You Give Love a Bad Name
Frodo
"Mooooom," Mikey whined as our mother desperately tried to smooth out his unruly hair. "You're making it worse!"
"Oh, be quiet, Mikey," Mom grumbled, tugging at his cowlick with a wet comb. "Good thing I saw you before everyone else got here. Didn't you brush your hair like I asked you to?"
"I did," Mikey replied, squinting a bit through his glasses. "I'm just having a really bad hair day. OW! Moooooom!"
"Okay, fine, fine," with a final pull, Mom stepped her away, admiring her work. "Go and see if Lena needs help setting the table."
"Did the big, bad Comb Monster get wittle Mikey?" I teased as soon as Mom was out of earshot. "Awww, poor baby!"
He just shot me a dark look and started to help me unload the best china that we had from the old, oak cabinet.
Ever since he locked me and Frank in the Guitar Planet's closet exactly one week ago, Mikey owed me one. And he knew it too. For the past seven days he took my snide jokes and remarks without a word, knowing that he well deserved it. I knew that this 'new' Mikey wouldn't last for long, but I enjoyed the temporary meekness never less.
For the past couple of days, since Belleville High School was out for the week - compliments of Thanksgiving, the whole Way clan, a.k.a. me, Mom, Mikey, and Gerard, have been in a full cleaning mode - getting the place ready for the Rush reunion that was being held in our house on the 24th. The whole side of my mom's family was coming, including her two younger and older brothers and their families, all the way from Nevada and Arizona.
Since I had been so busy with housework, I barely had any time to see my friends. The only time we hanged out was when I lured them into helping me with the cleaning, and as you can imagine, that's not exactly what an average person calls extreme fun. Needless to say that nobody was really keen on spending time in the Way household lately.
"Where is Gerard?" Mikey asked me, placing the dishes around the table with care.
"He was in his room the last time I saw him," I shrugged, walking behind Mikey and placing cutlery on the placemats. "Trying to tie his tie. It was pretty funny actually. His tongue was sticking out and all."
Mikey laughed and his right hand reached to touch his own navy tie subconsciously. "Still? He was doing the same thing when I came out of the shower thirty minutes ago."
"Well, you know Gerard," I put the last fork down and lifted up my hands to stretch. "He probably got distracted by a shiny coin under his bed or something."
Before I could say anything else, the sound of the doorbell carried through the house, signaling that our special guest finally arrived.
A huge smile spread itself on our faces as Mikey and I dashed towards the front door, practically tripping each other to be the one to open it. I was almost at my destination when somebody pushed me out of the way, causing me to almost loose my footing.
"GRANDMA!"
"Gerard, you fuck," I hissed to myself, adjusting my navy dress and looking up to see my oldest brother hugging my mildly amused grandmother at the doorstep.
"Hello, handsome," Grandma smiled warmly, her eyes scanning over the three of us. "Don't you look all nice and grown up today."
"Grandma!" Mikey and I pushed Gerard away so we could hug Grandma simultaneously.
"I missed you," I mumbled, hugging her tighter, even though I saw her two weeks ago.
Mikey made sure that Grandma couldn't see his face before shooting me a taunting look. "I missed you more!"
"I love you more," Gerard's smug voice sounded in the background.
"Okay, okay, break it up you three," my Mom laughed, looking at the ensemble before her, standing in the doorframe of the living room. "Did you get here okay, Mom?"
"Oh, Donna, I live only twenty minutes away," Grandma said, walking over to Mom so she could give her a hug. "Don't fuss. Now, when did Roger say they were going to be here?"
Roger was my mom's youngest brother who lived in Arizona. He landed on his native, New Jersey soil with his wife Carol and his two small children last night, so today we were celebrating their arrival.
Mom looked at her watch. "He said around six, so they should be here any minute now."
As soon as she finished her sentence, the doorbell rang again, 'causing our heads to turn towards the sound.
"I'll get it," Gerard offered, seeing as he was the closest to the door.
