Sequel: Upwards ›
Frontwards
In the family.
The house was very normal and American-suburban. It was just normal. All white and wooden with a little porch and steps leading up to the front door. Quite similar to the house Frank lived in with the rest of the guys. Which is unsurprising considering it was only a 20 minute drive away.
“So this is my momma’s house,” he announced quite unnecessarily as we stood hand-in-hand at the bottom of the steps.
I felt very strange standing outside Frank’s mother’s house, although having him holding my hand did help. It was surreal to look at the house he grew up in, the house he learnt to talk and walk in. The house he had his first Christmas in. The house he used to sneak out of while his mother thought he was in bed. The house he learnt to play guitar in. The house he brought his first girlfriend and god knows how many others to meet his mother.
I took a few deep breaths and Frank reminded me as we walked up the steps of his promises that his mother was a nice lady and would not shout at me. He assured me that she was mostly disappointed with him for treating women badly, which actually made me feel a little bit better for some reason. But anyway.
Frank didn’t bother to knock. He just looked at me and winked and squeezed my hand and strolled into the house. It smelt sweet and familiar like cakes. Soon after I realised that it was vanilla and I gave a smile and allowed him to lead me through the hallways.
“Ma!” he called. “We’re here!”
“I’m in the kitchen!” she called back. Her voice sounded exactly like I thought it would and we followed it.
I entered the kitchen to see a slim, middle-aged woman standing over the oven, stirring a pot of what looked like soup and smelt like heaven. She looked up at Frank and gave a long-suffering smile before turning her focus to me and giving me a beam that took me by surprise. She looked so much like him when she smiled that it took me back a little bit. But it was lovely. It was a lovely, genuine, familiar smile.
“You must be Daisy,” she said softly, wiping her hands on the front of her blouse as she stepped towards me. Frank let go of my hand as she embraced me in a small hug that made me feel very uncomfortable but also very welcome and relieved. “It’s lovely to meet you,” she said as we parted after not too long.
I gave her the widest smile ever and said, “It’s lovely to meet you, too.” I’d have said her name but nobody had told me what it was and I didn’t even know if she was an Iero because Frank said his parents were divorced and I didn’t want to embarrass her or Frank or myself.
“Call me Linda,” she said, apparently reading my mind. Must run in the family. “Frank didn’t give me much notice that you’d be coming today but I’ve managed to whip up a quick vegetable soup if that’s okay with you? If you don’t like soup I’ll find something else so not to worry.”
“Soup sounds wonderful,” I smiled. “And it smells amazing, too. I’m starving.”
Linda gave a little laugh and nodded. “Good, because it’s just about ready. Take a seat at the table, sweetie, and I’ll bring it over in just a second.” She gestured towards the kitchen table, with the sun leaking in through the patio doors adjacent to it making it look ethereal and oh-so-inviting.
I thanked her and Frank and I took a seat.
“I told you you’d be fine,” he whispered, smiling as he picked up a bread roll from the basket in the centre of the table. He then picked one for me and placed it on my plate. It was still warm from the oven and I nearly had a spasm at how good it smelt.
The soup that Linda had apparently whipped up with very little notice was probably the best I had ever tasted and I made sure I told her so as I chowed down. I finished before Frank even though I’d helped myself to an extra bread roll. I’m so hungry these days.
“Eating for two,” I grinned as the Ieros marvelled at my speed and capacity.
They both laughed and it scared me how similar they looked but I was just happy that Linda didn’t seem to resent me so I laughed as well and to anybody staring in through the window it would have looked like a perfectly normal situation despite the less than normal circumstances but there you go.
“So this is my momma’s house,” he announced quite unnecessarily as we stood hand-in-hand at the bottom of the steps.
I felt very strange standing outside Frank’s mother’s house, although having him holding my hand did help. It was surreal to look at the house he grew up in, the house he learnt to talk and walk in. The house he had his first Christmas in. The house he used to sneak out of while his mother thought he was in bed. The house he learnt to play guitar in. The house he brought his first girlfriend and god knows how many others to meet his mother.
I took a few deep breaths and Frank reminded me as we walked up the steps of his promises that his mother was a nice lady and would not shout at me. He assured me that she was mostly disappointed with him for treating women badly, which actually made me feel a little bit better for some reason. But anyway.
Frank didn’t bother to knock. He just looked at me and winked and squeezed my hand and strolled into the house. It smelt sweet and familiar like cakes. Soon after I realised that it was vanilla and I gave a smile and allowed him to lead me through the hallways.
“Ma!” he called. “We’re here!”
“I’m in the kitchen!” she called back. Her voice sounded exactly like I thought it would and we followed it.
I entered the kitchen to see a slim, middle-aged woman standing over the oven, stirring a pot of what looked like soup and smelt like heaven. She looked up at Frank and gave a long-suffering smile before turning her focus to me and giving me a beam that took me by surprise. She looked so much like him when she smiled that it took me back a little bit. But it was lovely. It was a lovely, genuine, familiar smile.
“You must be Daisy,” she said softly, wiping her hands on the front of her blouse as she stepped towards me. Frank let go of my hand as she embraced me in a small hug that made me feel very uncomfortable but also very welcome and relieved. “It’s lovely to meet you,” she said as we parted after not too long.
I gave her the widest smile ever and said, “It’s lovely to meet you, too.” I’d have said her name but nobody had told me what it was and I didn’t even know if she was an Iero because Frank said his parents were divorced and I didn’t want to embarrass her or Frank or myself.
“Call me Linda,” she said, apparently reading my mind. Must run in the family. “Frank didn’t give me much notice that you’d be coming today but I’ve managed to whip up a quick vegetable soup if that’s okay with you? If you don’t like soup I’ll find something else so not to worry.”
“Soup sounds wonderful,” I smiled. “And it smells amazing, too. I’m starving.”
Linda gave a little laugh and nodded. “Good, because it’s just about ready. Take a seat at the table, sweetie, and I’ll bring it over in just a second.” She gestured towards the kitchen table, with the sun leaking in through the patio doors adjacent to it making it look ethereal and oh-so-inviting.
I thanked her and Frank and I took a seat.
“I told you you’d be fine,” he whispered, smiling as he picked up a bread roll from the basket in the centre of the table. He then picked one for me and placed it on my plate. It was still warm from the oven and I nearly had a spasm at how good it smelt.
The soup that Linda had apparently whipped up with very little notice was probably the best I had ever tasted and I made sure I told her so as I chowed down. I finished before Frank even though I’d helped myself to an extra bread roll. I’m so hungry these days.
“Eating for two,” I grinned as the Ieros marvelled at my speed and capacity.
They both laughed and it scared me how similar they looked but I was just happy that Linda didn’t seem to resent me so I laughed as well and to anybody staring in through the window it would have looked like a perfectly normal situation despite the less than normal circumstances but there you go.