My Love; My Life: Slipping Through My Fingers

K: Panchali

Setting: Wolowitz house...

"I can't keep doing this with ya Neil," Panchali tells him in her mixed western-Indian accent , "one minute yer all normal n then the next moment yer goin nuts over nothin-either tell me what the hell's goin on or I'm taken my son n goin back ta my parents house."

"..." he says nothing & eyes the bedroom floor

"Ya serious can't gimme an explanation?" She asks him in annoyance, "what the hell happened to ya between this past Christmas and now that changed so much?"

"I met my grandfather," he tells her with an angered filled sigh, "and my half uncle."

"And that's an excuse?!" She snaps at him

"N-no."

"Rrr," she groans in irritation,"Huh," she sighs heavily, "so, wanna talk about it?"

"Not much to tell to be honest," he tells her, "Halley still mad at the man, dad has mixed emotions and I-I don't know what to feel."

"Well, how did it go?"

"We showed up to the address," he starts, "dad hesitated and freaked out about whether or not he should even knock," he continues, "then Halley did it for him," he adds, "the old man let us in, thing were awkward for a while...especially after Halley chewed him out..."

"So what exactly was his reasoning for the abandonment?"

"The short version of his tale is that before he met grandma, his line of work was 'classified' information or something," he explains, "which made him unable to talk about it, things apparently only got riskier when he met Grandma and more so when they eventually had dad...he quit the line of work, but when dad was eleven, grandpa's past caught up with him and he left in the dead of night without so much as a goodbye-"

"He left-to protect them," she finishes in realization

"Yeah," he says quietly, "he left to protect them, over to another part of the state to lay low, got a normal job despite meeting Sarah-his second wife-and having my half uncle: Josh, he said one of his biggest regrets is leaving dad and grandma the way he did and even wished he had risked taking them with him at times, but knew they were better off-safer that he hadn't," he tells her, "Halley still harbors a grudge cause he never tried to reach out to dad when grandma died, but he said he figure that it was too late to try to make things right."

"..." Panchali says nothing as she tries to study his reaction to all this

"Dad has mixed feelings about it all," Neil tells her, "V tries to comfort him, but he-he just wanted my mom or his..."

"And what about you Neil?" She asks him, "how are you in all this?"

"I-I don't know how to feel," he admits, "it feels kind of weird to have another grandfather, yet only one grandmother..."

"I sympathize with you there," she tells him, "I only have one set of grandparents, to suddenly have another in my life would be-confusing and even I'd be unsure how to feel...so, how were things left between him and your family then?"

"He said that he'd leave things in dad's court for him to do as he pleases, when he pleases," Neil sighs out, "and dad invited him and 'uncle' Josh to visit-my guess is that so we can try to be one big awkward family."

"..." she just listens

"I mean I don't even feel comfortable calling them 'grandpa' and 'Uncle,' I don't even know them, he rants on, "how am I supposed to feel Chali?"

"There is no right or wrong way to feel Neil..." she tells him with a heavy sigh, after a moment she asks him, "so, when are they supposed to come?"

"Tonight," he tells her quietly

"Do you want us here?" She asks him, & then clarifies when he gives her a confused look, "Ward and I, I mean?-for support, course we can go stay at my parents while they're here...if you like-if you aren't ready to spring the great grandfather/Uncle thing on them..."

"Do you want to meet them?" He asks her, "I'm not gonna force you to stay and meet them if it makes you uncomfortable Chali."

"Ward's too little to recall any of this later," she starts off, "and I'm not gonna leave you to sit uncomfortably through it alone-"

"I won't be alone," he argues, "I'll be with dad, V, Halley and Carl-"

"So Carl's coming to support Halley, Veronica to support your father-"

"V's my stepmom, so of course," he cuts her off, "and Carl and Halley are engaged-so of course he's coming-"

"Then why shouldn't I be here?" She asks him, "we mightn't be married or engaged, but I am still your girl-son's mother," she cuts herself off from defining their relationship & quickly goes another route

They fall into silence for a moment after this, they hadn't actually talked about things after seeing each other for the first time again last twenty first of December. Things just kind of happened with him deciding that it be best for them to try & be one stable, constant in their son's life-in one house. When they did talk, it mostly concerned their son or serious matters like this, but they never actually talked about where they stand with each other. It was obvious certain feelings still lingered them, & where more or less everyday implied in they way they acted, but never declared or spoken of. He never says anything due to not knowing how to start & she never does so, due to still feeling hurt by him to bring the matter up.

"Never mind," she says in almost a whisper, "I'll take Ward and go-"

"Don't," he tells her as he lightly grabs her wrist & gently pulls her back towards him, "I'd like it if you both stayed."

"Are you sure?" She asks him uncertain

"..." he just silently nods his head

"Alright," she agrees as he lets go of her arm & wraps his around her waist, pulling her back into him as he rests his head on top of hers

     It isn't long before a knock comes to the front door & the sound of voices are talking as the door closes. They both remain silent for a moment as they listen to the talking outside. They hear discussion of nothing too important-family & boasting. After the boasting comes the sympathetic recalling of lost loved ones. This is soon followed by Halley screaming at-one could guess-their grandfather & Ward waking from his nap-crying.

"Huh," Panchali sigh heavily

"Might as well not keep them waiting any longer," Neil sighs out, sounding like he really doesn't want to go out there

"Just peel the bandaid off and get it over with," she tells him quietly, "you go out first, I'll be right out after I calm Ward down from fussing."

"..." he just nods & goes

She quietly listens as the arguing dies down with him joining them.