forgot to offer you a drink. Usually, it would be the woman of the house but she's gone," he jested. He poured a glass of cold lemonade which was super delicious. "You like it?" I nodded. "I can't fix the house but I could fix up a good meal. I'm a retired chef. Left the restaurant life for this," he gestured to the house but more to the surrounding. The quaint life of fresh mornings and peaceful nights.

"I should take a look at the other bathrooms while I'm at it. It could be dangerous if another puddle leaks out,"

"Yes, we don't want any hospital visits during Christmas. Never again."