As soon as the door was opened, my two little cousins, Emily and Jason, ran in, locating our grandmother and clinging to her like some sort of gigantic lint, followed my Uncle Roger and Auntie Carol, their faces flushed from the cold.
Mom and Grandma rushed to hug the couple. "Roger! Carol! It's been ages!"
The next thirty or so minutes was spent sharing hugs, kisses, and in the cases of Gerard, Mikey, Emily, and Jason, piggy back rides.
When we finally sat down to eat, Mikey's glasses were askew, Gerard's tie was crooked, and our two cousins were jumping up and down in their seats with excitement.
"How was the flight?" Mom asked, scooping mashed potatoes into everyone’s plates.
"It was pretty good," Auntie Carol replied, smiling at Mom and looking at her two children with warning in her eyes, causing them to calm down. "There was a bit turbulence, but it was okay."
"They gave us peanuts," Emily clapped her hands with excitement like the eager, five-year-old that she was.
"And we watched Terminator!" Jason, who was seven, added. "I want to be just like him when I grow up!"
"Awesome," Gerard, who was sitting across the table from Jason, leaned in and winked. "We'll go gun shopping together."
Mom looked appalled. "Gerard!"
"I meant water guns," he added quickly, leaning back in his seat. "Real guns are bad. Right, Jason?"
"No!" Jason almost jumped in his chair again. "Guns are cool!"
"Guns are not cool," Uncle Roger said sternly, shooting Jason an annoyed look. "But you know what's cool? Hiking. Right kids? Isn't hiking cooler than guns, Mikey?"
To the right of me, Mikey nodded. "Defiantly."
"See?" Grandma said in her quiet but nerveless strong voice. "Big kids like hiking more than guns, Jason. Don't you want to be a big kid?"
"Yep, us big kids sure do like our nature," I confirmed, shooting Mikey a smile. "Gerard likes to explore public parks with his trusty hiking staff."
For some reason an image of Gerard dressed as Frodo from Lord of the Rings flashed through my head. I fought hard to suppress my giggles as Grandma asked Uncle Roger to say Grace.
"Oh, be quiet, Mikey," Mom grumbled, tugging at his cowlick with a wet comb. "Good thing I saw you before everyone else got here. Didn't you brush your hair like I asked you to?"
"I did," Mikey replied, squinting a bit through his glasses. "I'm just having a really bad hair day. OW! Moooooom!"
"Okay, fine, fine," with a final pull, Mom stepped her away, admiring her work. "Go and see if Lena needs help setting the table."
"Did the big, bad Comb Monster get wittle Mikey?" I teased as soon as Mom was out of earshot. "Awww, poor baby!"
He just shot me a dark look and started to help me unload the best china that we had from the old, oak cabinet.
Ever since he locked me and Frank in the Guitar Planet's closet exactly one week ago, Mikey owed me one. And he knew it too. For the past seven days he took my snide jokes and remarks without a word, knowing that he well deserved it. I knew that this 'new' Mikey wouldn't last for long, but I enjoyed the temporary meekness never less.
For the past couple of days, since Belleville High School was out for the week - compliments of Thanksgiving, the whole Way clan, a.k.a. me, Mom, Mikey, and Gerard, have been in a full cleaning mode - getting the place ready for the Rush reunion that was being held in our house on the 24th. The whole side of my mom's family was coming, including her two younger and older brothers and their families, all the way from Nevada and Arizona.
Since I had been so busy with housework, I barely had any time to see my friends. The only time we hanged out was when I lured them into helping me with the cleaning, and as you can imagine, that's not exactly what an average person calls extreme fun. Needless to say that nobody was really keen on spending time in the Way household lately.
"Where is Gerard?" Mikey asked me, placing the dishes around the table with care.
"He was in his room the last time I saw him," I shrugged, walking behind Mikey and placing cutlery on the placemats. "Trying to tie his tie. It was pretty funny actually. His tongue was sticking out and all."
