Salvation
Chapter 16
I knew exactly how I was going to get Frank back for what he had done. Before I had accepted religion it was something at which the thought alone would strike fear into my heart. And if Frank was going to suck me off against my will and flirt with my prayer group, even the females, then I was going to subject him to one of my mother’s lectures.
I had once again found myself sneaking into Frank’s room after my prayer group had finished socialising and left to curl in next to him and sleep by him again, creeping out to go to Church before he could wake.
I also quickly went through his bag early Sunday morning to find any letters of information from the hospital because all I could see was Frank getting thinner and thinner and he wasn’t telling me anything about what was happening with his cancer and I was scared.
Frank still wasn’t up and about by the time I returned much later with my mother, who was thrilled that I had invited her around for Sunday dinner with myself and my new room mate.
I had to explain to her a little bit about Frank before she came into the house to meet him. I lied about the circumstances under which we had met and which he was staying with me. I didn’t mention that he was gay or any of the conversations we’d had and obviously not the things we had done together.
I did, however, rile her up enough with small pieces of information about Frank that if Frank applied the right pressure to my mother, which I knew he would because I was starting to really know and understand Frank, then she would give him one of her infamously long lectures and he would be stuck with her for hours.
He was groggy when I came in to wake him up and I shook away the thought that all I wanted to do was kiss him. I didn’t want to kiss him; that was the devil planting evil thoughts into my mind to try and tempt me.
I didn’t mention to Frank that my mother was there in the hopes that his surprise would bring out more of his smart-ass personality that would be likely to find all my mother’s pressure points that would send her into a lecture. I then excused myself from Frank’s presence in his bedroom and my mother’s in the living room. I told my mother that my roommate would be out in just a minute to keep her company as I wanted to shower since I ‘hadn’t had time to wash my hair that morning and I hated feeling dirty’. My mother excused me I went upstairs to the bathroom.
I took my time in the shower, relishing what I knew Frank would be experience right that second as I lathered shampoo in my hair and let it rinse down the drain. Then I slowly dried my hair, and myself, dressing in smart, dark jeans and a loose white shirt. Then I crept down the stairs after half an hour or so in the shower and getting ready, expecting to find Frank at his wits’ end.
Instead, as I rounded the bottom of the stairs, they were both sat on the sofa with grins on their faces and my mother’s cackling laughter filling the room. I looked at him dumbfounded, complete baffled at how he hadn’t invoked my mother’s wrath.
“Oh Gerard, close your mouth! You look like a fish when you do that boy. And tell why on earth it’s taken you this long to introduce me to this charming young man here!” Of course, that was it; I had underestimated Frank’s ability to charm anyone or anything.
“I’m glad you’re getting along,” I said, the monotone unintentional but simply a symptom of the crushing disappointment I felt. “I must go and start dinner.” I made my way to the kitchen, furious that Frank had foiled my best plan. A minute later I heard quiet footsteps join me.
“I excused myself for a minute.” Frank told me quietly. I didn’t turn to face him yet, focusing instead on peeling potatoes.
“Why?”
“You seemed off, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine,” I snapped inadvertently. Then I turned around and strode over to him, gripping his face between my hands and bringing my face close, so our lips were only inches apart.
“Stop doing this to me.” I seethed. He looked at me, confused.
“I’m not doing anything to you Gerard.”
“You are.”
“Gerard, I can’t stop if you don’t tell me what I’m doing.” I didn’t tell him. Instead I showed him, pressing my lips to his as he circled his arms around my waist. It was an angry and dangerous kiss considering my mother was just a wall away. When we pulled away Frank looked at his feet.
“Oh right,” He said quietly, “that. Well, I hate to break it to you sweet-cheeks but I’m not actually doing anything. It’s all you. I’m going to go and keep your mother company, have fun mulling that over.” And he left, a smile tugging on the edges of his lips.
Dinner was quiet; the only chatter was between Frank and my mother as I continued to do exactly what he had predicted I would by thinking not just about what he had said, but about the kiss and every conversation we had ever had and everything we had done together. My mother eventually and inevitably interrupted my thought process.
“Gerard, why doesn’t poor Frank here have any dinner? Why didn’t you make him any?”
“It’s fine, don’t worry, it’s not his fault; I can’t eat that much at the moment.” Frank defended me.
“Why not dear? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just getting over a little illness, nothing to worry about.” I could hear the lies in his tone of voice but luckily my mother didn’t, so she decided to find another concern she had about me to raise,
“Gerard, why haven’t you told me about your girlfriend yet?” I choked on the mouthful of water I had just drunk and Frank patted me on the back, using his other hand to hide his smile. I scowled at him and waited for me to finish coughing before answering my mother.
“Firstly, she’s not my girlfriend yet; we’ve only been on one date and secondly, how did you hear about that?”
“Abigail’s Auntie Jackie told me, Gerard, when are you going
to call that poor girl back and ask her on a second date?”
“Err…I wasn’t going to.”
“Why not?!”
“I didn’t like her enough, she’s nice and everything but I can’t see myself being with her.” And I could with Frank. No, no, no, bad thoughts, I couldn’t think like that.
“Gerard, you will be thirty in a year’s time and I want good little Christian grandchildren before I die. Abigail will be good for you, I’m not asking you, I am telling you to ask her to be your girlfriend.” I shot a desperate look at Frank who smiled at me sadly.
“Mother –“ I began to plead, my eyes not leaving Frank’s.
