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“Don’t be nervous,” I tell him, pressing against his lower back and leading him up the walkway to my parents’ two-story home. They live on a small plot of land right outside of the suburbs that allows my dad to do all his gardening and raise his chickens without complaints from neighbors.
“I’m not nervous,” Theo mutters, but he’s quieter than normal, and I can feel the nerves radiating from him.
Suddenly the door bursts open and my dad barrels through, tripping slightly on the garden hose.
“Logan!” he cries and picks me up and spins me around. He sniffles loudly and presses a wet kiss to my cheek.
“Come on, dad,” I murmur, even though I’m getting a little emotional now, too. I missed them.
“It’s been too long.”
“It’s been a few months.”
My dad pulls back and clasps my face in his big hands and squeezes lightly.
“Too long,” he repeats and then turns to look at Theo who is shuffling on his feet next to me. “Who’s this?” my dad asks and for the first time, I see my dad through someone else’s eyes. He’s big, bigger than me, with large arms and thick legs and a closely buzzed haircut. We actually look a lot alike, except for my curly hair. I get that hair from my mom.
“This is Theo. He’s my…friend.”
My dad reaches out his hand and Theo gently shakes it. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
“Nice to meet you too. Landon told me you guys went out to visit.”
“Yeah, Landon is almost as bad as Mom. They just text and text until you cave.”
My dad shuffles us inside. “They are, but hey, do you want to see what I’m growing out back?” I don’t even get a chance to reply when he says happily, “Pumpkins! And squash!”
“Awesome, dad.”
Theo eyes me as my mom rounds the corner with a big smile.
“Logan!”
“Hey, mom,” I say engulfing her in a hug. Her waves of curly hair are pulled back in a messy bun and she stands at least a foot shorter than me.
“So, my nagging texts finally brought you home?”
“Yep,” I say and then turn to introduce her to Theo who is fiddling with his hood.
“This is Theo. My friend. He’s tutoring me in chemistry.”
“Oh, I’ve heard you work miracles,” she says, smiling at him gently. She must sense he needs to be handled with care.
“He can walk on water too,” I tease, and Theo blushes.
“Come on guys, let’s see my pumpkins. And you can meet the chickens too, Theo,” my dad says. “We’ll send you home with some eggs.”
“He’s impatient,” my mom explains. “He’s feeling competitive with our neighbor, Frank. He wants to grow the bigger pumpkin this year.”
“And I will win! I’m a winner!” my dad exclaims as we walk through the house and into the backyard.
The cool air nips at my exposed skin and I pull Theo in a little closer to me, even though he fights it a little.
“Do you like vegetables, Theo?” my dad asks, leading us to the large greenhouse on the far corner of the property.
“They’re alright,” he says as we make our way inside. My dad plucks a few carrots from the ground.
“Well, you haven’t had any fresh, homegrown ones then. I’ll send some home with you.”
