"Good to see you too, Uncle Will. You remember my girlfriend Amelia from your birthday?" I use my hand to pull Amelia over to us as our enthusiastic handshake finally ends.
"Of course! Lovely to see you again, sweetheart!" Even though he's standing right in front of us, his volume remains on high as he greets her. I'm quite proud to be bringing her back the second time to see everyone. I bet they all thought she was just some random that I would dump and never see again. That ain't fucking happening.
"Nice to see you too," Amelia warmly greets him as he brings her in for a tight hug, followed by one from my aunt Evie. They both apologize for their two boys being out of town; good, they're teenage assholes anyway.
"That's alright! Scarlett's lot should be here soon, there will be lots of food for everyone," Mum replies warmly before leading Evie over to help get everyone something to drink. I could do with a whiskey right about now. So what if it's 1 pm, I'm on Christmas vacation.
"You gonna be alright, kid?" Will asks me in possibly the quietest voice I've ever heard him speak in. Scarlett's family is my mum's sister, who will be bringing her husband Tom and their son, the infamous Dante himself. I know Amelia is pretending not to be paying attention, but my arm is wrapped around her shoulder so it's not like she can't hear anything.
"I can be cordial with him." I shrug my shoulders. It's half the truth. I can be in the same room as him, but if he so much as tries to talk to me or Amelia, I'll have him in a chokehold before he knows it. He gives me a loud pat on the back and nods his head.
"Good boy, I know it's not easy. But sometimes being the bigger man means swallowing your pride and letting things be." He speaks like an old prospector, sharing his wisdom about life when in fact no one really asked for it. I simply nod my head before the other guests join us as we hover around the table. Amelia gets brought into a conversation with Evie and Bianca. I briefly listen before I realize what it's about.
"Man, I can't wait until it comes back on air in the summer; it's such trash, but it's so good," Bianca groans to them both, who nod in agreement. Reality TV, can't stand it.