Falling on Dead Ears

Travis tapped the end of his pencil against his desk Travis frowned. His math was failing him once again. What good was it to go to collage at fifteen if he couldn’t remember half of it after so many concussions?

Groaning he slammed his head against the desk. That probably didn’t help his brain cell count but he honestly didn’t care. He needed to figure this out.

“Travis, sweetie.” Humming he sat back in his chair, rubbing his sore forehead. “Oh Travis…!” Lifting his eyes he watched his mother smile at him as her eager happy tone slipped off her lips. “She’s perfect.” He frowned.

“Do what’d, and huh?” He stuttered out confused. He was in the middle of a math break down and suddenly someone was perfect?

“Ellie, you ‘tard.” She laughed at her son’s confused expression.

“Oooooh.” He whispered softly. “Glad one of you thinks so.” He whispered he looked back at his paper. The numbers, letters, and small drawings glaring and laughing at him as he stared down at them, lost for the answers he was looking for. “Dad thinks she’s a waste of my time.” He grumbled.

“He doesn’t.” Debbie smiled walking over and messing with his messy hair. “You need a hair cut.” She mused. He swatted at her hands lightly.

“Ellie said the same thing yesterday.” He whispered softly. Debbie clapped.

“Told you, perfect!” She sang. She finally had a potential future daughter-in-law. Debbie couldn’t have been more ecstatic.

“Call dad and have a conversation about her with him. That’ll go well. I swear the whole time he was in Texas with us he fought with me about her and he was this rude piece of crap and then he invited Liz.” Travis growled darkly as the name dripped off his lips like poison.

“I know you don’t like her but Travis she does hold one thing your father and I like about her.” Debbie mused. Travis stared at him mother flabbergasted.

“Mom! She literally beat Ellie because Ellie couldn’t hear her coming.” Debbie blinked startled. “I want to kill her.” She licked her lips and leaned down towards her son.

“You wanna know the one thing your father and I like about her?” Travis raised his hands, knowing she was going to tell him anyway. “She’s perfect for testing out if your current girlfriends are right for you. Other girls would’ve run away, not Ellie, and you would’ve let another girl go for her safety, not Ellie you like her too much to let her go. And I’ve already talked to Robert about her. He’s scared that you’ll get hurt. It’s not that he doesn’t like her. It’s that you like her so much already.” With that Debbie left.

“You two are conniving pieces of parental failure!” He screamed. “Who goes and get’s their kids partner beat up?” He added as she simply yelled at him to shut up and that he’d been raised just fine. “Parents.” He huffed. His eyes landed on the problem and he groaned. “I want a snack.” He stated childishly before leaving his office.

His mouth began to water at the smell coating and slinking its way through his large house. With out thinking he did a small jig in the hallway before rushing towards the kitchen.

“I smell pie!” Tommy’s loud voice rang through the house.

“Don’t you dare touch it!” Jolene screamed back as Travis ducked past the game room where the guys were fighting with her to wait till later.

Biting his lip he slid across the tile kitchen floor on his socks and smiled as Ellie cooking with his mother.

“Hi.” He chirped happily. Debbie looked up at him and laughed. “What?” He laughed back.

“You look like a little kid at Christmas.” She stated as Ellie turned around and smiled at him. Travis gave a small laugh and waved at her as his mom burst a fit of laughter.

“Shush!” He hissed. He wasn’t getting caught because of his mother. He was actually going to get pie this time and not be late to the party like last time.

Debbie frowned at him.

“There you are!” Jolene snapped grabbing the back of Travis’ shirt.

“Hey!” He snapped as they began to fight.

“If you don’t come willingly you’ll end up like the others.” Travis frowned at her as she grabbed his forearm tightly.

“What happened to the others?” he asked slowly. Jolene held a finger to her lips and the group grew quite. Loud banging and yelling echoed through the house. Ellie frowned and turned back to the oven and smiled, pulling on mittens to remove the dish. “You locked them up?” Debbie began to laugh again, this time twice as loud.

“You have no idea how hard it was to get them all in that closet.” Jolene huffed softly.

