{"id":1754,"date":"2023-11-16T13:24:33","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T12:24:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alexisveenendaal.com\/?p=1754"},"modified":"2024-09-28T10:34:08","modified_gmt":"2024-09-28T09:34:08","slug":"gap-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/16\/gap-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Gap Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A sneak preview of my YA rom-com novel.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chapter One: For I Know The Plans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eli chose to ignore the party celebrating him and instead stared at the kitchen counter, wishing the floor would swallow him up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The counter was white granite laced with black and grey veining to match the backsplash. He knew that because he\u2019d been dragged into his parents\u2019 argument over the design choice, during yet another of the kitchen renovations they couldn\u2019t afford. It\u2019d been one of those riveting conversations where, for Almighty-knew-what-reason<\/em>, they\u2019d asked their teenage son\u2019s advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like the white granite,\u201d Eli said after his mom\u2019s pestering for over a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you, or are you just saying that so I\u2019ll stop asking?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019d sighed. His dad had sighed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make it stop<\/em>, he\u2019d mouthed to his dad; one of the few times the two got along was in these moments of shared exasperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m telling the guy tomorrow,\u201d his dad finally said with surrendering hands, \u201cwe\u2019re going with the white granite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This party\u2014if you could call it that\u2014wasn\u2019t the sort of thing an eighteen-year-old found riveting. (Unless you counted the stacked gifts and cards in the corner. Those, at least, promised a small fortune.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normal eighteen-year-olds would be out partying with their friends to celebrate their high school graduation. But not Eli. Eli was a prisoner in a house full of his parent\u2019s friends, members of their church and his extended family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If he strained his ears over the droning of adult conversation\u2014(\u201cI do<\/em> think that beige grout works well with the bathroom tile\u2026\u201d; \u201cGeoffry and I are planting carrots beside the peas this year\u2026<\/em>\u201d; \u201cI can\u2019t remember the last time I had such delicious spinach dip, Grace! You must give me the recipe…\u201d; \u201cWe absolutely have <\/em>to get together this summer. How does a potluck sound\u2026?\u201d)\u2014Eli could hear his three youngest cousins screaming bloody murder from the basement. They better not be touching my Xbox<\/em>, he thought in annoyance, sinking deeper into the bar stool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t slouch,\u201d a voice scolded over his shoulder, and he reluctantly straightened to look around. His mom shook her head. \u201cHave you said hello to all your guests yet?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d The last time he\u2019d made that mistake, he\u2019d lost his phone privileges for the day\u2014meaning he had to sign into his computer and use his messaging from there. But still. It was a hassle he wasn\u2019t in the mood for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd did you thank them all for your gifts?\u201d his mom persisted in the sweet voice reserved for hosting guests (which, unfortunately, seemed to be every other day with all the ongoing church activities).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow can I thank them for gifts I haven\u2019t opened yet?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She pursed her lips and gave him a motherly stare-down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll right, all right,\u201d he relented, sliding out of his chair and trudging into the crowd of mixed floral prints and wrinkled faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEli, my boy!\u201d It was his Uncle Steve calling from across the living room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli plastered a smile and offered a half-hearted wave to the corner. \u201cHi, Uncle Steve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome here, son,\u201d his dad said, leaning forward from his LaZboy. \u201cWe were just discussing your college plans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great<\/em>, Eli thought, steeling himself. He\u2019d prepared for this night. He\u2019d experienced enough of these graduation parties for his older cousins and siblings to know what they\u2019d entail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He glanced back at the untouched pile of gifts by the door. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His older brother Peter had called him before the party, unable to hide the smirk from his voice. \u201cHave fun tonight, kiddo! Sorry I couldn\u2019t make it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you are.\u201d Eli had laughed despite himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWanna bet how many gifts you get tonight with the bible verse \u2018For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord!