This Still Belongs to You and Always Will
Chapter 28
Elena’s P.O.V:
Dad and Frank were sat at the kitchen table, eating oatmeal when I came downstairs. I managed to avoid both their gazes and got myself some oatmeal and a coffee. Frankie’s was, as usual, liberally encrusted with sugar. He spooned the sugary layer up into his mouth and happily munched away on it. I don’t understand him; I like sugar on my oatmeal but I don’t cake it in the stuff beyond recognition. That’s gross. Way too sweet. I asked him once and he said ‘It’s sweet like your Dad’ and gave him a quick kiss.
“Morning.” Dad nodded.
I made some weird noise in his direction, still not looking him in the eye for fear of bursting out into giggles or fleeing the room in repulse. Not that I would do that…….ok maybe I would. But I have a valid excuse right?
“You ok?” Dad questioned.
“Mmhm.” I lied, glancing anywhere but at him.
“Positive?”
“Yep.”
“Ok.” He shrugged.
We all munched and sipped quietly. The only sound was spoons hitting the bowl and the occasional slurp as someone drank more coffee. Frank glanced up at the clock on the wall.
“We’re gonna’ have to hurry up guys,” He encouraged “I have a pupil at ten.”
“I thought you don’t teach on weekends.”
“I don’t…..but I had to make an exception for this week ‘cause she couldn’t make Friday.”
“Ok,” I shrugged “Who is it anyway?”
“Jess.”
“Oh no,” I exclaimed, shaking my head “Nu uh.”
“I know, I know.”
Jess is totally useless. She’s some stupid preppy girl who took up guitar in attempt to make herself look soulful and interesting. She doesn’t try in her lessons, she doesn’t listen and she spends all her time trying to flirt with Frank or Dad ‘cause she’s got it into her head that Dad and Frank are just roommates. Yeah, Jess. Roommates who share a bed. Roommates who have matching wedding rings. See a pattern emerging here? I know I do.
“Why do you still teach her?” I questioned “It’s obvious she’s not interested in it. She just sees a guitar as something she can hold while she’s on TV or something she can use to pose in the bedroom.”
“Shut up.” He said firmly, but bursting into laughter anyway.
“She thought you were talking about octopuses when you said octave and she thought the scales were something you used to weigh the guitar!”
He rolled his eyes and finished up his oatmeal, getting up and putting the empty bowl into the sink. Dad and I looked at each other sympathetically, both understanding how the other felt. Dad hates Jess as much as me. He says he doesn’t but I know he does…
…”Hey Jess,” I said unenthusiastically, opening the door to the strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes “He’s up in the studio, go on up.”
“Thanks, Eleanor.” She trilled, parading past me and strutting her way up the stairs.
She tried out different walking styles up the stairs; wriggling her hips subtly and then suddenly swinging them from side to side violently. As usual, a disgustingly short mini-skirt barely covered her underwear and a skimpy low-cut vest barely reached her waist so that when she moved, you got a flash of skin. I rolled my eyes as I heard her climbing the ladder. Frank greeted her and she replied with ‘Hi, Frank, I can’t get up; can you help me?’. Yeah, ‘cause it’s so hard to climb a ladder. Do not try this at home. You need a certificate of achievement and a national diploma before attempting to do this.
“She’s so fricking obvious!” I spat, entering the living room and jumping onto the couch.
“I know,” Dad replied, typing like crazy on the computer “And he knows too. I’ve told him to talk to her Mom about it ‘cause he told me it makes him feel really uncomfortable.”
“What you doing?” I asked, getting up and looking over his shoulder.
“MSN.” He replied, typing a message as he said it.
“Who you talking to?”
“Ray and Matt,” He replied “And somehow Katie managed to get hold of my email address.” He said, looking at me suspiciously.
I bared my teeth into a cheesy grin, making him laugh. I looked over his shoulder at the convo with Ray. Ray’s display picture was a photo of him and his girlfriend Christa. I budged Dad out the way and typed a message myself.
Sex on legs with a brain: Hey Ray! Tis Elena here!
“Sex on legs with a brain?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“You should see Frankie’s name.” He replied.
“What is it?”
“Pansyman loves his pink belt.”
“Better than sex on legs with a brain.”
The convo with Ray flashed and bleeped as he replied.
Rayman: Hey girl s’up?
Sex on legs with a brain: Not much! Telling Dad off ‘cause of his crappy little msn name!
