The Lawyer (boyXboy)

Meet The Family

My week seems to fly by. A rough case of the flu burned through the hospital like a wild fire, which I surprisingly didn't get, but many of my colleagues did. It left the hospital seriously understaffed, and despite the fact that I'm supposed to be taking it easy, I've had to pull double shifts all week. And not only has the flu been effecting the hospital, but it also seems to be running through the entire city! Every day the waiting room has been filled with wall to wall patients, all convinced that because this strain of the flu makes them a little extra tired and ill feeling that they're dying.

I know it's bad of me to be thankful for Kenna's relationship problems, but if it weren't for her staying with me this week, I'm not sure how I would have functioned. She's been cooking, cleaning, washing my laundry, and doing the shopping all week, which of course I feel awful about, but unfortunately with my hospital hours it's impossible to keep up with it all. Usually if I was having a week like this I'd be re-wearing dirty clothes and living off takeout...so basically not too different from my normal life.

As far as things with Jack, I haven't seen him since our date, which we agreed would be best on account of his kids staying with him this week. We have been texting though, a bit more than we agreed upon, but I've decided that rule can be bent a little when we're unable to see each other in person. I know I'm still newish to the relationship thing, but I'm pretty sure that conversation is key to a healthy relationship, and god knows I've got bad enough luck, so I'd rather not screw this whole thing up before its even really had a chance to start by ignoring my boyfriend all week. But I guess today I don't have to worry about that, because Jack's decided today, my first afternoon off all week, is a good day for me to be introduced to his kids. And obviously, because this is me we're talking about, I'm absolutely terrified.

"Thank you for coming with me. I just think it'll be easier for the kids to accept me as Jack's friend if they see me with another member of the family." I tell Kenna, sat beside me on the crowded subway, completely involved in the phone clutched in her hands. The subway comes to a stop, and a crowd of angry looking New Yorkers wedge their way into the already crowded car.

"Stop worrying, everything will be fine." Kenna says as she scrolls through her twitter feed, seeming unaware and unbothered by the fact that we're all packed in here like sardines in a can.

I nod, but internally I'm still panicking. Once again my coworker comes to mind, the woman who was dumped after meeting her partner's kids, and I feel like it's instantly gotten about twenty degrees hotter in here. Kenna – and Jack for that matter – have been repeatedly telling me not worry, but I just can't help it. I know Jack and I have only been together for a week, but this is a pretty big deal. I feel like I'm going to a job interview for some really prestigious company that's already decided they hate me before I even walk through the door. I don't even have any experience with kids besides the ones I grew up with in foster care, or the ones that come into the emergency room, so honestly I don't even know what you're supposed to do with kids!

My thoughts continue to race from one horrible scenario to the next, each one seeming worse than the one before it, as we're finally able to exit the cramped subway and head up to street level. We're meeting Jack and two of his kids, Noah and Maddison, at a family restaurant just down the street. His eldest child is the only one I won't be meeting yet, because she doesn't spend weeks with him anymore. He says she drops in every now and then for a visit, but the years of her staying with him as her siblings do are over. It's kind of a relief that I won't be meeting her though, because I think out of all of the kids, she'd be the hardest to fool, and the most likely to object to mine and her father's relationship.

"You're doing it again." Kenna says, lacing her arm through mine as we walk down the street.

"Doing what?" I ask. To the strangers passing by we must look like a couple; the beautiful model-like girl, dressed simple but pretty, in skinny jeans, a black flare coat, and ballet flats, her brunette hair tied up in a flawless bun atop her head, taking every step radiating an aura of complete confidence. And her odd boyfriend with the large framed glasses, looking nervous and distressed, his messy hair knotted into something that resembles a bun, and clearly dressed by someone else judging by the meticulously chosen ensemble of skinny jeans, combat boots, t-shirt, and scarf under a very plain ski jacket. And of course they would be correct on everything except for the relationship. Kenna dressed me like this, somehow finding the clothes I'm least comfortable in buried at the base of my closet, and somehow turning them into an outfit that makes me feel like everyone is staring at me.