A soft dusting of snow whitens the asphalt of the parking lot as I finally get to close up the shop after another long shift. Just like every other day, business has been slow on these cold, dark winter evenings, but it's not like I really care that much, I get paid all the same. Well, at least that's usually how things go, but today I've actally been rather antsy to get off work. Just a few hours into my shift, I got a message from old man Jenson that the blinds on Liam's place have been closed all the time and he hasn't been answering the door bell, which is worrying. As this is the kind of suburb where everybody knows everybody, people generally know that Liam and I are childhood friends. Not to mention, I've somehow managed to get myself in the position of a sort of local emotional support just by being willing to help whoever comes to me with troubles.
As I make my way home, I would have to lie if I said I'm not worried right now. Liam... hasn't been doing the best recently, and he's not been as forthcoming with the reasons as he used to be. Of course, I can make some educated guesses—he's now living in his parents' home alone after they moved to Florida for retirement, and I don't think he's gotten used to the loneliness yet. Winter surely isn't helping, since it gives you even more reason to just stay inside on your own. I'm fairly certain he's having some kind of seasonal depression, and while I've tried to help him out, he's always waved me off. Something about being able to take care of it alone. But if he's now totally cooping himself up in his house, things might have gotten worse, and I wouldn't be able to call myself his friend if I didn't at least try again.
With a quick stop at home, I grab my spare key for his place—being his childhood friend and erstwhile babysitter, his parents gave me one many years ago—and head back out. I still know the route like the back of my hand, and even as the snowfall gets stronger and my visibility gets worse, there's nothing stopping me from quickly making it to Liam's front porch. While I knock the snow off my jacket and boots, I take a look around the house from the outside, and indeed, all the blinds are down and I can't see any light from here. I open the front door and step inside, turning on the hallway lights. So far, nothing, but I think I can spot a bit of light coming from the back of the house.
Getting closer, it seems to be coming from the bedroom, though the door is closed. And so, I step in front of the door and knock on it. "Liam? You there? It's Julian!" I ask.
All I get back in return is a muffled "Go away!", the tone of his voice suggesting he's been crying recently. But of course, he's not getting rid of me that easily now. I know him too well to go away. He needs me right now, and he just doesn't want to admit it. So I open the door and step inside. Liam's bedroom is still largely the way I remember it, rather sparsely decorated and quite utilitarian, with the focal point being the large bed in the middle. And there upon it lies Liam, face buried in a pillow and quiet. Not sure if he's heard me coming in.
When I sit down on the bed, he jolts up, staring at me with reddened eyes and clearly not having expected me to actually come in. He looks completely gobsmacked, and I just give him a gentle smile. "You don't have to talk about it, OK? I just want to spend some time with you, if you're fine with that," I tell him. A moment of silence passes between us, and I'm noticing that he's not mad with me, so that's a good start. And while I think about what I could suggest, I get a great idea. If I'm right, it's not really a specific event that's getting him down, just the general situation. And if that's the case, some good memories might help. "Hey... you remember back in the day? How everybody got that idea that I was the responsible, mature kid of the burbs? And how even though I'm only a year older than you, your parents would keep asking me to babysit you?" I ask him, and he perks up just a bit.
Taking that opportunity to scoot just a bit closer to him, I continue, "Oh, they thought I'd be a good kid and not go overboard. But we always had a great time, didn't we? Staying up late playing video games, ordering pizza from the place around the corner... and when they were away for more than just Friday evening, we'd get up and watch Saturday morning cartoons while shoveling cereal down our throats. So... how about we do that again?"
Again, that gets his attention just a bit. Liam's now meeting my gaze at least somewhat, possibly trying to hide his interest a bit, and I just keep selling him on it. "Yeah, we're all grown up now, but who cares? I think it's been way too long since we last had an evening just to ourselves, just the two of us indulging in some fun, just like in the good old days. I'll be your babysitter, just like back then. Let's stay up way too late, eat some total garbage fast food, and watch some dumb cartoons that are just interested in selling action figures to impressionable kids. What do you say, Liam?"