Gatherings

A Short Stoic Story…

Knocking on the hardwood door with a stained glass rose placed within it a young man standing with his Father waiting for his Uncle to open up and let them in.

There is a feeling of assignment when it comes to family. As if we may not have a choice in the who we are related. At least this young man feels that way each time he is surrounded by blood.

“Johnny boy!” Uncle Roger opens the door whipping it into the door stop as he flaps his arms wide open taking in his nephew shoving John deep into his armpit.

Releasing John Uncle Roger says, “no longer a boy… NOW YOU ARE A MAN!”

Awkwardly chuckling along with the complement John does his best to receive the rough invitation of his Uncle. Much like a small dog being pet too hard Uncle Roger was like that with everyone.

“Uncle Rog’s heavy loving embraces were always quit the experience. The stench of onion dip from his pits mixed with the cigar and whiskey perfuming from his breath; that is Uncle Roger.” John thinks to himself as he follows the flow of the home into the kitchen.

Aunt Susan is here in the kitchen trucking along with the preparing of dinner for all attendees.

“A sweet woman, but always seems blunted or glazed over.” John ponders, analyzing her condition.

“Hey, Auntie!” John says with a labored excitement.

“Oh! Look who showed up! I see you are no longer a boy.” Aunt Susan pulled John in tight for a hug as the rattle of her vitamins goes off each times she moves as if adorned with a bell.

“So I have heard.” John response rolling his eyes ever so slightly.

“Always with those vitamins she is eating and then a few minutes after is blissful til it wares off,” John continues in thought as he watches her throw back opiates every several hours.

“What are those vitamins for Auntie?” John asks innocently as to not alarm her.

“Oh you know…” her eyes darting back and forth as if she was tracking a fly, “my migraines hun. Yes! My migraines!” As she taps her head with her index finger.

“Are they really painful to manage?” Mark prods a bit.

“Oh… um… well…” once again her eyes dart around as she searches for the words, “lots of things trigger them so I have to… take my medicine to not be in pain.” Susan states stuttering along seemingly proud of the response she came up with.

Nodding along John can only think, “I wonder if her migraines are because of having Uncle Roger and his mini-me Jimmy? Would be for me.” John gives his Aunt Susan a pity filled hug and walks to the living room to the tune of Auntie’s rattling.

Some random game is always playing in the living room and much like a comatose patient John will often sit their staring at the screen as time ticks by.

“Hopefully they just think I’m really into the game and I can avoid all the off brand coming of age questions,” John posits to himself.

Now here is Cousin Jimmy who is Uncle Rog’s first son. “They are exactly the same, the difference is Jimmy is only mimicking his Father as he sits currently watching a game and cheering without any understand of what is actually happening,” John observes as his Uncle and Cousin do this odd dance of manliness.

Uncle Roger often will walk into the living room one hand with a beer and the other some handful of snacks and inevitably see something happen in the game that he will react to.

“Oh… Oh.. Oh! GOOOOOOOO!” Uncle Roger yells spraying a mist of beer and cheese snack particles dusting the couch in orange.

Seconds after Cousin Jimmy will as predictable as ever follow, “Oh!! GO… GO.. GOOOOO!” Though Simple Jimmy is confused at what he is cheering about he is simply searching for comradery with his father.

Watching this monkey see monkey do dance John can’t help but think, “fascinating that Jimmy feels he has to place this mask of fandom on to curry attention from Uncle Rog.”

John gets up as the two apes are cheering at the television to go check on Jesse.

Off in the corner of the house is a room with a wooden door painted matte black. This is where Jesse resides. Cousin Jesse is the youngest of the two brothers.

Walking to his room John thinks to himself, “Jesse has always been the black sheep so the door is fitting. Always angry, brooding and blasting metal as much as possible. I will say all that time alone has made him quit the guitarist.” John nodding his head to the thoughts as he knocks on the door.

“Careful with that one… IT BITES!” Uncle Rog yells from the living room as he laughs a heavy belly laugh, then suddenly his attention is swayed by the television.

Giving his Uncle a thumbs up John knocks again. Heavy metal music raddling the door and muffling John’s knocking so he decides to just go in.

Throwing a ninja star at the stud beside the door just as John walks in Jesse says, “oh, it’s you.” As he turns back around in his swivel chair at his desk.

“What are you up to cousin?” John says offering an olive branch and slightly rattled at the throwing star beside him.

“Sorry about the throwing star, I got really good at it over covid and when mini-roger comes in unannounced I throw a star at the door.” Jesse says with a smirk of pride.

“No big deal cousin, so you and your brother still don’t get along?” John asks.

“Not at all, mainly because he copies Big Ol’ Roger and has no personal identity. Mom is never here mentally and always taking vitamins,” throwing up air quotes around vitamins clearly aware of what they are.

“I see you have some new holes in the wall, I like your design.” John says smug and cheeky.

Jesse shoots him a smirk and nod.

“What are you working on? Are those cigarettes? Do you smoke now?” John rapid fires questions.

“Chill Cousin! These are dingus Jimmy’s and I am putting fire crackers in the tip of half so he blows his face off half time.” Jesse says with a large grin.

“Wow… that is funny, but won’t he just throw them out once one of them explode?” John asks.

“No he believes that when a cigarette goes bad an explosion is what happens so I give him breaks from time to time.” Jesse then puts down the cigarette he was fiddling with and pulls out a butterfly knife fancily opening it and holding it to John, “don’t you say anything.”

With hands up John retorts, “I wouldn’t dare though on one condition be sure I see this happen before I go home tonight.”

Jesse smiles and nods and is jet black hair bouncing in accordance.

John gets up from his bed and makes his way back to the living room to stare at the tv and be with his thoughts.

Sitting down besides his cousin and uncle screaming tv he ponders, “I always have such mixed emotions about coming here for occasional gatherings, on one hand these people though annoying and odd are family. Though on the other they never seem to change. None of those despite Jesse even want to leave this house. No goals, purpose or connection with life. What a difference it makes to come from one brother over the other. My Father taught me to aim so what happened here?” Asking himself rhetorically.

“DID YOU SEE THAT JOHNNY BOY?!” Uncle Rog exclaims lifting John’s hand up and cracking a crisp high-five to him.

Waking John from his thinking, “oh yeah that was wild,” he said sarcastically and hid it with enthusiasm.

“Dinner time!” Aunt Susan exclaims banging a wooden spoon on a pot as to make more noise than the game and boys yelling at it.

Everyone gathered at the table and despite the differences ate together.

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This story was inspired by Marcus Aurelius and his passage from book two of Meditations:

“The human soul degrades itself:
I. Above all, when it does its best to become an abscess, a kind of detached growth on the world. To be disgruntled at anything that happens is a kind of secession from Nature, which comprises the nature of all things.
II. When it turns its back on another person or sets out to do it harm, as the souls of the angry do.
III. When it is overpowered by pleasure or pain.
IV. When it puts on a mask and does or says something artificial or false.
V. When it allows its action and impulse to be without a purpose, to be random and disconnected: even the smallest things ought to be directed toward a goal. But the goal of rational beings is to follow the rule and law of the most ancient of communities and states.”