Adam cast a few nervous glances around the apartment, mostly to see if he could get a feel for what kind of person his dad was. His mom didn't talk about Eli much until the end, and even then it was mostly vague memories followed by a wistful sort of smile. Adam loved seeing his mom smile like that and figured anyone that could give her that smile must be worth meeting. He knew better than to judge someone based solely upon their living situation, but the apartment was pretty disheartening. There were no decorations. Nothing to cheer up the space. Just furniture and clutter. A lot of clutter.
"I'm sorry…I don't have much to offer." Eli's words came so suddenly after the long silence that Adam jumped. He turned around to see Eli with his face in his hands, shaking.
"Hey, it's ok. I just really want to get to know you." He placed his hand on his dads shoulder to offer support. Eli looked up and locked eyes with his son. He wanted to know him too. He wanted to know more about what happened to Clare. He wanted to know everything.
Eli stood up and hugged his son. Adam was slightly taller and a little more built than Eli was. He got his height from Bullfrog, clearly.
"You're like, the biggest birthday gift I've ever gotten, aside from Morty." Eli said through a light sob and a laugh.
"Wait, it's your birthday? Is this ok? I hope I wasn't interrupting any plans." Adam fumbled through his words. He was so glad that Eli seemed to want him there.
"No! Nope. No plans. Birthdays just don't seem the same when you get to be my age." He tried not to glance at the liquor bottles on top of the fridge that he had just been going shot for shot with a bit ago. This was much better, albeit more awkward, than spending another birthday alone and miserable.
So Adam and Eli sat on the sofa and talked. And talked. And talked some more. Adam told Eli all about his childhood and going to Degrassi and Eli told Adam all about his misadventures with Clare and his own time at the same school. Eventually Eli called and ordered some New York City pizza for Adam to try.
"So did you really try to win my mom back by dressing up as a prince with a sword and renting a horse and carriage?" Adam laughed through the question with a mouth full of pizza.
"Yeah I did! And it worked too!" Eli chuckled through his own pizza. He hadn't thought about that, or how ridiculous it truly was, in years. It was nice to be able to laugh about it now. But now it felt like all of those times were tinged with sadness. The idea of Clare actually being gone now made those memories seem somewhat empty. He frowned a bit and his eyes began to mist over.
"Mom would always smile the softest smile when she talked about you." Adam was smiling at his dad, and his smile became contagious.
"Was she happy?" Eli never wished ill upon Clare. And now, more than ever, he wanted to know that she had been happy and taken care of.
"I think so." Adam started to tear up. "She never met anyone new. She always wanted to put me first, even though I told her I didn't want her to be lonely. She always said that I was all she ever needed. She was the best mom. All the way up until the end." Tears were falling freely now and Eli pulled Adam into another hug.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, son. I wish I could have been there to support you and your mom and I'm incredibly sorry that I wasn't, but I want to be here for you now." Eli felt the walls in his heart crumbling apart for this kid. The son he didn't know he had.
Adam sobbed on his father's shoulder for a solid ten minutes before he realized how late it must be getting, and that he was in New York, so it would probably be a good idea to get his emotions together and head out.
"Ugh, I'm so sorry for being such an inconvenience. You're probably tired from the shock and I should probably go find a hotel. Got any recommendations? This is my first time in New York, so I don't know much about the area, other than the buildings are tall and everyone seems to be in a hurry." He chuckled as he took out his phone and began to research nearby accommodations.
"Wait, why don't you just stay here? It's late and it's dangerous out there, you shouldn't be out wandering around New York at this hour. I'll get my bed all changed and you can sleep there while I bunk on the couch. Tomorrow, I'll take you out for kabobs. They were your moms favorite." Eli smirked as he patted his son on the shoulder and headed to the linen closet without another word.