\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli had snorted. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrust me,\u201d his brother\u2019s voice dropped to the seriousness of a funeral, \u201cthere will be at least five. Keep me posted!\u201d With that he\u2019d hung up, leaving Eli to endure his graduation party without reinforcements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich colleges have you applied to?\u201d Uncle Steve persisted with the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTons,\u201d his dad answered for him and began listing every Christian college in the region. Eli had, of course, sent the applications after some generous persuading from his parents, some not-so-subtle pamphlets piled on the corner of his desk every weekend, and the extra fifty bucks they\u2019d slipped to him to \u2018pay for postage\u2019. Still, Eli had baulked at the price of each manicured, princely private college. Not to mention the porcelain-perfect models posing as students (in an unlikely mix of diversity) with backpacks slung over one shoulder and overly-white smiles stretching from ear to ear. The brochure claimed in not-so-many words that if you went to this college, your eyes too would sparkle with the light of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uncle Steve whistled. \u201cGood going, Elijah. Which one are you gonna choose?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli shrugged. He had no divested interest in any of them. In truth, he\u2019d only applied to the colleges because of his parents\u2019 insistence. And their offer to pay for his tuition to \u2018further faith and education\u2019. Anything else and he\u2019d have to dip into his summer job savings until they dried up, then apply for student loans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 He stared up at the blue, purple, and black balloons taped to the ceiling, framing a gigantic banner reading \u2018GRADUATE\u2019 in bold silver filigree. When he\u2019d watched his mom hang the decorations, he couldn\u2019t help but think how much the colours reminded him of an ugly bruise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEli,\u201d his dad\u2019s voice cut into his reverie and he realized the two men were staring at him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d He shook himself. \u201cWhat was that? Sorry,\u201d he added at his dad\u2019s disapproving stare. His parents always corrected him when he said \u2018what\u2019 rather than the politer \u2018pardon me\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour Uncle Steve asked if you\u2019ve got a girlfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli reddened immediately. \u201cGirlfriend? Er\u2026 No. Nah. Um. No. I\u2019m not really interested\u2026 I don\u2019t have time for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His uncle chuckled and clapped him on the arm. \u201cNo worries, champ. Save it for college.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEli doesn\u2019t date much,\u201d his dad said. \u201cToo busy helping at the youth group.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlenty of girls there.\u201d Uncle Steve winked in a very Uncle Steve way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s being good!\u201d Eli\u2019s mom sing-songed from behind, offering a plate of arranged cheese slices in varying shades of unlikely orange. \u201cHe\u2019s avoiding temptation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli\u2019s cheeks couldn\u2019t get any redder if he tried. What was with adults\u2019 obsession with that stuff, anyway? Half his time at youth group and bible summer camp was having leaders and youth pastors separate the boys from the girls, then going into far<\/em> too much depth about masturbation and girl\u2019s bra straps. Eli didn\u2019t see the fascination\u2014with the bra straps, at least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He took advantage of the cheese distraction, muttering his excuses and almost running out of the conversation\u2014only to be immediately trapped by Mrs Tannen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs Tannen was his mom\u2019s best friend and bible study co-host. \u201cOh, Eli! Good to see you again. I swear you\u2019ve grown three inches taller since I saw you\u2014when was it?\u201d Mrs Tannen plastered him into a perfume-rich hug before he could slip away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast Sunday, at church.\u201d He automatically hunched to appear less tall. People always thought it was a revelation to comment on his height: \u2018You\u2019re so tall!\u2019 They would say without fail. Eli\u2019s response was usually some variation of: \u2018Oh, am I? Weird. I never noticed.\u2019 How else could a person respond to such a statement?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour mother was just telling me about your plans for the future. You know,\u201d Mrs Tannen rang out, \u201cin uncertain times, you must turn to the Lord in prayer and meditation. He will direct your paths.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d he said again with forced enthusiasm. His gaze shifted over the crowd to avoid her bulbous stare before returning to meet her eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs Tannen\u2019s face went serious. \u201cYou know, your mother\u2019s worried that you\u2019re taking too long to choose a college. She says the deadline\u2019s only a week away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2014sorry, Mrs Tannen. I see Jean over there. It looks like she needs help in the kitchen. Sorry\u2026\u201d He ducked back and pushed toward freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuch a thoughtful young man!