Colder Than Ourselves.

The moment Lindsey started yelling was the moment I started regretting bringing Bert over. Why had I even done it in the first place when I knew that this is what would probably happen? What really hit me hard was when she not only called me a loser, again, but Bert, someone she doesn’t even fucking know a loser.

I stood there stunned for a minute in disbelief, what the fuck?, “You know what Lindsey,” I started, “Chill the fuck out for a minute and listen.” She started pacing the room, just to keep her anger built up and I pointed at her, “I know you’re tired of seeing my fucking face every day,” she rolled her eyes, “and I know I’m tired of dealing with your shit every day. It’s one thing to fight in front of our own daughter, but to fight in front of someone who isn’t even related to us? Lindsey, we need to sort shit out, or something. You’re driving me insane.”

I threw up my hands and started to walk out of the room to see what happened to the other occupants of my house when Lindsey called from behind me, “Come back when you stop being such an asshole.”

I inwardly groaned and headed for the front door after seeing Bert and Bandit were no longer at the table, cursing Lindsey under my breath.

When I stepped outside, shutting the door behind me, it took me a second to notice Bert sitting on the stoop with Bandit sitting on his lap, morose expression on his face.

I sat down next to him, hands immediately covering my face for a moment before I looked back up to them both, directing my words towards Bert, “I’m sorry, bringing you here was a mistake. I didn’t expect her to be that bad.”

Bert nodded his head sadly, looking down at Bandit and mumbled “It’s alright.” I could tell there was something eating at him.

“You heard what she said, didn’t you?” He nodded. “You’re not a loser, she’s just a bitch.”
He was silent for a while before speaking up, looking at me with his peripheral, “do you guys fight like that often?”

“Every single day,” I bit my lip and turned away. There had to be a better way to solve this chaos. I wanted Bandit to have a whole family, but it was becoming clear that the option wouldn’t be available for much longer, “C’mon,” I said, standing up and picking up Bandit, “I’ll take you home.”

Bert stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at the sky to see the sun almost set all the way, “Nah, its fine Gerard, my house isn’t too far away.”

“Nope,” I pulled the keys out of my pocket and already had Bandit strapped in her car seat before Bert could argue any further, “taking you home is the least I can do after having to deal with that. Besides, we didn’t even get to eat dinner properly… we’ll go get a burger or something, your mom probably wouldn’t want you to come home without eating.”

While driving around the town, munching on fast-food burgers, I must have apologized for dragging Bert into unnecessary conflict with my wife at least twenty times. “Seriously, Gerard, it’s fine,” he kept saying, “don’t worry about it.”

Bandit slept soundly in the backseat for a while, but when I stopped the car infront of Bert’s house she immediately pulled out of her slumber.

“Is this your house Bert?” her voice peeped from the back. She was referring to the small white house to our left.

“Yeah,” he chuckled.

“Can we come in?” she looked up at him with those big brown eyes and started to wiggle in her chair, wanting to get up.

Bert looked over to me a little doubtful, so I replied back, “Honey, maybe today might not be a good time for that.”

He bit his lip and looked over to his house where the curtain by the door was pulled back, a woman was standing by the window peering out. He sighed and turned back to me with his hand already on the door handle, “You might as well come in; my mom already knows you’re here - if you don’t she’s just going to give me the Spanish Inquisition all night.”