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“You going to eat that?” Griffin points at my half-eaten sandwich.
“You are a bottomless pit.” I offer it to him.
“I know. Problem is, I don’t get as much exercise behind a desk as I used to with dancing. Hopefully Emma will still love me when I have a gut.”
I have to laugh. My brother has never been out of shape a day in his life. He could eat ten sandwiches for lunch and still have a six-pack.
“You’re ridiculous.”
We’re at a popular deli spot near Griffin’s office taking our lunch break like two regular New Yorkers. My gaze snags on the line of patrons ordering sandwiches. The eclectic bunch of lunch goers that includes a twenty-something bike messenger, a mother with a toddler in a stroller, two men in business suits, and a construction worker collecting two large bags of food.
I love the buzz of the city, the constant motion and sounds. It makes me feel alive. I’m still amazed that I live here. That we live here. While I get annoyed at Griffin’s protectiveness, it is comforting to be here together.
I turn my attention back to my brother who is now devouring the remains of my sandwich.
“Do you miss it?” I ask.
“Not the stage, but it’s still fun to use my dance moves on Emma sometimes.”
“Yeah. I don’t want to know that.” I scrunch my nose. “I meant Vegas.”
“No. Not Vegas.” He shrugs. “I miss Rita and Terrence. Chad and a few of the guys from the revue, but I’m happy here.”
For the last seven years, Griffin worked as a male revue dancer at Las Vegas’s premiere male revue show,Rainin’ Men. During his time there, with the encouragement of Rita, the show’s choreographer, and her husband, Terrence, a tenured law professor at UNLV, Griffin got his undergraduate degree and graduated from law school. He was positioned to take a job at Terrence’s law firm when he met and married Emma.
After he realized that their marriage wasn’t a mistake and they fell in love, it made sense for him to move to New York City.
I was ecstatic. A content, happy brother who gave up so much for me now living his best life while I could also pursue my dream without any guilt of leaving him behind…everything is working out perfectly.
Griffin takes another bite, while I sip on the lemon ginger iced tea that I’m finding surprisingly delicious.
“How’s your second day going?” he asks.
“Good. Not as hectic as yesterday.” That, and I haven’t made any blunders with potential clients today so for that I’m thankful.
“I’m glad you’re settling in.”
“Yeah, it’s good.” I pause, taking another drink of my tea. “I was thinking about getting a second job.”
He blinks in surprise. “Really? Why?”
“This city is expensive.”
“And you’re living with us to cut costs.”
“It’s kind of you and Emma to let me stay, but you’re newlyweds and I know you need your space. I think saving up for a place of my own would be good.”
“We like having you there. And it gives me peace of mind.”
“Right, but when will your mind be at peace? When I’m twenty-five? Thirty? I can’t live with you two forever.”
Griffin is eight years older than me, but his overprotective nature and need to oversee everything in my life has become an issue between us. It was fine when I was twelve. Now that I’ve graduated college and landed a job, and he’s in love with Emma and started down his new career path, I thought things would let up a little. That he’d realize I’m an adult, capable of using an app to navigate the subway and make my own decisions, but it feels like we’re stuck in the same place we have been for years.
While I’m grateful that he and Emma are letting me live with them until I get on my feet and can manage my own apartment or find roommates, my need to break free from his watchful eyes has only increased since we moved here.
“It’s not going to be forever,” he argues. “It’s been five days.”
I can tell that Griffin doesn’t like the idea of me working a second job, especially if it means I’ll be moving out sooner. But my goal of moving out and becoming self-sufficient is going to require more funds. I’ve got waitstaff experience, so I’m hoping to find a serving job a few nights a week that could pad my savings and allow me to move out sooner.
