***All characters are over 18 and are fictional. Any resemblance to any real-life persons or situations is purely coincidental.
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COMING HOME
Ray was driving a brand-new navy-blue Mercedes convertible with the top down. The car was a graduation gift from his parents; it was the most expensive gift they ever bought him. They said they could afford it since he already saved them a fortune in college tuition by getting a full scholarship that paid for everything, including textbooks and the dorm. He even got a part-time job to have his own income to use, so he didn't have to ask them for money too often.
He was on his way back home after taking a much-needed vacation with some of his college friends. They spent the last two weeks at a beach house belonging to one of his friends' parents. They were all going to separate pretty soon to start their new lives as graduates, so they wanted to have some fun before they joined the workforce.
Ray had a good job waiting for him when he got back home. With his biochemistry degree and the internship he had done during college, he got a job as a junior research scientist for a prominent pharmaceutical company. One of his friends said he had the nerdiest job he had ever heard of, and Ray loved it. He was a big nerd, and it was finally paying off for him.
When he was about twenty minutes away from home, he started receiving texts from his mother.
Mom:
You almost home?
Ray slowed down a little so he could text back. Normally, he would never text and drive because it was too dangerous, but there was no one else on the highway, so he felt it would be safe for a quick, short text.
Ray:
20 minutes
Mom:
Good because we got company.
Ray:
Who?
Mom:
Uncle Mike and Aunt Pam, and your cousin Annie. They're visiting for a while.
Ray:
Cool
Mom:
We have other family guests here now to see them. Some of your cousins are here and are already using the pool.
Ray:
Cool
So far, his responses have been simple enough to text back while keeping his eyes on the road.
Mom:
So you won't be surprised; Annie is staying in your room while they're here.
"What?" Ray said out loud.
The last time they visited, she slept in his sister's room, and her parents took the spare bedroom. He had no idea why he suddenly had to be kicked out of his own bedroom like this.
Ray:
Cool
He figured he wasn't going to argue about it on the phone through texts while he was driving. He wasn't even going to call them directly. He would have to wait until he got home to discuss the living arrangements with them.
At the same time, he wasn't going to be a dick about it to his parents. After all, they bought him a kickass new car that made his friends jealous and impressed a few women he met during his vacation. So, he wasn't going to suddenly be selfish about it and have an adult conversation with them.
He was cool with that side of his family, especially Annie, with whom he always connected with. She was a nerd like him and shared the same experiences about it. Back in high school, they were both your typical nerds. They both had big glasses, they both enjoyed reading and watching sci-fi and superhero movies, and they binge-watched the same shows. They were both big gamers too, and they played either against each other or teamed up with each other in online games.
But things have changed for Ray since he went to college, especially in the last couple of years. He still wore glasses but was fonder of contact lenses. He still loved sci-fi and video games, but he broadened his horizons with football and music. He even began working out a lot, keeping himself in good shape and having good muscle tone to show for it, which helped him a lot when it came to meeting women.
He hadn't seen Annie in a couple of years, but he imagined she must not have changed much. They both don't like using social media, so they have no idea what the other person looks like. But he remembered her being about 30 pounds overweight with an acne problem and braces. When he talked to her while they were gaming online, she did mention she had lost some weight but said nothing else about it.
He calmed down by the time he got to his parents' house. He had to park across the street as there were several cars in the driveway and parked in the front. His parents were glad to see him, and he got some handshakes from uncles and plenty of hugs and kisses from his aunts. They all asked about what he was doing now that he had finally finished college, and of course he got a couple of them asking if he had a girlfriend or two. He gave them the best answers he could, getting a little vague on the girlfriend part so he wouldn't disappoint them.
After a while, he met up with his mother in the kitchen so he could talk to her about his room. She was working on a couple of salads while a couple of pots brewed on the stove.
"Your cousins are in the pool; you should join them for a while before we all have dinner," she said.
"I'll join them soon, but first, can we talk about Annie staying in my room?" Ray asked.
"Where else is she going to stay?"
"What about Susan's room? She stayed there the last time they visited."
"I thought you knew that Susan and her fiancΓ© moved back in recently," said his mother as she went to check on the pots. "They had a falling out with their landlord and are staying here until they find a new place. They're thinking of buying a home this time."
Ray remembered his sister complaining about the landlord a few times in the last year. He actually suggested to her that they just move out and find a better place, so he can't complain about it now since he might've been the one who gave her the idea.