Who Knew.
In A Phrase To Cut These Lips...
[one year later]
I still let out a small scream as we came around the ferris-wheel for the fifth time tonight. I grabbed his hand as he laughed at me yet again. I hated heights but I felt safe so long as he was with me. He put his arm around me as we were stopped at the very top. You could see the entire fair below, all the screaming kids, the teenagers on dates and a few elderly couples walking around.
“Frankie?”
“Yeah Gee?”
He turned to face me, the moment our eyes locked nothing else existed but us.
“You see that couple, down there, the one at the funnel cake stand—the man in the gray sweater and lady in the polka-dotted dress?”
I nodded and he grinned.
“Those are my grandparents, well my grandma and her boyfriend, want to meet them?”
“I’d love to!”
I shrieked as we finally headed towards the bottom, stopping at each point—we were all getting off. Once my feet were on the ground Gerard took my hand and led me over to the picnic tables where his grandmother was sharing a funnel cake with her boyfriend. I took in the sight of the older woman we were slowly approaching; you could tell she was beautiful when she was younger, she’s still beautiful. She was laughing at something her partner must have said and when she finally glanced around she noticed Gerard and I coming towards them.
She froze and then got up—quickly mind you—and rushed towards us, pulling Gerard into her arms and kissing his cheeks and squeezing him once more for good measure. She finally looked past him and took me in; sizing me up and judging me with her eyes. That’s where he gets it from—the ability to be read like a book by just looking into his eyes. She approved, I saw it in her eyes before she pulled me in for a hug and kissed my forehead.
“So this is the wonderful Frankie you’ve been chattering about non-stop? He’s beautiful honey. Nice to finally meet you Frankie, I feel like I’ve known you my whole life the way this boy has talked about you.”
I blushed and so did Gerard.
“Well come on, come meet my friend, boys this is Joe, Joe this is my grandson Gerard and his boyfriend Frank.”
He shook our hands and smiled at us.
“So this is the one you couldn’t stop yammering about eh?”
Gerard’s cheeks got even pinker and I smiled over at him. Joe turned to me and asked;
“He treat you right?”
I nodded.
“Very well actually.”
“Good, if he didn’t I’d have no problem whipping his bottom right here and now, I don’t care how old he is.”
I laughed at his grandma’s antics. I liked her and it was apparent that she and Joe cared a lot for him.
“Grandma you didn’t need to embarrass me like that.”
“Nonsense, I’m your grandma, it’s what I live for! You boys hungry—thirsty?”
I shook my head no as did Gerard. He stood next to me and took my hand in his own and gave it a small squeeze. I looked up at him and he smiled down at me; he leant closer and whispered in my ear.
“She loves you—adores you actually. Joe’s going to surprise her tonight, just wait and see.”
We walked around and admired photos and other aspects of the fair with grandma and Joe. We even rode on the tilt-a-whirl ride with them; I think I’ve found my favorite old people. We headed over to the nightly ‘concert’, tonight a man with a piano was just taking requests for songs. Joe took Gerard away and they walked over to the man at the piano.
“What are they up to?”
“I don’t know.”
She smiled over at me and then got this look in her eye; you know the look where you know the other person wants to say something; they’re just not sure how to say it without just outright saying it? Yeah, she had that look and it was directed at me.
“Frank dear, can I say something?”
I nodded and looked over at her. She took one of my hands in her own and smiled at me.
“I visited him a lot when he was in the hospital and when he was in New York; he beat himself up every day over what he did to you—I know this is a difficult subject but hear me out. He came to visit me not too long after he came home last year, the moment I opened the door and took in his appearance I knew he had changed. He looked alive and I could tell he felt it and I knew it was because of you, especially the moment I saw him look at you tonight. Each and every time he looks at you he lights up. You take care of him you hear me?”
I smiled and nodded, she pulled me into a hug.
I still let out a small scream as we came around the ferris-wheel for the fifth time tonight. I grabbed his hand as he laughed at me yet again. I hated heights but I felt safe so long as he was with me. He put his arm around me as we were stopped at the very top. You could see the entire fair below, all the screaming kids, the teenagers on dates and a few elderly couples walking around.
“Frankie?”
“Yeah Gee?”
He turned to face me, the moment our eyes locked nothing else existed but us.
“You see that couple, down there, the one at the funnel cake stand—the man in the gray sweater and lady in the polka-dotted dress?”
I nodded and he grinned.
“Those are my grandparents, well my grandma and her boyfriend, want to meet them?”
“I’d love to!”
I shrieked as we finally headed towards the bottom, stopping at each point—we were all getting off. Once my feet were on the ground Gerard took my hand and led me over to the picnic tables where his grandmother was sharing a funnel cake with her boyfriend. I took in the sight of the older woman we were slowly approaching; you could tell she was beautiful when she was younger, she’s still beautiful. She was laughing at something her partner must have said and when she finally glanced around she noticed Gerard and I coming towards them.
She froze and then got up—quickly mind you—and rushed towards us, pulling Gerard into her arms and kissing his cheeks and squeezing him once more for good measure. She finally looked past him and took me in; sizing me up and judging me with her eyes. That’s where he gets it from—the ability to be read like a book by just looking into his eyes. She approved, I saw it in her eyes before she pulled me in for a hug and kissed my forehead.
“So this is the wonderful Frankie you’ve been chattering about non-stop? He’s beautiful honey. Nice to finally meet you Frankie, I feel like I’ve known you my whole life the way this boy has talked about you.”
I blushed and so did Gerard.
“Well come on, come meet my friend, boys this is Joe, Joe this is my grandson Gerard and his boyfriend Frank.”
He shook our hands and smiled at us.
“So this is the one you couldn’t stop yammering about eh?”
Gerard’s cheeks got even pinker and I smiled over at him. Joe turned to me and asked;
“He treat you right?”
I nodded.
“Very well actually.”
“Good, if he didn’t I’d have no problem whipping his bottom right here and now, I don’t care how old he is.”
I laughed at his grandma’s antics. I liked her and it was apparent that she and Joe cared a lot for him.
“Grandma you didn’t need to embarrass me like that.”
“Nonsense, I’m your grandma, it’s what I live for! You boys hungry—thirsty?”
I shook my head no as did Gerard. He stood next to me and took my hand in his own and gave it a small squeeze. I looked up at him and he smiled down at me; he leant closer and whispered in my ear.
“She loves you—adores you actually. Joe’s going to surprise her tonight, just wait and see.”
We walked around and admired photos and other aspects of the fair with grandma and Joe. We even rode on the tilt-a-whirl ride with them; I think I’ve found my favorite old people. We headed over to the nightly ‘concert’, tonight a man with a piano was just taking requests for songs. Joe took Gerard away and they walked over to the man at the piano.
“What are they up to?”
“I don’t know.”
She smiled over at me and then got this look in her eye; you know the look where you know the other person wants to say something; they’re just not sure how to say it without just outright saying it? Yeah, she had that look and it was directed at me.
“Frank dear, can I say something?”
I nodded and looked over at her. She took one of my hands in her own and smiled at me.
“I visited him a lot when he was in the hospital and when he was in New York; he beat himself up every day over what he did to you—I know this is a difficult subject but hear me out. He came to visit me not too long after he came home last year, the moment I opened the door and took in his appearance I knew he had changed. He looked alive and I could tell he felt it and I knew it was because of you, especially the moment I saw him look at you tonight. Each and every time he looks at you he lights up. You take care of him you hear me?”
I smiled and nodded, she pulled me into a hug.