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“Your parents,” he grinned. “You look like a man with a lot on your mind. Come. Sit. Let’s talk,” he said, not really asking.
I knew Cayden the least of all my uncles. Not sure why. I followed him to the leather chairs by the fireplace and sat down.
“What did you want to talk about?” I asked.
“I don’t believe you and I have ever actually had a conversation.”
I shook my head. “Not that I recall.”
“Then it’s long overdue. And I take full responsibility for that.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I’m older and should’ve made more of an effort. But my wife Allyson is the one who usually puts me in situations where I socialize with family. I’m still working on getting used to all of this.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
“I heard that you only found out about being a Henderson fifteen years ago,” he said.
“Yeah. You’d think that was a long time, but sometimes I still feel as though we are outsiders. Mom said we’re not, but that doesn’t change how I feel.”
“I understand that feeling extremely well. Like yourself, I never knew I was a Henderson either,” he said.
That shocked me. I knew I hadn’t heard much about him before, but he was the eldest in the family. How could he not know? “When did you find out?” I asked.
“Eight years ago. That’s probably why you don’t recall my sudden appearance in the family.”
“Wow. I’d ask how, but I guess that doesn’t matter at this point. You found them now,” I said.
“I did. But like yourself, there are times when I feel like I’m on the outside. They don’t do anything intentionally to make me feel that way. If anything, they go overboard trying to make me feel otherwise, but I can’t help it.”
“Yeah. I get it. I kept thinking that I was nothing like them, that they couldn’t understand me, but then when we are together, I feel all the similarities. At times I am thrilled and then sometimes....”
“Scared to death coz we Hendersons are stubborn and sometimes very difficult to be around.”
I laughed. “Exactly. Funny, that even if you’re not raised with someone, your connection with them still seems to have followed you through the DNA.”
“Times like this week remind me of how lucky we all are to have each other. I want CJ and Lexi to grow up knowing their cousins and not wondering who their family is,” he said.
“I agree. I’d want the same thing for my kids if I had any,” I said.
“You’re young and have plenty of time for children later. What are your immediate plans?” he asked.
Had he missed the memo that everyone was expecting me to become a doctor? “That’s still in the works.”
He stared at me and said, “As I said in the beginning, you look like a man with a lot on his mind. What is weighing so heavily on you? Adilyn or college?”
“Both,” I admitted.
“Want some advice?” he asked.
Would it matter if I said no?
“I guess it all depends on what it is,” I said.
“You can’t make everyone happy, but the best way to start is by doing what makes you happy,” he stated.
What if you don’t know what that is? I thought I had before I came here. Now I wasn’t so sure. “Sounds like good advice.”
