Ghosts in Snow

Lisbet and Edvard Lund were never on time. I was supposed to be in Belleville at Gerard's mom’s house for dinner and I was thirty minutes late. It had been two week since I met Gerard's friends, who loved me apparently, and Gerard thought that we were destined to stay together so he wanted me to meet the rest of his family. I was dressed in a nice yellow top and loose clean jeans, trying to emulate the appearance of confidence and happiness. When Gerard invited me to dinner with his family after last Community, he told me that his grandmother, Elena, was going to be there. That made me more nervous. When we talked about his family after Community in the cafe we first talked in, he couldn’t stop smiling when he talked about Elena. She taught him how to sing and showed him just how special he is.

“Okay, honey! We’re here.” My mom turned in her seat to face me. “Enjoy yourself, baby bird, sorry you’re late. I hope they don’t mind, too much.”

I smiled at my mom. She tried really hard to make things better for me and I loved her for that. “I will mom. I love you.”

“I love you, too. I’ll pick you up at 10?” I nodded and grabbed my sweater from the back seat, pulling it over my head to hide my arms and chest and stepped out. I walked up to the house, hearing my mom drive away. I reached around my head and took out my ponytail and re did it, making it a bit neater before knocking.

It was Mikey who pulled open the door. He smiled at me and said hi, telling me to follow him. I did as he told me, passing by the living room and down a dark corridor but it was light enough I could see the pictures hanging on the wall. They were mostly pictures of Gerard and Mikey as children, smiling or posing in suits or Halloween costumes. I smiled as we passed by them, the boys getting older as we walked down.

“Gee, look who’s here.” In the kitchen, Gerard was placing plates on the dining table, a cigarette dangling off the side of his mouth. He looked up, a smile spreading on his face.

“Hey, lil Bird.” He finished with the plates, walking over to me and engulfing me into a hug. I wrapped my tiny arms around his torso, feeling the warmth of his body and I let the scent of Irish Spring soap and cigarettes flood my senses. He pulled back, using one hand to grab his cigarette from out of his mouth before he kissed the side of my mouth. “Ma, Birdie is here.”

A short blonde woman come shuffling from a different hallway and when she saw me she yelled happily, throwing her hands in the air.

“So glad to meet you, sweetheart! I’ve heard so much about you from Gerard!” She pulled me away from Gerard, hugging me herself. She smelled like fresh flowers. “My god, love, you’re so small! No wonder you’re named Birdie. Let’s get you some real Italian food in you, yea?” She lead me to the table, calling for Mikey, a man named Don and Elena.

I was seated next to Gerard with Mikey across from me, Donna at the head of the table to my far right, Don, Gerard and Mikey’s father, sat across from Gerard and Elena sat at the other head right next to me. I tried to get Donna to let me help her serve us the food, but she wasn’t having it, making Gerard laugh.

“You never argue with an Italian woman with a knife in her hand, Bird.” He teased me. There were two different dishes of lasagna, because according to Donna, Gerard had told her I didn’t eat meat.

“So Birdie, tell me about yourself. Where is your family from? How old are you? You have such beautiful skin.” Donna asked.

I smiled thanking her verbally for the compliment and mentally for giving me an excuse for not eating, “Both of my parents are from Norway. I’m 17, but I graduated from high school a few months ago.”

Donna looked at me and then at Gerard and back to me. “17? Well, that’s not too bad, but I suppose age isn’t a real factor if you make Gerard as happy as he is right now.”

“Of course it isn’t, Donna!” Elena’s voice was small and sweet, the thickness of her Italian accent was heavy and made it more interesting to hear her talk. “Gerard is happy that is all that matters. They could tell us they are getting married tomorrow and it wouldn’t matter. My darling, you make Gerard very happy, I hope you stay with him forever.” Elena reached and grasped my hand, smiling at me.

The rest of the dinner was pleasant, Elena and Donna talked to me about my parents and how one day I would like to be an author. After dinner, I attempted to help Donna wash dishes or at least clean up, but she swatted me away instructing Gerard to take me away. He lead me to his room located in the basement by my wrist. He let me wander around, looking at all the pictures, drawings, he had hung up. Most of them had blood red accents because most of them were a bloody scene of two lovers doing various things.

“Who are these people? Bonnie and Clyde?” I asked, plopping myself on his bed, peering at a drawing of them almost kissing that hung next to his pillow.

“Not quite, I call them the Demolition Lovers. I’ll tell you their story later…But I wanna do something first.” Turning my face to him, Gerard’s face was mere inches away. “Don’t freak out.” He whispered before he crushed his lips against mine.