michael comes home from china (m)

My nephew Michael left for China last August.  He has not been home since.  We assumed when he left that we would Skype with him as we did when his brother was in China.  Michael says he can't get Skype there.  We, however, believe he is being his reclusive self.  Net/net: we haven't laid eyes on this kid in nine months.

Michael is scheduled to arrive in Boston at 5:30 p.m.  His family wanted to throw him a welcome home party, but he nixed that.  How about a little group meet him at the airport?  No.  He said he only wanted to see Sam (my son) and his dog, Charlie (the evil dog who still isn't trained).  He loves his brother and his parents, but he and Sam have always had a special bond.  Sam is the only person who doesn't bug Michael.

Sam takes the Yukon and picks up my brother Phil, sister-in-law Betsy, and my nephew Chris.  They get to Logan and Michael arrives and does not allow any fanfare.  They get in the car and drive to Regina's Pizza, Michael's favorite place.

Meanwhile, my husband decides to horn in on the festivities.  He calls my brother and says we will meet them at the restaurant.  My brother says, "Come at your own risk."

We get to the restaurant and surprise Michael.  He actually seems pleased to see us.  We order pizza and salads.  Michael is like the Soup Nazi......there are rules for dealing with him.  Tonight, he does not want to field questions about China.   We eat our food and make polite small talk.  It's a little awkward.

I brave it and ask Michael if he thinks we've changed since he left (I figured it was a safe enough question since it had nothing to do with him).  He looks around at everyone and says:  You all look better than when I left.

I look around the table.  All of us have lost weight since last August. 

For someone who doesn't talk much, he really knows what to say when it counts.