“No arguments boy, you’re to go and do it right now this instant.” Underneath the table, where my mother’s hawk eyes couldn’t see it, Frank squeezed my hand supportively.
I had once again found myself sneaking into Frank’s room after my prayer group had finished socialising and left to curl in next to him and sleep by him again, creeping out to go to Church before he could wake.
I also quickly went through his bag early Sunday morning to find any letters of information from the hospital because all I could see was Frank getting thinner and thinner and he wasn’t telling me anything about what was happening with his cancer and I was scared.
Frank still wasn’t up and about by the time I returned much later with my mother, who was thrilled that I had invited her around for Sunday dinner with myself and my new room mate.
I had to explain to her a little bit about Frank before she came into the house to meet him. I lied about the circumstances under which we had met and which he was staying with me. I didn’t mention that he was gay or any of the conversations we’d had and obviously not the things we had done together.
I did, however, rile her up enough with small pieces of information about Frank that if Frank applied the right pressure to my mother, which I knew he would because I was starting to really know and understand Frank, then she would give him one of her infamously long lectures and he would be stuck with her for hours.
He was groggy when I came in to wake him up and I shook away the thought that all I wanted to do was kiss him. I didn’t want to kiss him; that was the devil planting evil thoughts into my mind to try and tempt me.
I didn’t mention to Frank that my mother was there in the hopes that his surprise would bring out more of his smart-ass personality that would be likely to find all my mother’s pressure points that would send her into a lecture. I then excused myself from Frank’s presence in his bedroom and my mother’s in the living room. I told my mother that my roommate would be out in just a minute to keep her company as I wanted to shower since I ‘hadn’t had time to wash my hair that morning and I hated feeling dirty’. My mother excused me I went upstairs to the bathroom.
I took my time in the shower, relishing what I knew Frank would be experience right that second as I lathered shampoo in my hair and let it rinse down the drain. Then I slowly dried my hair, and myself, dressing in smart, dark jeans and a loose white shirt. Then I crept down the stairs after half an hour or so in the shower and getting ready, expecting to find Frank at his wits’ end.
Instead, as I rounded the bottom of the stairs, they were both sat on the sofa with grins on their faces and my mother’s cackling laughter filling the room. I looked at him dumbfounded, complete baffled at how he hadn’t invoked my mother’s wrath.
“Oh Gerard, close your mouth! You look like a fish when you do that boy. And tell why on earth it’s taken you this long to introduce me to this charming young man here!” Of course, that was it; I had underestimated Frank’s ability to charm anyone or anything.
“I’m glad you’re getting along,” I said, the monotone unintentional but simply a symptom of the crushing disappointment I felt. “I must go and start dinner.” I made my way to the kitchen, furious that Frank had foiled my best plan. A minute later I heard quiet footsteps join me.
“I excused myself for a minute.” Frank told me quietly. I didn’t turn to face him yet, focusing instead on peeling potatoes.
“Why?”
“You seemed off, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine,” I snapped inadvertently. Then I turned around and strode over to him, gripping his face between my hands and bringing my face close, so our lips were only inches apart.
“Stop doing this to me.” I seethed. He looked at me, confused.
“I’m not doing anything to you Gerard.”
“You are.”
“Gerard, I can’t stop if you don’t tell me what I’m doing.” I didn’t tell him. Instead I showed him, pressing my lips to his as he circled his arms around my waist. It was an angry and dangerous kiss considering my mother was just a wall away. When we pulled away Frank looked at his feet.
“Oh right,” He said quietly, “that. Well, I hate to break it to you sweet-cheeks but I’m not actually doing anything. It’s all you. I’m going to go and keep your mother company, have fun mulling that over.” And he left, a smile tugging on the edges of his lips.
Dinner was quiet; the only chatter was between Frank and my mother as I continued to do exactly what he had predicted I would by thinking not just about what he had said, but about the kiss and every conversation we had ever had and everything we had done together. My mother eventually and inevitably interrupted my thought process.
“Gerard, why doesn’t poor Frank here have any dinner? Why didn’t you make him any?”
“It’s fine, don’t worry, it’s not his fault; I can’t eat that much at the moment.” Frank defended me.
“Why not dear? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just getting over a little illness, nothing to worry about.” I could hear the lies in his tone of voice but luckily my mother didn’t, so she decided to find another concern she had about me to raise,
“Gerard, why haven’t you told me about your girlfriend yet?” I choked on the mouthful of water I had just drunk and Frank patted me on the back, using his other hand to hide his smile. I scowled at him and waited for me to finish coughing before answering my mother.
“Firstly, she’s not my girlfriend yet; we’ve only been on one date and secondly, how did you hear about that?”
“Abigail’s Auntie Jackie told me, Gerard, when are you going
to call that poor girl back and ask her on a second date?”
“Err…I wasn’t going to.”
“Why not?!”
“I didn’t like her enough, she’s nice and everything but I can’t see myself being with her.” And I could with Frank. No, no, no, bad thoughts, I couldn’t think like that.
“Gerard, you will be thirty in a year’s time and I want good little Christian grandchildren before I die. Abigail will be good for you, I’m not asking you, I am telling you to ask her to be your girlfriend.” I shot a desperate look at Frank who smiled at me sadly.
“Mother –“ I began to plead, my eyes not leaving Frank’s.
“No arguments boy, you’re to go and do it right now this instant.” Underneath the table, where my mother’s hawk eyes couldn’t see it, Frank squeezed my hand supportively.