Salvation
Chapter 14
Frank's POV
God I hated myself for falling in love with him. It was barely even rational; I hardly knew him. If anything that made it even worse; if I was falling for him this quickly, did that mean he was the one? I sure as hell hoped not.
I knew he regretted what he said to me, and that was exactly why I had been ignoring him for four days. He was starting to get really upset that I wasn’t talking to him. But I was teaching him a lesson, and it wasn’t like he’d apologized properly.
So now it was Saturday and I weighed five pounds less than I had when I first knocked on his brother’s door. Mikey answered this time with a bright smile that made me feel welcomed and loved, even though this man had only met me once.
“Frank! Come on in!” I followed him through to the kitchen where he sat me down at the table with a coffee and a shit load of biscuits and I watched him with a smile as he bustled around the kitchen before he finally settled down opposite me, sipping his own coffee. He seemed like such a contradiction to his brother; kind, accepting and free.
“Thank you for this Mikey.” I told him solemnly as he munched at a biscuit.
“It’s fine, though if I tell you what you want to know, will you tell me why? I’m really intrigued.”
“It’s only fair. So are you older or younger than Gerard, I’m guessing younger but…”
“You’re right, I’m younger by three years.”
“So when did Gerard become all religious? Or has he always been like that?”
“No, that all happen when he was about fifteen. He used to be the coolest brother. He listened to amazing music like The Misfits and Iron Maiden and Morrissey and he used to love comics and drawing and vampires and horror movies and just…he used to be my best friend.”
“The Misfits, comics, horror movies? We are talking about the same Gerard, right?”
“Yep.”
“So what happened? How did he turn into the anal, religious nut he is today, no offence or anything, since he’s your brother.”
“None taken, I know exactly what you mean. You know, to this day I still don’t know what happened. Something happened to my mother or to Gerard and all of a sudden we’re not allowed to listen to our music anymore or watch horror movies and Gerard can’t draw his creepy pictures anymore. We’re being dragged off to confession every Saturday and Mass every Sunday.”
“So how come Gerard ended up like he did and yet you still seemed to be a well balanced individual?”
“That’s what you think,” he laughed, “I don’t really know that either. That’s why I think it was something that happen to Gerard that triggered my mother’s sudden obsession with religion. He just got sucked in and brainwashed. I was always sceptical and I definitely didn’t agree with some of the things we were told to believe in, but I knew to keep my mouth shut and I was always kinda shy and awkward anyway. Gerard drove away what few friends he had when he changed, but they stuck by me and looked after me when my mother kicked me out for finally speaking up when I turned sixteen.”
“Wait, they kicked you out of the house for arguing against the religion you’d been given?!”
“I haven’t spoken to Gerard or my mother since.”
“Do you miss him?”
“I miss the Gerard I used to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre with and who used to draw me little comics to cheer me up.”
“You wanted to know why I wanted to know about Gerard,” I said quietly, he nodded. “I’m living with him, I’m trying to bring him back to that pre-brainwashed person but…I’ve kinda of fallen in love with him.” I confessed. Mikey watched me for a minute, he seemed calm considering the bombshell I’d just dropped on him.
“Good,” was the only thing he said, with a smile.
“Care to elaborate?”
“I might not talk to him, but he’s my big brother, I keep an eye on him. This isn’t him, it’s not Gerard, it’s a lie. You can bring my brother back. Frank, when I was a kid I hardly talked, except to Gerard and his friends really, I learnt to watch people and understand them and that’s still something I can do today, and I understand that you have a good heart and that you’ll look after my brother and be good for him.”
“If he’ll let me.”
“You just have to find that Gerard that I knew.”
“Thank you Mikey.”
“It’s my pleasure Frank, hey do you want to come round on Thursday? There are some people I want you to meet.”
“Really? Yeah, I’d love to! Does this make us friends?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“Guess it’s just been a long time since someone’s genuinely liked me for being me.”
“Well I like you Frank.”
“Thanks, hey I should head back. Thanks for talking to me and everything Mikey.”
“I’ll see you on Thursday, around 7ish.”
...
“Gerard? You in?” I called into the dark apartment as I closed the door behind me and hung up my coat.
“Frank? I’m in here!” His voice called from his bedroom. I gulped and went to see him.