Rayman: It’s awful isn’t it? Mine kicks ass
Sex on legs with a brain: Sure does!
“That’s starting to annoy me now,” I stated, turning to Dad “Can I change your MSN name?”
“Sure,” He shrugged “But be nice!”
I thought for a moment. What could I put? I liked Frankie’s ‘Pansyman’ thing. Too bad it was taken. I opened up the window to change it, still thinking. Then I typed the first thing that came into my head.
Pansyman’s babe: I changed it! Hehe
Rayman: Love it
Dad laughed when he saw what I’d done and said he liked it.
“It should be Pansyman’s babe loves his pink boa.” He half suggested.
“But you don’t have a pink boa.”
“Or do I?” He replied mysteriously, pausing for ‘dramatic effect’ “Maybe there are some aspects of my life that I prefer to keep private.”
A flashback of the previous night flashed through my head. Combined with what he had just said, it sent me off into a fit of the giggles and a mode of repulse at the same time. I don’t wanna’ think what he does with that boa though; especially if he’s chosen to keep it ‘private’.
“What’s so funny, eh?”
“Mm…nothing.”
Luckily, Ray spoke up so he didn’t pursue it.
Rayman: So, your Dad tells me you got a puppy yesterday
Pansyman’s babe: Yeah :-D She’s amazing! I think I’m in love
Rayman: Aw! I had a dog once! He was called Boy
Pansyman’s babe: Imaginative name
Rayman: *Ignores obvious hint of sarcasm* Yep
The doorbell rang so Dad got up to go and answer it. I occupied the desk chair as soon as he was gone, making him laugh.
Pansyman’s babe: So where’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in ages
Rayman: I know :-( We’ll all have to get together sometime. Maybe we could jam together or something?
Pansyman’s babe: Sounds good to me
Rayman: Frankie, Bob, Mikey and I all went and played a show last March. Did he tell you?
Pansyman’s babe: No! Oh imma be having words with him
Rayman: It’s obvious who wears the trousers over there
Pansyman’s babe: Yep! *Puffs chest out*
“Stay the hell away from here! Stay away from me and my family!”
I sat up straight in shock, wondering what Dad was shouting about. I typed a quick message to Ray.
Pansyman’s babe Be right back, yeah?
And went to investigate.
Dad and Frank were sat at the kitchen table, eating oatmeal when I came downstairs. I managed to avoid both their gazes and got myself some oatmeal and a coffee. Frankie’s was, as usual, liberally encrusted with sugar. He spooned the sugary layer up into his mouth and happily munched away on it. I don’t understand him; I like sugar on my oatmeal but I don’t cake it in the stuff beyond recognition. That’s gross. Way too sweet. I asked him once and he said ‘It’s sweet like your Dad’ and gave him a quick kiss.
“Morning.” Dad nodded.
I made some weird noise in his direction, still not looking him in the eye for fear of bursting out into giggles or fleeing the room in repulse. Not that I would do that…….ok maybe I would. But I have a valid excuse right?
“You ok?” Dad questioned.
“Mmhm.” I lied, glancing anywhere but at him.
“Positive?”
“Yep.”
“Ok.” He shrugged.
We all munched and sipped quietly. The only sound was spoons hitting the bowl and the occasional slurp as someone drank more coffee. Frank glanced up at the clock on the wall.
“We’re gonna’ have to hurry up guys,” He encouraged “I have a pupil at ten.”
“I thought you don’t teach on weekends.”
“I don’t…..but I had to make an exception for this week ‘cause she couldn’t make Friday.”
“Ok,” I shrugged “Who is it anyway?”
“Jess.”
“Oh no,” I exclaimed, shaking my head “Nu uh.”
“I know, I know.”
Jess is totally useless. She’s some stupid preppy girl who took up guitar in attempt to make herself look soulful and interesting. She doesn’t try in her lessons, she doesn’t listen and she spends all her time trying to flirt with Frank or Dad ‘cause she’s got it into her head that Dad and Frank are just roommates. Yeah, Jess. Roommates who share a bed. Roommates who have matching wedding rings. See a pattern emerging here? I know I do.
“Why do you still teach her?” I questioned “It’s obvious she’s not interested in it. She just sees a guitar as something she can hold while she’s on TV or something she can use to pose in the bedroom.”
“Shut up.” He said firmly, but bursting into laughter anyway.
“She thought you were talking about octopuses when you said octave and she thought the scales were something you used to weigh the guitar!”
