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Cutting Out Paper Hearts
chapter nine
Neighbors are so nice.
By that I mean, whenever your dog isn’t pooping in their lawn or whenever you don’t lose a rubber ball in their lawn, they’re sweethearts. Just plain sweet and caring. They’re always there to help you with open arms and wide smiles. They bring over warm food dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner when your kitchen gets caught up in flames. Well, our neighbors did.
“Yes, thank you Barbara, we’ll eat this tonight for dinner.” Mom faked smiled, lifting her open hand up beside her head in a wave. Our elderly female neighbor-who now doubts my mother’s ability to cook and to trust her children-has brought us different food dishes every night. Sometimes she’d claim they were for breakfast or lunch, just so we didn’t go hungry. Denny laughed, getting up from the couch beside me to follow Mom into the dining room. “Why do all these ladies assume I can’t cook?”
“That’s because they’ve gotten to know you.” Denny answered, grabbing three paper plates from a drawer in the TV stand. We’re having people come and repair the damaged kitchen in a few days, but until then our TV stand is part kitchen cabinet. I hissed at him, gesturing for him to move his ass so I could see the TV screen. Denny just shook his butt and get out three plastic forks. “C’mon, kiddo, dinner time.” I groaned, standing up from the comfy couch to sit in a hard, uncaring wooden dining room chair.
“How do we know she isn’t poisoning this food? I mean, she doesn’t exactly trust Mom anymore.”
Mom narrowed her eyes at me, handing me a plate full of lasagna. “She trusts me, Bailey.”
“Is that why when we were standing outside waiting for you to come home she said, ‘I could have died if that fire spread over to my house.’ Then she asked a firefighter if she should trust us anymore.” I said, picking up a forkful of lasagna and eating it. Denny mimicked my motions with a smile.
“Well, she’s old,” was Mom’s best answer to that.
Mom called Dad to tell him about the fire once everyone had left and it was just us and the Barnes family standing outside in the front lawn. He told her to call someone to repair the damages, then he wanted to speak with Denny and me. Dad told Denny to behave and not to ever touch the stove again. He told me to behave-with a very stern tone-and then said I was going to move to wherever Denny goes so I could cook for him. I just laughed at him.
“Barbara brought over lasagna, I’m guessing.” Bethany said with a smile when the three of them walked into our house as we ate. They do that a lot; come in without knocking or without warning. Just like how they left-without warning. Thurstan gave Mom a hug before giving Denny one; though theirs was a little longer.
“Yes-”
“And she doesn’t trust Mom anymore.” Denny added with an innocent smile in Mom’s direction. Roydon sat down in the empty seat a cross from Denny, taking a plate. He ate it without a problem. Thurstan gave me a hug before yanking me out of my seat and stealing it from me. I swatted at his big head, but he only laughed.
Things have changed since the fire yesterday. I’m not sure if I like it.
“Hey! At least give me my food.” Everyone laughed as Thurstan picked up my fork and started eating my food. No one eats my food, but me. That’s why it’s called ‘my’ food, not Thurstan’s food, my food. I don’t like these changes; I’ve made up my mind and I don’t like them. “Food stealer!”
“Gosh, boys, just make yourselves at home.” Mom joked, but they did. Stealing my food, just barging into our house without knocking, and just plain eating my food. Damn it, I take my food seriously. Bethany left soon after, saying she had to go to the grocery store and didn’t want to leave Thurstan and Roydon home alone since they could start a fire. “Here, Bailey, eat.”
“It was my food; you act like I stole it from him.” I mumbled, taking the paper plate with my food and sitting down in the living room since the dining room table was full. Roydon came and sat beside me, leaning his head against the back of the couch. I watched him begin to fall asleep before he snapped open both of his eyes.
“What?”
“You stopped stuttering.” Roydon blushed but nodded. He then leaned his head back again and fell asleep beside me. I just ate and watched TV.
You stopped stuttering. Why the hell did I say that? Gosh, I sounded stupid. Why do I care?