Mikey laughed and his right hand reached to touch his own navy tie subconsciously. "Still? He was doing the same thing when I came out of the shower thirty minutes ago."
"Well, you know Gerard," I put the last fork down and lifted up my hands to stretch. "He probably got distracted by a shiny coin under his bed or something."
Before I could say anything else, the sound of the doorbell carried through the house, signaling that our special guest finally arrived.
A huge smile spread itself on our faces as Mikey and I dashed towards the front door, practically tripping each other to be the one to open it. I was almost at my destination when somebody pushed me out of the way, causing me to almost loose my footing.
"GRANDMA!"
"Gerard, you fuck," I hissed to myself, adjusting my navy dress and looking up to see my oldest brother hugging my mildly amused grandmother at the doorstep.
"Hello, handsome," Grandma smiled warmly, her eyes scanning over the three of us. "Don't you look all nice and grown up today."
"Grandma!" Mikey and I pushed Gerard away so we could hug Grandma simultaneously.
"I missed you," I mumbled, hugging her tighter, even though I saw her two weeks ago.
Mikey made sure that Grandma couldn't see his face before shooting me a taunting look. "I missed you more!"
"I love you more," Gerard's smug voice sounded in the background.
"Okay, okay, break it up you three," my Mom laughed, looking at the ensemble before her, standing in the doorframe of the living room. "Did you get here okay, Mom?"
"Oh, Donna, I live only twenty minutes away," Grandma said, walking over to Mom so she could give her a hug. "Don't fuss. Now, when did Roger say they were going to be here?"
Roger was my mom's youngest brother who lived in Arizona. He landed on his native, New Jersey soil with his wife Carol and his two small children last night, so today we were celebrating their arrival.
Mom looked at her watch. "He said around six, so they should be here any minute now."
As soon as she finished her sentence, the doorbell rang again, 'causing our heads to turn towards the sound.
"I'll get it," Gerard offered, seeing as he was the closest to the door.
As soon as the door was opened, my two little cousins, Emily and Jason, ran in, locating our grandmother and clinging to her like some sort of gigantic lint, followed my Uncle Roger and Auntie Carol, their faces flushed from the cold.
Mom and Grandma rushed to hug the couple. "Roger! Carol! It's been ages!"
The next thirty or so minutes was spent sharing hugs, kisses, and in the cases of Gerard, Mikey, Emily, and Jason, piggy back rides.
When we finally sat down to eat, Mikey's glasses were askew, Gerard's tie was crooked, and our two cousins were jumping up and down in their seats with excitement.
"How was the flight?" Mom asked, scooping mashed potatoes into everyone’s plates.
"It was pretty good," Auntie Carol replied, smiling at Mom and looking at her two children with warning in her eyes, causing them to calm down. "There was a bit turbulence, but it was okay."
"They gave us peanuts," Emily clapped her hands with excitement like the eager, five-year-old that she was.
"And we watched Terminator!" Jason, who was seven, added. "I want to be just like him when I grow up!"
"Awesome," Gerard, who was sitting across the table from Jason, leaned in and winked. "We'll go gun shopping together."
Mom looked appalled. "Gerard!"
"I meant water guns," he added quickly, leaning back in his seat. "Real guns are bad. Right, Jason?"
"No!" Jason almost jumped in his chair again. "Guns are cool!"
"Guns are not cool," Uncle Roger said sternly, shooting Jason an annoyed look. "But you know what's cool? Hiking. Right kids? Isn't hiking cooler than guns, Mikey?"
To the right of me, Mikey nodded. "Defiantly."
"See?" Grandma said in her quiet but nerveless strong voice. "Big kids like hiking more than guns, Jason. Don't you want to be a big kid?"
"Yep, us big kids sure do like our nature," I confirmed, shooting Mikey a smile. "Gerard likes to explore public parks with his trusty hiking staff."
For some reason an image of Gerard dressed as Frodo from Lord of the Rings flashed through my head. I fought hard to suppress my giggles as Grandma asked Uncle Roger to say Grace.