It's New Year's Eve now. I can't wait for 2046 to end and for 2047 to begin. 2046 has been a hell of a year for me. Between graduating from William Dewey High and going to Rutgers and losing Van to colon cancer, I don't know what could have been more stressful. At least I've got my own health. At least I've got my family. At least I've got Quilene. At least I've got April.

I've been looking forward to this day all year. After all, it's the last day of the entire year. Usually, around this time of year, Mom and Jonah and I would go out to eat with the rest of the family and then go home and watch the New Year's Eve special on TV. From what Grandma Sapphire once told me, she went into labor with Mom while she and Grandma Ruby were watching a New Year's Eve special. Hell, her water even broke before they could see the countdown. I bet they have a blast telling that story every New Year's Eve, even if it means Mom will have to experience some secondhand cringe in the process.

Enough about that right now. It's time for us to get ready to go out and eat with the family. This year, however, Theo will be coming along for dinner. I mean I get that he'd want to come because he's helped Jonah so much at Delaware State. What I really don't get is why he invited his parents to come with as well. I've never even seen him in person. Okay, I've seen pictures of him off of Jonah's iPhone. He's got the beige skin like what Great-Grandma Yoko had, really dark hair that straightens out, earthy-colored unassuming almond-shaped eyes, a small but straight nose, and a round-looking face that makes him look more like he should be in high school than he does a college tutor. Jonah's told me nothing but good things about this man, but I haven't actually gotten to know the real Theodore Murphy, just someone's perception of him. Guess we'll have to know for sure when we see him.

For this occasion, I've decided to dress up in a black sweatsuit with three pairs of black-and-white anime eyes on top of each other and some Japanese lettering at the bottom, dark distressed jeans (with black leggings underneath), and cherry blossom pink Converse shoes with wool socks. I'm wearing heart-shaped hoop earrings, a little bit of black eyeliner, and some wine-colored lipstick. I've also got my hair up in space buns. Meanwhile, Jonah is just dressing up in a gray sweatshirt, regular baggy jeans, and white sneakers. He's also letting his dark hair fall down to his shoulders.

"Well, look at you," Mom says with a smile. "You two are quite the fashionistas."

I give off a light chuckle. "Thanks, Mom. I'm glad you noticed. So where are we eating anyway?"

"Oh, we'll be going out to eat at the Blue Crab Grill."

"Ooh, that sounds fun."

Mom gives a big grin. "I knew you'd say that. Now we better get going. Put on your coats. It's going to be cold out there, like 28°F."

We've all made it to the Blue Crab Grill to eat. Just like when we went out to eat to celebrate me and Jonah graduating high school, we've decided that Uncle Greg will be paying for most of the food while we also pitch in to help him and Aunt Margie foot the bill. Mom sits besides me and Jonah, Facetiming with both Grandma Ruby and Grandma Sapphire. Meanwhile, Aunt Pearl and Aunt Belinda talk with Hermione and ask her about how community college is working out for her. I have to admit, Hermione seems to be doing alright for herself. Despite not getting into a college like Rutgers or Delaware State, she's done a great job thriving as a college student. I can't help but admire her spirit.

There's also Aunt Amy, Aunt Peri, and Aunt Nyoko sitting on the other end of the table. We've left three empty chairs for Theo and his parents to sit at when they arrive. Man, I wonder Theo and his parents think of us. Obviously, Theo's met Jonah, but he's never met me or Mom or the rest of the family. Makes me wonder how he feels about chosen families.

Anyway, we all order our drinks and food and then decide to kill time somehow. Mom still Facetimes Grandma Ruby and Grandma Sapphire, asking them about how New Year's Eve has been going for them. As usual, whenever Mom asks that question every year, Sapphire always has to reply with "Well, it's better than going into labor during a New Year's Eve special." Like I said, I'm willing to bet that Grandma Ruby and Grandma Sapphire love to tell that story of how Mom was born, even if Mom doesn't.

