Schroedinger's Package

The air was cheerful; laughter rang, glasses clinked, and somewhere, one of the two children present was blasting a party blower. For one man however, standing at the open door to the entrance of his home, all this noise was nothing more than a very intense ringing. His absence from the party was soon noticed, and another man, slightly taller and stronger looking, quickly joined him at the front door.

“Honey, what are you-” Upon realizing it was not just another guest, as has been his belief when the doorbell initially rang, he first noticed the confused delivery driver, then the brown package in his husband’s hands.

Understanding dawned on him immediately, and he put his hand on his husband’s shoulder, while directing his attention to the mail lady.

“Thank you so much miss, it’s a bit chaotic as you can see…do you need us to sign for anything?”

While his spouse dealt with the situation, the other man remained shell shocked. Granted, it was his birthday, and gifts were to be expected…but this was certainly not one he’d anticipated. He didn’t even realize his husband had led him to the privacy of their den until he was seated on the couch. Only then, did he look up from the package, which had four words scribbled on the top;

To Dan,

From Dad

That was it. Nothing but that and the postage. No indication of what might be inside; though from the lifeless wrapping paper it probably could be assumed it was nothing good…

“...Baby?”He felt his husband’s arm embrace his shoulders, and the horrible, anxious panic slowly welling up inside of him subsided slightly from the embrace’s comforting warmth. Without meeting his eyes, Dan raised his hand to clutch his partner’s.

“I…I don’t understand…how-Jack, how is this even possible?” While his voice did shake, he was determined not to cry.

Jack shook his head very slightly.

“I-I dunno…he musta got someone else to do it for him. His lawyer or-…or something.”

Dan’s lip trembled.

“Can…can you get mum?”

“ ‘Course.”

Jack quickly left the room, and Dan closed his eyes, willing the tears back. What could it possibly be?

Both his mother and Jack returned quickly, and he could see by her face she’d already been filled in.

“Mum…did he say anything to you…before…” Dan swallowed, and his mother shook her head, mercifully saving him from completing the sentence.

“He never contacted me, Danny. Not so much as a message left with his lawyer.” She looked at the package in his hands, and sat down next to him, placing her hand over his.

“You know your father was not one for theatrics…I think…darling, had he wanted to send you something cruel, he would not have left instructions to wait until your birthday.” At this, Dan’s eyes did fill with tears.

“How do you know that? You remember all the things he said about me, yeah? He never even wrote me back into the will…he died five months ago mum, ya think if he’d wanted to give me something, he’d-…” He rubbed his eyes aggressively, as though trying to push the tears back inside them. “What nice thing could he possibly have had left that he wanted to give me; another dress?” His voice had risen to a shrill timbre, and his fingers were violently digging into the package, dangerously close to ripping it. Jack intervened, gently taking it out of his hands. Dan’s mother’s eyes filled with tears.

“Danny, I-…your father was…a complicated man. He never-” Before she could finish, a young, rather gothic looking woman brashly entered the room.

“What’s up, wankers? Are we eating cake, or what? My wee ones are starting to get-” Quickly reading the atmosphere, she raised a black eyebrow.

“Whoa, okay, some nasty energy in here…what’s wrong, did dad come back from the dead?” When the joke only seemed to make the room heavier, she laughed.

“Did he really?”

Jack somberly handed her the package, and she stared at it, eyes widening for a second in shock, before a bitter smirk slid over her face.

“Oh wow; leave it to that twat!” She dramatically threw the package behind her, miraculously not hitting the computer it was seemingly headed for. She flopped next to Dan, and threw her arm around him. “You’re not letting THAT getcha down, are ya?” She shook him a bit, then cut him off before he had a chance to answer.

“Ya know how many times that muppet got on my case because I didn’t have what you guys have between your legs? Man wanted a son all his life…then he finally got one, and look; still not happy!” She was pinching Dan’s cheek and neck while she spoke, and though he started elbowing her, everyone could see the smile he was trying to hide. “Maybe I should have had a go at dating a couple o’ lady chavs before he kicked it…”

Dan laughed slightly, and wiped his eyes again. “No, Ginny…I think, um…I don’t think his heart could have handled that; would have given out much sooner.” Ginny rolled her eyes.

“NOW ya tell me! Aw well, 20/20 hindsight and all that…” The two of them shared a small laugh, and their mother shook her head; though she did have a slight smile on her face. Jack watched the scene unfold silently, having never been more thankful for Dan’s eccentric sister. He held out both hands to his husband.

“Shall we? I imagine your party guests will be wondering where the birthday boy has gone off to.” Dan gave his partner an adoring look, and allowed him to pull him to his feet. He turned to where his sister had thrown the parcel, and sighed.

“The package though…I have to open it. I need to know what it is.”

Ginny waved her hand dismissively.

“Who cares? Why make him a priority? Lord knows you were NEVER one to him! Let’s enjoy your party, and if later you wanna give that tosser the time of day, you can do that. Right now, I want CAKE!” She flicked her brother on the nose, and bounded away before he could retaliate. He shook his head, and his mother laughed

“You know, for being your older sister, she certainly does not act like it!”

Jack smirked, and linked his hand with Dan’s.

“Why do you think she’s still single? She’s too crazy for any bloke to handle!” They all returned to the living room, laughing joyously; their cheerful mood was restored, even though the package was still in the back of Dan’s head. Ginny was absolutely right!. He was having a perfectly lighthearted, enjoyable birthday, surrounded by people that cared about him. Why would he trade that for someone who never did? Perhaps the gift was to make amends, and perhaps it wasn’t. Either way, today was about Dan, and the people that love him. In the end, what else really mattered?