Christmas Shorties

If You Like Piña Coladas... (2015)

An argument. That's what started it all. But not just any argument. It wasn't the first, but it was the last. So far, anyway, and in my mind, would probably be the last ever.

This argument was more heated than the rest. It ended in broken furniture, and honesty. But that honesty is what made me leave. It's not that I couldn't handle it, or I didn't want to hear it, quite the opposite, honesty is what I had asked for since day one of this relationship. It was what he was being honest about.

When we first started dating, I knew there were risks. I'm a Christian, he's not. I had rules, standards even, but he was able to sway me in his favor. He kept himself in line when I was around; he had both clean actions and a clean mouth. I thought he was willing to change to be with me. From the beginning, I had it messed up.

There's nothing wrong with standards. Not at all. And keeping them, if you create them, is important. But thinking that someone has to change to fit those standards? Not a good plan. They'll never be exactly what you expect. Eventually, they'll resent you for the change they went through. Maybe they made that choice, maybe you forced them into it. Either way, not good. Especially when you're not willing to change for them.

That's how I ended up at my parents' house in LA this Christmas.

***

"Christa! I didn't expect to see you this year!" My mom was already going to start this.

"Well, Mom, you invited me..."

She gave me the mom look. I was twenty-four years old, and she was still giving me the look. "Yes, I did, but we haven't heard from you in a couple of years, so I didn't expect you to come."

"Yeah, Steve and I are taking a bit of a break, so I thought it might be good if I came out here."

My mom's facial expressions were conflicted. She wasn't sure whether to be happy about the break from my boyfriend or disappointed about my reasons for visiting. Her words took the form of the latter route, disguised in an upbeat and playful way. "Oh! You're using us as an escape now, hmm?"

"Mom, I don't really-"

"Christa! Is that you?" my dad called from inside. As he walked past my mom to hug me, he gave me a wink. He was always saving me from talks like the one she was starting. My whole life he had been doing that.

"Hi, Daddy," I smiled, returning his embrace. "How are you?"

"I'm coping," he said, throwing his head back towards my mother. She scoffed and walked away. "How have you been, Kiddo? Been awhile."

"I've been better," I said, managing a small smile. "Are Lisa and Amanda here yet?"

He smiled, but it was one of those smiles that people give you when they're being cautious and observant, like they're trying to hide the fact that their eyes are boring holes into your soul. I shifted uncomfortably under such a gaze and in such a silence, but he laughed it off like he does with everything else. "Amanda is, but Lisa isn't coming until next week."

I just lightly nodded and stepped inside as he helped me with the bags. He brought them to a room already somewhat crowded with bags and beds.

"Sorry about the mess," my older sister, Amanda, said, trying to tidy up what she could. She saw me behind my dad, dropped everything in her arms, and gave me a huge hug. "Oh my gosh, Chrissy! It's been forever since I've seen you!"

I laughed and returned the embrace. "Yeah, Harvard certainly keeps a girl busy."

"Doesn't keep Lisa too busy to come visit her family," my mom commented as she walked by with a basket of laundry. My dad had already slipped out from the messy room.