Because You're Different ✔

8. Traditions

Nathan

By the time Christmas came around, it seemed as if June had always been there. I'd come to see her as my little sister, and at times I was as much annoyed with her as I could be with Sam, but unlike Sam, she could undo my irritation with one single smile. Most of the time, though, we all got along. June cooked for us two or three times a week, making sure we could eat leftovers the day after. She was at our place more and more, and more and more the house was adapted to her needs, like for instance we put the plates in a different cupboard, so she was able to reach them herself, and we changed the lock on the bathroom door to one she could easily open after she locked herself in one time.

Mr. Guevara and Mrs. Aranda —I'd learned that it was the Spanish custom to keep your birth name after marriage — would be coming over for Christmas, and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, it meant that we'd be enjoying Mrs. Aranda's cooking skills. On the other hand, Sam and I were used to being alone and eating our dinner in front of the tv, never pausing our Lord of the Rings marathon.

And then there was June. It shouldn't have been a problem; I knew she'd love our usual Christmas tradition. As long as it wasn't Star Wars, she and Sam usually shared the same taste when it came to books and movies. Granted, Christmas itself wasn't going to be difficult. It would be the days after. Sam always left me alone; he was well aware that was how I liked it best. June, however, was nosy, and the kind of girl who wore her heart on her sleeve. She never stopped prying until she had her answers. I debated spending the rest of the Christmas vacation on campus, but that would raise questions as well, and not the sort I welcomed.

I decided to worry about it after Christmas. Sam and June were both so excited I hardly had the chance to be anxious. We started our Lord of the Rings marathon a few days early, so we'd be done on Christmas morning. It was the first time June stayed over, and the first time I was confronted with the fact that June was a girl and we were not, because she came to ask me, quite unashamedly, if I had any idea where we kept the small garbage bags. I asked her what the hell she needed a garbage bag for.

"To get rid of garbage," she said. I wasn't satisfied with that, for some reason thinking she was up to something. "I'm on my period, you jackass." Sam choked on his tea; I burst out laughing. "Apparently, your cleaning lady doesn't feel the need to put one in, since your mother is old and there isn't ever any girl here." With that last part of the sentence, she eyed me like I was doing something wrong.

"Okay, I'll see if I can find one."

"A girl or a garbage bag?" June said. Sam snickered.

I might've appreciated that joke if it hadn't been made so close to New Year's. I knew it was unfair to her because how could she have known, but I didn't say a single word for the rest of the day.

On Christmas morning, I did my best to be fun again. She came down before Sam, in her pajamas, examining me as if she wanted to find out if I was on exploding mode, so I smiled at her, adding a "Happy Christmas".

"Is it?" she said.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is."

She smiled as well. "Good. I need presents, and then I need me some Frodo. We need to finish the last part before my mom and dad come. Can't miss watching Frodo's finger getting bitten off."

We had agreed to keep the presents simple and cheap. I'd bought her a device that you could click on a pan, so if you drained it, not all water could pour out of it at once, and the contents you wanted to keep wouldn't be able to fall out either. Sam had gotten her a book, and she had written him a short story. Truth be told, I didn't expect to receive anything particularly special. After all, I had more than enough money to buy whatever the hell I wanted.