They sat the children at a table in the kitchen and went into the dining room, sitting down. Mrs. Davis and Ryan were bringing in all the food. Everyone watched the feast being placed in front of them. When they were done, Mrs. Davis and Ryan sat down and everyone started helping themselves.
"Everything is amazing, mom." Randy told his mother. Everyone nodded in agreement. Mrs. Davis smiled and thanked her son. That's how things worked in this family; the parents usually got all the credit for everything, no matter how much one of their kids helped. Everyone figured that one out, but no one agreed with it. They only went along when they were with the parents.
Mimi did not know this and was confused as to why Ryan wasn't complimented either. Roger whispered how the situation went down. Mimi just nodded, but was still not too sure about it.
"So Mimi, what do you do for a living?" Ryan asked, taking another bite of his food. Rebecca tried her best not to yell at him about how Vanessa already told them Mimi's job when he was cooking.
"I'm a dance teacher in the city." Mimi explained.
"Where in the city?" He asked.
"Midtown, right by Time Square" Mimi told him. Ryan nodded.
"What about you, Roger? What are you doing for a living now?" He then asked Roger, turning to him.
"I'm a bartender now, and I still have the band." Roger told him. Ryan nodded, Mr. Davis scoffed.
He would always tell his son that being a musician was not a reliable job, that he should be a business man when he was younger. Roger never listened to his father after that.
"So you both live in the city?" Rachel asked. "Yes, we live together actually." Roger told them.
"I thought you were still living with Mark." Mrs. Davis said to her son.
"Well yes, we all live in a loft together." Everyone just nodded; Mr. Davis did not approve of such a lifestyle but kept it to himself for the sake of everyone else.
"How is Mark? He was always such a nice boy." Mrs. Davis asked. Roger and Mark had grown up together here in Scarsdale, they met April, Maureen, and Collins in high school. Mark and Roger's parents were, and still are friends.
"He's good. Still doing filming." Roger informed her.
"Mimi, where does your family live?" Mrs. Davis asked.
"My mother lives in Queens" She told her. Mrs. Davis nodded. Mimi's father left years ago, not looking back once.
Roger then turned to Rebecca, who was picking at her sweet potatoes.
"Becca, how's college?" Roger asked. She looked up from her food.
"Fine"
"What are you majoring in?"
"Does it matter?" She spat at him.
"Not really I guess, I just was wondering what you've been up to lately." He told her calmly.
"Why now? You never were 'Just wondering' enough the past 8 years to ever call, why all of the sudden now?" Rebecca said in an upset tone.
"It looks like everyone's done, why doesn't everyone go to the living room while we get ready for dessert?" Mrs. Davis said, stopping the conversation. Everyone got up and made their way to the living room, Roger pulled Rebecca into another room.
"What do you want?" Rebecca asked coldly.
"To talk to you about how you're acting. I know you're upset that I left and never called and I'm sorry, but you need to stop the attitude. You're getting everyone upset. You're not a little kid anymore and you need to start acting like it." He told her sternly.
"Why should I listen to you? You left mine and everyone else's lives 8 years ago. Now you think you can just come back in, looking and acting completely different, with some new girl on your arm as if nothing happened. You can't just do things like that. I was a kid when you left. I didn't get why you weren't there anymore at holidays and family events. You didn't ever call once." Rebecca was really upset by then.
"Look. I'm sorry I left like that and never said goodbye or called. It was wrong of me to do that. I had bad things happen to me while I was gone and now I'm back with my life in order. I'm sorry I got you and everyone else so upset over everything." He explained to her.
"You just needed to call, just once. Now you're here and dying." It became clear to Roger what was really wrong now. At first it was just him not being there for years, now it was that but more importantly the fact that he has AIDS.
"Listen, that's not what's important right now. What's important is that I'm here now." He said to her, putting a comforting arm around her. She looked up at him.
"Okay, I'm sorry I've been bitchy towards you and your girlfriend and making everyone else upset."
"It's alright." He accepted her apology. She meant what she said. Then she hugged him tightly.
"I missed you so much" She muffled against his chest. "I missed you too Becca." He replied, rubbing her back gently.
"Come on, we better get back in before mom sends a search party for us." He said as he let go of her. She giggled and they went outside.
When they walked inside they saw that everyone was spread out everywhere. Some were standing up, some were sitting down, and some were in the kitchen and dining room helping clean up.
Roger spotted Mimi sitting and talking with Lisa and Rachel. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing her cheek.
"There you are honey, we didn't know where you went." Mimi said, turning her head and giving him a quick kiss.
"I just had to do something" He told her.
"Go have fun with your brothers, honey." She insisted. Roger stood up. Just then, Mrs. Davis came in.
"Dessert's ready." She informed everyone. Everyone started making their way to the dining room, as Mimi was getting up she remembered something.
"I have to go upstairs and get the ring." She whispered in Roger's ear. He nodded, he had totally forgotten about that.
