New Year’s Odd

In which our Hero doesn’t have a New Year’s Eve and then has a New Year’s Eve

With a death in the family that touched a number of the regulars at our family New Year’s party, the consensus was that celebrating didn’t feel right and so we cancelled. Except that left the question of “Now what?” And the answer was nothing. My mother’s side is in Mourning. My father’s side is smaller and fighting off various flus or bears.

And that left me with my parents for the night. Which meant just another evening, really. Part way through the evening, I asked my father if he wanted a martini since I thought I’d at least make up something to mark the occasion. And he said no. “I think we’ll skip the drinks today, just for [uncle]. We can do it tomorrow.” Which is reasonable, caring, and made me sad. I poured myself a glass of juice and headed back to my computer.

A little while later, my mother asked me why I wasn’t making a drink for them. In the voice she uses when she’s telling me that my father’s feelings are a little hurt and he’s too proud to say anything. Okayyy…. I explained what he’d told me, and she shook her head. Yes, over the phone.

“No. No, you come make something and we’ll have a drink.”

So I finished the show I was watching with Nocturne and then headed down to sit with them. And my parents were both in the family room, watching the specials on TV and my dad explained.

“Maybe we should have a drink. I mean, who knows who will be here next year. Who knows if we’ll be here tomorrow.”

That’s been my view the whole damn time. There is nothing wrong with us still having our gathering. I understand that people will be grieving, and that it’s hard to be happy and cheer when we’re sad, but… fine, screw the ball drop. We can still be together. But this is where we’d gotten to.

I got out a bottle I’ve had chilling for years, something I wanted my dad to try with me. But he’s always watching his sugar intake, so he didn’t want it because it was sweet. And then I remembered something else I’d picked up a long time ago.

I’m a scotch aficionado, but a cheap one. So I have a mental block at paying for an expensive bottle of scotch when I’d be just as happy with a beer. On the other hand, I’ve always wondered what those really old scotches were like, because they always look so exotic on the shelf. So when I found a gift box with sampler bottles of one brand, from 12 years to 30, I picked it up. And now I trotted it out. My father was tickled, he’s never tried an old scotch either. He’s not as much of a scotch drinker either, though, mixing his blended scotches with ginger-ale usually. (I’m more of a purist). I broke out the big glasses because I figured we’d at least get the breathe of it, but my dad suggested we use the tiny crystal glasses he has for… well, I guess for pouring little 1oz tasters for people.

And we clinked glasses and I had scotch with my parents.

I learned that 30-year-old scotch is stronger, but also smoother. And I learned that my mom likes her scotch neat. We were deciding how one actually tastes a fancy scotch and my dad had suggested on-the-rocks and my mother, my dear sweet mother, made a face and said “No ice in my scotch.” Then again, my dad mixes for her with scotch and a little Drambuie, but it’s neat. How funny.

about 10 minutes before the end of the year, my phone rang. Willow. Who was up, at home, feeling really unsettled because she could not remember a time she had not celebrated the new year at my house. And so she was calling because she wanted to be with us for the moment. My parents and I were already feeling very much regretful that the party had been cancelled. The initial relief at not having to do the work had given way to the realization of just how much we missed our people. And Willow had called just as my parents were telling me that her parents had called earlier, saying they wanted to come over too. No food, no dinner, just drive over for 11:30, and head home right after.

It’s silly but I was very touched by that, and by this girl reaching out. So I put Willow on speaker phone, and we tried to count down together, even though we were on different channels with different latencies to the TV and a completely different network latency on the phone network. Did it line up? No, not at all. But it was new years anyway, and it made it better to have her with us this little bit.

Happy New Year to you, Gentle Reader.