Troubles
Kitchen
“I can't believe you ever even got a license,” I say, throwing my head back for emphasis before I stuff some more lasagna into my mouth. It doesn't taste good. My apologies to Donna, but it really doesn't. I should've just let Mikey order a pizza and then owe him half like he offered, but I already owe Gerard 12 in total, and I just spent 5 on a date with my baby the other day. I'm broke and I owe, so I'm eating lasagna.
As I chew, I try to pick as many tiny pieces of meat from between the layers of pasta. I hate meat. I would be a vegetarian if it wasn't because I lived on the streets. The soup kitchens always serve a lot of meat, 'cause it's got a lot of protein in it and that's good for people who don't eat that much. There is one soup kitchen in Newark that has a vegetarian table, but since they also have pork chops and turkey on a regular basis, it's a very popular place and a lot of the people who come there take food from the vegetarian table, even though they're not vegetarian.
So I've pretty much given up on being one.
When I can, I will, but right now, I can't.
“We can still order a pizza, you know?” Mikey asks – or demands – and I quickly turn my facial expression from one of disgust to a smile.
“No, it's alright. I'm practically full already,” I lie and lean back in my chair. I let go of the fork.
“Alright,” Mikey shrugs and takes our plates over to the sink.
“Oh!” he suddenly yells and I frown up at him. What the fuck?
“Did you hear the news? About Gerard?” My frown gets replaced by a smirk as my eyes travel around the room, trying to look for Mikey's common sense.
Or at least his manhood.
“How would I have heard?” I ask calmly.
“And could you stop sounding like a girl?” I look him in the eye as I ask him that, and they quickly do a roll before he walks towards me.
“I'm serious, though. It's big news!” I hold back a snort and settle for smirking instead of laughing out loud.
“Do you wanna hear it?” he asks stupidly.
“Well, now I do, you idiot.”
“Alright. Alright,” he says quickly, then looks over his shoulder as if there could be someone there. We're alone. In this entire house. What is he on?
“Gerard is in love,” he says slyly. I quirk an eyebrow and stare at him, trying to figure out if that seriously was the big news he had to tell me.
“Honestly! I heard him talking to mom yesterday about it. Apparently, he wants to ask this girl out.”
I just sit there.
Big news?
“Aren't you curious?” he asks, as if I'm a total moron.
“Mikey, seriously. People fall in love every day. What's the big deal?” I can't believe he honestly thinks that this is the biggest piece of news he could tell me.
“Well, it's my brother! And I've never heard him talk about anyone like this before.” Mikey walks over to the fridge and opens it as he keeps ranting:
“You should've heard him. It was so obvious that he was completely smitten with this girl.”
Smitten? Someone needs a gay test.
“Even mom couldn't stop smiling all day, and it was Thursday! She hates Thursdays!”
I get up from the kitchen chair and walk over to Mikey. I grab a juice box from the open door. Mikey must be a penguin, since he wants to stand there and stare into the fridge for so long.
“I mean, I really want to know who she is!” he yells as I walk into the living room and sit on the couch.
“I guess I'm being kinda protective. Or perhaps just really curious.” The latter. I grab the remote and turn on the TV, pressing mute right away to make Mikey feel important. His monologue – also known as his conversation with the fridge – sure as hell isn't important or interesting.
“Maybe I do just wanna tease him about it.” Correct answer. 1000 points.
“Or maybe I just want him to be happy.”
Bang.
“You know?”
As I chew, I try to pick as many tiny pieces of meat from between the layers of pasta. I hate meat. I would be a vegetarian if it wasn't because I lived on the streets. The soup kitchens always serve a lot of meat, 'cause it's got a lot of protein in it and that's good for people who don't eat that much. There is one soup kitchen in Newark that has a vegetarian table, but since they also have pork chops and turkey on a regular basis, it's a very popular place and a lot of the people who come there take food from the vegetarian table, even though they're not vegetarian.
So I've pretty much given up on being one.
When I can, I will, but right now, I can't.
“We can still order a pizza, you know?” Mikey asks – or demands – and I quickly turn my facial expression from one of disgust to a smile.
“No, it's alright. I'm practically full already,” I lie and lean back in my chair. I let go of the fork.
“Alright,” Mikey shrugs and takes our plates over to the sink.
“Oh!” he suddenly yells and I frown up at him. What the fuck?
“Did you hear the news? About Gerard?” My frown gets replaced by a smirk as my eyes travel around the room, trying to look for Mikey's common sense.
Or at least his manhood.
“How would I have heard?” I ask calmly.
“And could you stop sounding like a girl?” I look him in the eye as I ask him that, and they quickly do a roll before he walks towards me.
“I'm serious, though. It's big news!” I hold back a snort and settle for smirking instead of laughing out loud.
“Do you wanna hear it?” he asks stupidly.
“Well, now I do, you idiot.”
“Alright. Alright,” he says quickly, then looks over his shoulder as if there could be someone there. We're alone. In this entire house. What is he on?
“Gerard is in love,” he says slyly. I quirk an eyebrow and stare at him, trying to figure out if that seriously was the big news he had to tell me.
“Honestly! I heard him talking to mom yesterday about it. Apparently, he wants to ask this girl out.”
I just sit there.
Big news?
“Aren't you curious?” he asks, as if I'm a total moron.
“Mikey, seriously. People fall in love every day. What's the big deal?” I can't believe he honestly thinks that this is the biggest piece of news he could tell me.
“Well, it's my brother! And I've never heard him talk about anyone like this before.” Mikey walks over to the fridge and opens it as he keeps ranting:
“You should've heard him. It was so obvious that he was completely smitten with this girl.”
Smitten? Someone needs a gay test.
“Even mom couldn't stop smiling all day, and it was Thursday! She hates Thursdays!”
I get up from the kitchen chair and walk over to Mikey. I grab a juice box from the open door. Mikey must be a penguin, since he wants to stand there and stare into the fridge for so long.
“I mean, I really want to know who she is!” he yells as I walk into the living room and sit on the couch.
“I guess I'm being kinda protective. Or perhaps just really curious.” The latter. I grab the remote and turn on the TV, pressing mute right away to make Mikey feel important. His monologue – also known as his conversation with the fridge – sure as hell isn't important or interesting.
“Maybe I do just wanna tease him about it.” Correct answer. 1000 points.
“Or maybe I just want him to be happy.”
Bang.
“You know?”
♠ ♠ ♠
Hint, hint, hint. =D