New Years with AM

My father ran a tight ship at home. He took us to church every Sunday, he ensured we mastered our times tables before going to bed and for a period during my teenage years he implemented weekly bible studies.

We all had our designated roles. One sister would open with prayer, the other would read the selected scripture and then we would interprete it and share.

And if we weren't having bible studies, we would be having family meetings in which we discussed each other's progress, updated the family about our lives...
One of these evenings fell on New Year's Eve. And my teenage priorities were nowhere near spending it at home discussing the family. But he forbid us to leave in that stoic way that is my father's. And so we all glumly congregated around the table resigning ourselves to participate in this family meeting.
He went round asking each of us what the highlight of our year was and each of my sisters gave a not unusual response...

When he came to me however, I said with all my rebellion, that i'd never had so many men like me. At which, my mum, in many ways the opposite of my father, proceeded to clap with cheers. [Perhaps I should mention on a side note that I was 18, characterised by baby fat, trying to be bulimic and had more than once cried over self-esteem issues in front of her].

Needless to say, my father wasn't impressed and I don't remember much of what happened after that. Only that the meeting ended a little before midnight and I was still considering sneaking out to make what party of it I could.

I called AM, my crush turned best guy friend and in those few minutes before midnight he said he'd stay with me on the phone for the countdown. He hadn't gone out either. I don't remember whether it was because of his mother or by his own decision but he was clearly less dour and hot-headed about it than I was.

And so we talked and then we counted down and then we said goodnight and as simple and low-key as that was, it is probably one of my best new years to date.