Christmas was a fun and joyous time for all, even the chastised Adam, who was kept as far away from me as possible by everyone at that family gathering. His mom let him come close enough to voice, what for him would be a ‘heartfelt’ apology to me for his actions the night of the holiday party, which he had to speak loud enough so that all the others could hear him. Allen, of course, heckled him about not sounding sincere, so his mom made him start again without the cheat sheet that Tony had called him on having. Internally I was ROTFLMAO, but externally I had to nod and accept his ‘humble’ words. He was allowed a brief 2-second hug and he gave me the briefest of a brief kiss on the cheek when he was done. The whole time he was so careful that none of his body but his arms touched mine