“There in one closet?” Debbie gasped as Travis stared at her amazed.

“Yeah. Tommy’s the cork after the door.” She laughed. “So come be a good boy and play video games with me till they’re done.” Travis pouted and glanced over his shoulder at Ellie and his mom watching them. Pouting he left the kitchen with his head down.

“I have a question…” Debbie laughed. “Why are they all freaking out like rabid animals?” Jolene pointed at the pie resting in Ellie’s mitted hands. “Over pie?” She stated confused, a brow arched.

“You have not lived till you’ve tasted her cooking and her baking is like heaven. But unlike the guys I don’t rule my life through my sexual organs or my stomach.” With that Jolene was gone leaving Debbie and Ellie alone in the kitchen.

Both were confused. Ellie had no idea what was going on, having missed half the conversation and Debbie didn’t think food could control her son that much. The kid did live off hot pockets and microwave pizzas for crying out loud even if there was home cooked food already on the counter.

The two kept cooking and baking the smells swirling through the house as the two tried to talk and communicate. It was difficult, Debbie didn’t understand a bit of sign language and with cooking writing down a response was too much effort and useless for both of them.

“Are you done yet?” Jolene and Travis peered into the kitchen. “Cause Travis is no fun when he pouts.” Debbie frowned.

“You’ve been pouting?” She asked incredulously. Travis shrugged slowly.

“He won’t even torment or torture the guys!” Jolene ratted, finger pointed and poised at him. It was like the two were six and Travis had promised to play house with her and wasn’t even paying attention to the game let alone her.

“Travis!” Debbie laughed trying to sound upset. “You know you’ll never get an opportunity like this again right?” She asked softly as Ellie’s eyes darted back and forth between the two.

“I know but last time she cooked I missed out ‘cause Tommy ate most of it and no one told me.” He mumbled embarrassed. Jolene paused and stared at him, reflecting on the moment.

“That was a damn good pie.” She whispered softly. Debbie frowned at the two as Travis tossed his arms up with a ‘see!’. “I’m sorry.” She laughed. “So are you done?” She asked. Ellie nodded slowly.

Ellie didn’t understand what was so great about her cooking. It’s not like someone else couldn’t make the same dishes with the same amount of care she put into it. It was just food, yet every time she cooked it was like world ward three with everyone, fighting over what they wanted till their plates were full and everyone was seated.

They always acted like she put crack in it or something when she didn’t.

“So can we have some?” Travis asked slowly. Ellie and Debbie both nodded, confused. Jolene and Travis five fived and moved through the kitchen.

“Do they always act like this when you cook?” Debbie asked, making sure to look at Ellie. The petite, deaf woman simply nodded just as confused as Debbie as Jolene and Travis decided on what they wanted for lunch off the island.

“I’m gonna go rub this in their faces!” Jolene squeaked as she took a slice of pie and ran away. Travis simply laughed.

“Mom you have to try this!” Travis stated passing her a plate. Debbie blinked startled. This reminded her of his first X Games competition. He was over whelmed with everything and telling her and Robert to try this, or that and go here and do this or that. She laughed at him. “What?” he asked confused, his fork dangling from his mouth.

“Travis! It’s fuckin’ cherry!” Jolene screamed from down the hall.

“I know!” He yelled back laughing.

“You’re both weird!” Debbie screamed at them. Travis shrugged and sat down at the table as Ellie began cleaning up. “Hunny, just sit down and eat you’ve been cooking for hours. I’ll help you clean in a little bit.”

“Put down the lost cause mom and just eat.” Travis mumbled through his food. “Trust me she won’t sit and eat till everyone else has. She’ll clean a spot four times if she has too.” He stated. Debbie frowned. Her son had found a home maker. She was slightly pleased with this idea, yet baffled on how it actually happened. She saw Travis being with someone more like Jolene. Completely into his crazy stunts yet still a kind caring woman. Not a kind caring woman that would pat his head, hand him a lunch, and send him on his way to dangerous stunts.

Sitting down Debbie smiled at her giddy son. She like the second one better, it meant he had a reason to come home and someone to come home too.