About several minutes pass before Theo and his parents finally show up. Theo's dressed up in a nice brown cardigan sweater and wool coat, and his parents are also dressed up in bulky clothes underneath oversized winter coats. Something about Theo's mother seems familiar. She almost looks just like what Grandma Sapphire said Great-Grandma Yoko looked like. She's got the same beige skin, the same brown monolid eyes, the same small nose, and the same thin lips. Her hair's almost totally white, though, kinda like snow. Deep wrinkles envelope over her face, making her advanced age adequately apparent. She looks like she could be in her seventies. As for Theo's father, it's obvious where he gets his looks from, but he's much older. Like with the mother, I think the father is also in his seventies.

"Oh, cool, you made it," Jonah says. "I guess you finally convinced your parents to come with."

Theo laughs at that remark. "You have no idea. I can barely get them to do anything they need to do, much less take their medicine. They're pretty damn stubborn, I tell you what."

"I've been there," I interject. "Are you going to introduce your parents to us?"

Theo chuckles awkwardly. "Oh, right. I didn't even think about that. So, uh, Hope, Jonah, I'd like for you to meet my parents. You guys, this is my father Chet."

Chet gives a friendly, soft-spoken hello.

"And this is my mother Yoko," he continues. "My parents are probably the loveliest couple I've known."

All of a sudden, I can hear a loud gasp coming from Mom's iPhone. It sounds like... like Grandma Sapphire. Does she know who this is?

"What was that?" Theo asks, confused.

Mom focuses her attention on Theo. "Oh, that was my mum Sapphire. Her mum's name was Yoko."

"Can I see her?"

"Of course." Mom flips her iPhone around so Grandma Ruby and Grandma Sapphire can see him and his parents. "Like this?"

Theo nods. "Yeah."

From where I'm sitting, I can see Grandma Ruby and Grandma Sapphire's faces. Grandma Sapphire's eye is wide open with downright shock while she covers her mouth with her hands. Grandma Ruby's jaw drops to the floor.

"Oh my God..." I can hear Grandma Sapphire muttering while on the verge of tears. "Mom, is that really you?"

"S-Sapphire?" Yoko can only stutter out.

I'm not sure how to respond to this. If this Yoko is actually Great-Grandma Yoko, then that must make... oh... of course. Theo is Grandma Sapphire's brother, which makes him our great-uncle!

We've just come back from the Blue Crab Grill. The food and drinks were all great, meaning there's a good chance we'll come back next year. The one thing I've managed to take away from visiting the restaurant is that Jonah and I (and by extension, the rest of the family) have just found out that Theo is our great-uncle. That is just such a weird coincidence that I'm not even sure how I can properly put into words how amazing that is.

How Great-Grandma Yoko met Chet is also something of a beautiful love story. It turns out that when she and Grandma Sapphire went their separate ways after Great-Grandpa John threw them out of the house, Great-Grandma Yoko had to live on the streets for a while before moving into a homeless shelter. Chet just so happened to be volunteering at that homeless shelter, and that was how he and Great-Grandma Yoko met. He invited her to move in with him to help her get back on her feet, and the rest is history.

I'm glad Grandma Sapphire at least knows now what happened with Great-Grandma Yoko. I mean, up until today, she didn't even think she was still alive. Finding out must felt like a weight was being lifted off of her shoulders.

"Thank God Grandma Sapphire's finally got closure," Jonah says. "I can't imagine going years without finding out what happened to Mom, can you?"

I shake my head. "Me neither. So what do you plan to do next semester?"

"Same as I did last semester: work to the best of my ability, have Theo tutor me, learn as much as I can about music, and hopefully make it to graduation. What about you?"

"This semester kicked my ass, so starting next semester, I might take it easy every once in a while. I mean, I can't spend all of my time on studying, right?"

"Oh, man." Jonah leans back on the couch. "I couldn't even imagine devoting all my attention on studying as if it wasn't hard enough doing that in the first place. That's how you get burnout."

I nod. "Yeah, definitely."

All of a sudden, we can hear Mom calling us to come into the theater room to watch the New Year's Eve special. Without hesitation, Jonah and I get up from off the couch and run into the theater room. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it looks like 2046 might be ending on a high note.