“Just a minute,” Donna said before she sat down. She moved to the stereo system and cued up a CD, and music swelled from the speakers. It took a few bars before Curt realized it was the last album Tyler’s band had put out.
“I listen to this every day,” Donna said as she sat down hard on the couch. Her movements had become a little less precise, and her speech punctuated with occasional pauses — in other words, she was just a little bit tipsy. But Curt knew his mother’s drinking habits, and knew she had a long way to go before she was truly out of control. “And every day I remember how amazingly talented my son is.”
Tyler smiled, an odd shyness to his demeanor that Curt imagined no one but family ever saw. “Thanks, Mom,” he said. “That’s really cool.”
They distributed presents and began unwrapping. Donna was a practical giver, and so the brothers got the usual gamut: socks, shirts, cash. Tyler presented his mother with a portable mp3 player, while Curt gave her a new cell phone. The presents were not numerous, so they made a miniature celebration of each one, punctuating the unwrapping with sips of wine and brief, jovial toasts.
All too soon, it was over, and the presents lay in a pile on the coffee table, surrounded by a crinkling cloud of ripped wrapping paper.
“Merry Christmas, sweethearts,” Donna said, and leaned over to kiss each of them on the cheek in turn. “I’m sorry it wasn’t more, but money has been so tight…”
“Don’t worry about it, Mom,” Curt said, holding a small picture frame she’d given him. “The gifts don’t really matter. I’m just glad we can all be together.”
She smiled. “Me too,” she said. “I’ve missed you boys so much. It’s hard sometimes, being here by myself all the time. I keep busy with work, and I have my book club, but sometimes I can’t help it, and I do get a little lonely.” Curt heard the hitch in her voice, and she put her wine glass down and took a deep breath.
“Don’t cry, Mom,” Tyler said, and pulled her into a firm hug. Both of them had grown up to be taller and broader than her, and so she disappeared into his embrace a little as he held her tight. “We’re here now.”
“Yeah, but you’ll have to leave again in a few days,” she said, her tone more than a little maudlin. “I’m already missing you, because I know you’ll have to leave.”
“Don’t be silly,” Curt said. “We’re going to be here for four days.” He reached out and touched his mother’s hair, wanting to do his part in comforting her.
She turned back to him, her smile a little sad. “I’m sorry,” she said, wiping at her eyes. “Your poor old mother is getting senile and getting emotional at the drop of a hat…”
“You’re not old, Mom,” Tyler said. “You’re beautiful.”
She blushed a little and touched his cheek. “You’re both such sweethearts,” she said. “I wish I could meet a man just like the wonderful men my two boys grew up to be. Maybe then, I could get laid one more time.”
“Oh wow,” Curt said, laughing nervously. That was more information than he had expected to get this Christmas. He looked to Tyler to see if his brother shared his discomfiture, but found that Tyler was staring at Donna intensely.
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