\u201d Mrs Tannen exclaimed as he made his escape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis older brother is in the master\u2019s program for biology<\/em>,\u201d he overheard his Aunt Margaret explaining in her usual, judgemental tone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biology<\/em>, the Christians all echoed with audible dismay. That\u2019s the trouble with secular universities. I hope he remembers the Truth\u2026 He doesn\u2019t believe all that nonsense they teach about people coming from monkeys, does he? <\/em>Always followed by a derisive chuckle. If his brother were here, Peter would try to delve into the theory, explaining, \u2018It\u2019s really not as simple as evolving from apes\u2026\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli had always had a hard time following it, anyway. While he admired his brother\u2019s brazen attempts at changing minds and hearts through higher education, he wasn\u2019t sure that path was one he wanted to emulate. His brother\u2019s choices did<\/em> make their parents focus all the more on Eli selecting the \u2018right path\u2019, signing him up for all the volunteer church activities and youth camps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli glanced around, then slipped into the bathroom and closed the door. He released a breath he felt he\u2019d been holding for an hour and turned the lock. A moment\u2019s peace, at last<\/em>. The walls muffled the conversations. His tiny, pathetic refuge, next to a porcelain throne and an assortment of colourful seashell soaps, smelling faintly of bleach. He kicked down the toilet seat and sat, crumpling his face into his hands. Kill me, <\/em>he thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He took out his phone and checked his messages. There were none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He found his top message thread between him and Josh and typed. Hey.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hey back,<\/em> came the reply a few seconds later. Then, What\u2019s up?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli: UGGGGGHHH.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh: That good, huh?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli: You?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh: Oh you know\u2026 Beer, babes\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli: Battlestar Galactica?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh: Nerd.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He grinned to himself. Please come to my rescue.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh: Dude, I thought you said you couldn\u2019t leave early?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli: \u2026 I can\u2019t. <\/em>(Strained-face emoji). Can you come after, at least? Drag me out of this hell?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh: Yeah, buddy. Just tell me when the crazies are gone. I\u2019ll pick you up for the real party. <\/em>Then: Don\u2019t forget to smuggle some beer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli: You know I\u2019m old enough to buy it, right?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh: Do you have any money?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli: \u2026 Fair point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh: Let me know.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli: Will do.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli stuffed his phone back in his pocket and checked his reflection in the mirror. He thought he looked a bit too weary for eighteen, like one of the young soldiers from the black and white WWII films: drawn around the face, with dark circles under his eyes. He rinsed his hands in the tap and fixed the wilder strands of his black hair before pushing out of the bathroom and into the fray with renewed willpower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another church lady was on him quicker than Sherlock Holmes at a crime scene. \u201cEli, my dear! Your mother tells me\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elementary, dear Watson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow was it?\u201d Josh smirked as he kicked off his boots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli gave him a look to encompass the entire experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh snorted and craned his neck down the hall, where Eli\u2019s mom was cleaning up while chattering away with Mrs Tannen about Saturday\u2019s bake sale. He could hear the drone of his dad and Mr Tannen discussing hockey in the living room. \u201cThe Oilers need to get their act together next season\u2026<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cAny good gifts?\u201d Josh asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome cash.\u201d Eli shrugged. \u201cMostly scripture in various mediums: books, mugs, plaques, a laptop sleeve…\u201d He already had a stack of unread devotionals for the young, teenage man. Now he had new ones for the young, teenage college boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDang.\u201d Josh\u2019s family were also religious, but far less strict than Eli\u2019s parents. Though they both went to the same private Christian school growing up, Eli\u2019s parents restricted his video game time and (tried to) monitor the movies he watched. \u2018Media corrupts the soul,\u2019<\/em> they\u2019d say. \u2018Satan is always fighting for our attention. Garbage in is garbage out!\u2019 <\/em>Needless to say, his parents had no idea what Josh was really like. If they did, they would never let him hang out at their house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh tramped into the kitchen to greet Eli\u2019s mom. \u201cOh, hi Joshy! Here, take some cookies! What about this jar of homemade jam? How\u2019s your mom? It\u2019s too bad you couldn\u2019t make it to the party. I understand, I understand. Here, have a cinnamon roll!\u201d A disapproving tut tut<\/em>. \u201cYou look underfed, young man.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli joined them in the kitchen to usher Josh outside. \u201cCan I stay at Josh\u2019s tonight?\u201d he asked his mom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She eyed him, then glanced at the half-full dishwasher, then back to him. \u201cI suppose\u2026 It\u2019s your <\/em>night, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026 I could help with the dishes,\u201d he offered lamely. His mom was always doing the brunt of the housework. Sometimes, Eli tried to help out, but only with grudging looks toward his dad, who rarely lifted a finger when it came to domestic chores. His mom never complained, but he knew the halo of \u2018god-fearing wife\u2019 she wore probably sucked. Sometimes, he\u2019d look at her and wonder if she was happy, or if she resented God as much as he did some days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She waved him off with a smile. \u201cThat\u2019s okay, kiddo. Have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli kissed her cheek. \u201cThanks, mom. Love you!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was grateful when he finally slid into the passenger seat of Josh\u2019s ruby-red beater car and threw his backpack in the seat behind them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh was still chewing on a mouthful of gingersnap cookies as he drove the car down the street, leaving Eli\u2019s neighbourhood in the rearview. \u201cSo,\u201d he mumbled through a mouthful of crumbs, \u201cdid you get the beer?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCouple of cans.\u201d He\u2019d taken them from the fridge in the garage. While his parents rarely drank, his dad would crack open the occasional Molson Canadian and sip it on the deck after a long day. Eli found the taste of beer revolting. But it was either that, or his mom\u2019s intensely dry white wine. He assumed the beer would be more appropriate for an outdoor party atmosphere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can always mooch off someone,\u201d Josh said as he cranked the radio. \u201cOh, man, I fucking love this song!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The twenty-minute drive out of town was punctuated by Josh\u2019s jovial and slightly out-of-tune singing, Eli chuckling and drumming a beat on the dashboard. Classic Josh, always making light of the situations that Eli found anxiety-inducing\u2014like sneaking out to a massive party full of drunk teenagers. With Josh, Eli felt a layer shed. Around his parents, he had to be an upstanding young citizen\u2014a denizen of Christ. But with Josh, he didn\u2019t have to pretend quite so much. He\u2019d always been a bit jealous of how much freedom Josh had growing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ever since they were kids, Josh coordinated the next fun thing. He was that kid on the playground, gathering all his classmates for a schoolyard round of capture the flag, and Eli inevitably found himself as Josh\u2019s co-captain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being co-captain was all right. But sometimes, just sometimes, Eli wished he could be the captain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An unexpected, whirlwind romance takes two young men on a road trip across Europe. One struggles to come out to his family while the other holds onto a burden from his past. A fateful car accident on a rainy Swiss road changes both their lives forever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[342],"tags":[330,346,224,347,343,82,16,80,344,345],"series":[],"class_list":["post-1754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-young-adult","tag-comedy","tag-excerpt","tag-fiction","tag-lgbtqia-2","tag-rom-com","tag-romance","tag-series","tag-short-story","tag-ya","tag-young-adult"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/3.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/music.amazon.ca\/podcasts\/09c34bbc-b359-49af-a286-31830ed5634c\/short-stories","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_play":{"key":"google_play","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Play","class":"google_play","icon":"google-play.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbGV4aXN2ZWVuZW5kYWFsLmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qvc2hvcnQtc3Rvcmllcw","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0lcQCRs52MfYlKs35lVX4K","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/short-stories\/id1621456328","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/blog.alexisveenendaal.com\/feed\/podcast\/default-podcast","embedCode":"

Gap Year<\/a><\/blockquote>