God I hated myself for falling in love with him. It was barely even rational; I hardly knew him. If anything that made it even worse; if I was falling for him this quickly, did that mean he was the one? I sure as hell hoped not.
I knew he regretted what he said to me, and that was exactly why I had been ignoring him for four days. He was starting to get really upset that I wasn’t talking to him. But I was teaching him a lesson, and it wasn’t like he’d apologized properly.
So now it was Saturday and I weighed five pounds less than I had when I first knocked on his brother’s door. Mikey answered this time with a bright smile that made me feel welcomed and loved, even though this man had only met me once.
“Frank! Come on in!” I followed him through to the kitchen where he sat me down at the table with a coffee and a shit load of biscuits and I watched him with a smile as he bustled around the kitchen before he finally settled down opposite me, sipping his own coffee. He seemed like such a contradiction to his brother; kind, accepting and free.
“Thank you for this Mikey.” I told him solemnly as he munched at a biscuit.
“It’s fine, though if I tell you what you want to know, will you tell me why? I’m really intrigued.”
“It’s only fair. So are you older or younger than Gerard, I’m guessing younger but…”
“You’re right, I’m younger by three years.”
“So when did Gerard become all religious? Or has he always been like that?”
“No, that all happen when he was about fifteen. He used to be the coolest brother. He listened to amazing music like The Misfits and Iron Maiden and Morrissey and he used to love comics and drawing and vampires and horror movies and just…he used to be my best friend.”
“The Misfits, comics, horror movies? We are talking about the same Gerard, right?”
“Yep.”
“So what happened? How did he turn into the anal, religious nut he is today, no offence or anything, since he’s your brother.”
“None taken, I know exactly what you mean. You know, to this day I still don’t know what happened. Something happened to my mother or to Gerard and all of a sudden we’re not allowed to listen to our music anymore or watch horror movies and Gerard can’t draw his creepy pictures anymore. We’re being dragged off to confession every Saturday and Mass every Sunday.”
“So how come Gerard ended up like he did and yet you still seemed to be a well balanced individual?”
“That’s what you think,” he laughed, “I don’t really know that either. That’s why I think it was something that happen to Gerard that triggered my mother’s sudden obsession with religion. He just got sucked in and brainwashed. I was always sceptical and I definitely didn’t agree with some of the things we were told to believe in, but I knew to keep my mouth shut and I was always kinda shy and awkward anyway. Gerard drove away what few friends he had when he changed, but they stuck by me and looked after me when my mother kicked me out for finally speaking up when I turned sixteen.”
“Wait, they kicked you out of the house for arguing against the religion you’d been given?!”
“I haven’t spoken to Gerard or my mother since.”
“Do you miss him?”
“I miss the Gerard I used to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre with and who used to draw me little comics to cheer me up.”
“You wanted to know why I wanted to know about Gerard,” I said quietly, he nodded. “I’m living with him, I’m trying to bring him back to that pre-brainwashed person but…I’ve kinda of fallen in love with him.” I confessed. Mikey watched me for a minute, he seemed calm considering the bombshell I’d just dropped on him.
“Good,” was the only thing he said, with a smile.
“Care to elaborate?”
“I might not talk to him, but he’s my big brother, I keep an eye on him. This isn’t him, it’s not Gerard, it’s a lie. You can bring my brother back. Frank, when I was a kid I hardly talked, except to Gerard and his friends really, I learnt to watch people and understand them and that’s still something I can do today, and I understand that you have a good heart and that you’ll look after my brother and be good for him.”
“If he’ll let me.”
“You just have to find that Gerard that I knew.”
“Thank you Mikey.”
“It’s my pleasure Frank, hey do you want to come round on Thursday? There are some people I want you to meet.”
“Really? Yeah, I’d love to! Does this make us friends?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“Guess it’s just been a long time since someone’s genuinely liked me for being me.”
“Well I like you Frank.”
“Thanks, hey I should head back. Thanks for talking to me and everything Mikey.”
“I’ll see you on Thursday, around 7ish.”
...
“Gerard? You in?” I called into the dark apartment as I closed the door behind me and hung up my coat.
“Frank? I’m in here!” His voice called from his bedroom. I gulped and went to see him.