By that I mean, whenever your dog isn’t pooping in their lawn or whenever you don’t lose a rubber ball in their lawn, they’re sweethearts. Just plain sweet and caring. They’re always there to help you with open arms and wide smiles. They bring over warm food dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner when your kitchen gets caught up in flames. Well, our neighbors did.
“Yes, thank you Barbara, we’ll eat this tonight for dinner.” Mom faked smiled, lifting her open hand up beside her head in a wave. Our elderly female neighbor-who now doubts my mother’s ability to cook and to trust her children-has brought us different food dishes every night. Sometimes she’d claim they were for breakfast or lunch, just so we didn’t go hungry. Denny laughed, getting up from the couch beside me to follow Mom into the dining room. “Why do all these ladies assume I can’t cook?”
“That’s because they’ve gotten to know you.” Denny answered, grabbing three paper plates from a drawer in the TV stand. We’re having people come and repair the damaged kitchen in a few days, but until then our TV stand is part kitchen cabinet. I hissed at him, gesturing for him to move his ass so I could see the TV screen. Denny just shook his butt and get out three plastic forks. “C’mon, kiddo, dinner time.” I groaned, standing up from the comfy couch to sit in a hard, uncaring wooden dining room chair.
“How do we know she isn’t poisoning this food? I mean, she doesn’t exactly trust Mom anymore.”
Mom narrowed her eyes at me, handing me a plate full of lasagna. “She trusts me, Bailey.”
“Is that why when we were standing outside waiting for you to come home she said, ‘I could have died if that fire spread over to my house.’ Then she asked a firefighter if she should trust us anymore.” I said, picking up a forkful of lasagna and eating it. Denny mimicked my motions with a smile.
“Well, she’s old,” was Mom’s best answer to that.
Mom called Dad to tell him about the fire once everyone had left and it was just us and the Barnes family standing outside in the front lawn. He told her to call someone to repair the damages, then he wanted to speak with Denny and me. Dad told Denny to behave and not to ever touch the stove again. He told me to behave-with a very stern tone-and then said I was going to move to wherever Denny goes so I could cook for him. I just laughed at him.
“Barbara brought over lasagna, I’m guessing.” Bethany said with a smile when the three of them walked into our house as we ate. They do that a lot; come in without knocking or without warning. Just like how they left-without warning. Thurstan gave Mom a hug before giving Denny one; though theirs was a little longer.
“Yes-”
“And she doesn’t trust Mom anymore.” Denny added with an innocent smile in Mom’s direction. Roydon sat down in the empty seat a cross from Denny, taking a plate. He ate it without a problem. Thurstan gave me a hug before yanking me out of my seat and stealing it from me. I swatted at his big head, but he only laughed.
Things have changed since the fire yesterday. I’m not sure if I like it.
“Hey! At least give me my food.” Everyone laughed as Thurstan picked up my fork and started eating my food. No one eats my food, but me. That’s why it’s called ‘my’ food, not Thurstan’s food, my food. I don’t like these changes; I’ve made up my mind and I don’t like them. “Food stealer!”
“Gosh, boys, just make yourselves at home.” Mom joked, but they did. Stealing my food, just barging into our house without knocking, and just plain eating my food. Damn it, I take my food seriously. Bethany left soon after, saying she had to go to the grocery store and didn’t want to leave Thurstan and Roydon home alone since they could start a fire. “Here, Bailey, eat.”
“It was my food; you act like I stole it from him.” I mumbled, taking the paper plate with my food and sitting down in the living room since the dining room table was full. Roydon came and sat beside me, leaning his head against the back of the couch. I watched him begin to fall asleep before he snapped open both of his eyes.
“What?”
“You stopped stuttering.” Roydon blushed but nodded. He then leaned his head back again and fell asleep beside me. I just ate and watched TV.
You stopped stuttering. Why the hell did I say that? Gosh, I sounded stupid. Why do I care?
♠ ♠ ♠
do i like this chapter?? i don't know.do you like this chapter?? do tell me. :)