He rolled his eyes and finished up his oatmeal, getting up and putting the empty bowl into the sink. Dad and I looked at each other sympathetically, both understanding how the other felt. Dad hates Jess as much as me. He says he doesn’t but I know he does…
…”Hey Jess,” I said unenthusiastically, opening the door to the strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes “He’s up in the studio, go on up.”
“Thanks, Eleanor.” She trilled, parading past me and strutting her way up the stairs.
She tried out different walking styles up the stairs; wriggling her hips subtly and then suddenly swinging them from side to side violently. As usual, a disgustingly short mini-skirt barely covered her underwear and a skimpy low-cut vest barely reached her waist so that when she moved, you got a flash of skin. I rolled my eyes as I heard her climbing the ladder. Frank greeted her and she replied with ‘Hi, Frank, I can’t get up; can you help me?’. Yeah, ‘cause it’s so hard to climb a ladder. Do not try this at home. You need a certificate of achievement and a national diploma before attempting to do this.
“She’s so fricking obvious!” I spat, entering the living room and jumping onto the couch.
“I know,” Dad replied, typing like crazy on the computer “And he knows too. I’ve told him to talk to her Mom about it ‘cause he told me it makes him feel really uncomfortable.”
“What you doing?” I asked, getting up and looking over his shoulder.
“MSN.” He replied, typing a message as he said it.
“Who you talking to?”
“Ray and Matt,” He replied “And somehow Katie managed to get hold of my email address.” He said, looking at me suspiciously.
I bared my teeth into a cheesy grin, making him laugh. I looked over his shoulder at the convo with Ray. Ray’s display picture was a photo of him and his girlfriend Christa. I budged Dad out the way and typed a message myself.
Sex on legs with a brain: Hey Ray! Tis Elena here!
“Sex on legs with a brain?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“You should see Frankie’s name.” He replied.
“What is it?”
“Pansyman loves his pink belt.”
“Better than sex on legs with a brain.”
The convo with Ray flashed and bleeped as he replied.
Rayman: Hey girl s’up?
Sex on legs with a brain: Not much! Telling Dad off ‘cause of his crappy little msn name!
Rayman: It’s awful isn’t it? Mine kicks ass
Sex on legs with a brain: Sure does!
“That’s starting to annoy me now,” I stated, turning to Dad “Can I change your MSN name?”
“Sure,” He shrugged “But be nice!”
I thought for a moment. What could I put? I liked Frankie’s ‘Pansyman’ thing. Too bad it was taken. I opened up the window to change it, still thinking. Then I typed the first thing that came into my head.
Pansyman’s babe: I changed it! Hehe
Rayman: Love it
Dad laughed when he saw what I’d done and said he liked it.
“It should be Pansyman’s babe loves his pink boa.” He half suggested.
“But you don’t have a pink boa.”
“Or do I?” He replied mysteriously, pausing for ‘dramatic effect’ “Maybe there are some aspects of my life that I prefer to keep private.”
A flashback of the previous night flashed through my head. Combined with what he had just said, it sent me off into a fit of the giggles and a mode of repulse at the same time. I don’t wanna’ think what he does with that boa though; especially if he’s chosen to keep it ‘private’.
“What’s so funny, eh?”
“Mm…nothing.”
Luckily, Ray spoke up so he didn’t pursue it.
Rayman: So, your Dad tells me you got a puppy yesterday
Pansyman’s babe: Yeah :-D She’s amazing! I think I’m in love
Rayman: Aw! I had a dog once! He was called Boy
Pansyman’s babe: Imaginative name
Rayman: *Ignores obvious hint of sarcasm* Yep
The doorbell rang so Dad got up to go and answer it. I occupied the desk chair as soon as he was gone, making him laugh.
Pansyman’s babe: So where’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in ages
Rayman: I know :-( We’ll all have to get together sometime. Maybe we could jam together or something?
Pansyman’s babe: Sounds good to me
Rayman: Frankie, Bob, Mikey and I all went and played a show last March. Did he tell you?
Pansyman’s babe: No! Oh imma be having words with him
Rayman: It’s obvious who wears the trousers over there
Pansyman’s babe: Yep! *Puffs chest out*
“Stay the hell away from here! Stay away from me and my family!”
I sat up straight in shock, wondering what Dad was shouting about. I typed a quick message to Ray.
Pansyman’s babe Be right back, yeah?
And went to investigate.