"I didn't think that Starbucks was open on Christmas." I said to Phil when he brought back the Christmas special.
"Oh yeah." He said. "I usually go here after I've visited my family and then I come home to a certain someone playing piano to himself."
"Those days just might be behind me now." I said as I took a sip of the drink.
"Already?" Phil asked with surprise as he did the same. "We're only on part two."
"Well, in that case," I said. "you must still think of me as the Grinch."
"How can I do that when you look nothing like him?"
I chuckled and stood up, "I'll be right back."
"You have a small bladder love." Phil said, picking up my drink in order to see how heavy it was.
"And you also have a tendency to fall down the stairs." I teased as I walked towards the bathroom. "Don't break something while I'm gone."

I was just about to go inside the bathroom when a familiar person stepped out.
My mother.
She was dressed in a red sweater with a Christmas tree decorated with tinsel, ornaments, and a bunch of brightly wrapped presents below the tree. Her bejeweled cross stood out clearly and she looked at me as if Bigfoot were standing in front of her.
"Daniel." She said, stunned to find her rejected gay son in a Starbucks on Christmas morning. She opened her mouth to say something else but quickly closed it when my dad stepped out wearing a sleek black suit, black shoes, and a candy cane tie. I noticed his familiar cross tattoo on his neck and I always thought it was funny that he got a tattoo in the first place because he was such a dedicated Christian. That being said, you think that he would know that tattoos are considered sinful. He also had a bunch of Bible verses tattooed on his back and my mom had baby Jesus, Joseph, and Mary tattooed on her back. I know very well that you cannot completely follow the Bible but getting a tattoo is a choice. And given how devoted my parents are, it makes me laugh to see that they have sinned.
"Son." My father said as he looked at me as if he were meeting me for the first time. "Such a surprise to see you here."
I opened my mouth to try and say something but no words came out. These are the people that threw me because I was "going to go to Hell". What do I even say?

To make matters worse, my little brother Adrian came out. I didn't even know how he felt about me or if he was a hardcore Christian like Mom and Dad or an atheist like some other members of my family (Those people have been erased from my parents' lives because of this) or even an agnostic, like me.
"Hey Dan." He simply said. "It's nice to see that you're doing well."
"Adrian, don't talk to your brother." Mom said, grabbed ahold of his wrist and dragged him towards her and stepping away from me. Dad did the same. "He's done a bad thing to displease Jesus Christ."
"Hasn't everyone sinned at some point?" Adrian asked, walking away from Mom and Dad. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking religious people or anything. You can believe whatever you want to believe but I think you guys are taking this whole thing too far."
"Adrian!" Mom said like he had just told her that he got a girl pregnant (I can only imagine their reaction to that. Not only would he have had sex before marriage but he would've been a father pretty young). "How dare you say such a thing? After our family gathering, you're going straight home to do some Bible reading."
I flashed him a look that said, "Been there, done that."
"Speaking of Bible reading," Dad said as he pulled out the one that he always carried with him. "Someone else needs to do some as well."
He threw it at me, landing a direct hit on my face as he walked away.