Anything But Typical

Jason’s family is getting ready to visit their mother’s brother Uncle Bobby, Aunt Carol, and their children Seth and Little Bobby for dinner. Jason’s grandmother will be there as well. Uncle Bobby is a construction worker who makes a lot more money than Jason’s dad despite being less educated. Jason’s mother gets very nervous about these visits. She is sick of hearing about how wonderful her brother’s children are.

Jason’s mother fusses over the way Jason is dressed because Jason wears his belt high on his waist and as tight as possible, with his shirt tucked in. His mother tries to convince Jason to loosen his belt. He has tried to make his mother happy by wearing it the way other people do—it would also stop the kids at school from making fun of him for it—but he can’t stand the way his pants feel unless he wears his belt in this way. His mother puts her head on his shoulder and says it is fine if he wears his belt the way he wants.

Jason remembers that in preschool he hated pants with zippers, so his mother bought him cotton leggings. He loved those leggings, which reminded him of snuggling with her.