PUPPY

CHAPTER 30

It's been ten days since we got married.

At the moment we are driving to Laura's place to celebrate. With the help of a friend, she managed to register her mother in a new nursing home. It's why she decided to throw a little party.

I rang the bell, and after a short minute, the door opened.

"Hi, you must be Amalia." the guy that opened the door said.

He looked like he was in his early twenties. He was tall and slim. Dressed in a pair of light-wash jeans and a white oversized t-shirt. He had a bleached buzz cut and green eyes.

"Hello?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I'm Jack, but you can call me J, I'm Laura's brother."

Now that I look at him again, he does look like a male copy of Laura.

I stopped staring at him and stepped to the side to show off Neil.

"This is Neil, my husband. I don't know if Laura mentioned him."

"She did. Nice to meet you, my name is Jack."

They shook hands.

"Likewise. I'm Neil."

"Everything is almost ready," J said before letting us in. We took off our shoes and coats before following J to the dining room. The table was filled with all kinds of dishes. Everything looked delicious. I spotted four goblets already filled with red wine.

Laura came from the kitchen with a steaming plate of fried chicken.

"Took you long enough!" she shouted at me.

"There was traffic."

"Whatever. Take your glasses!"

We all lifted our glasses and cheered.

When we were all pretty drunk, except Neil (someone has to drive home), we started to talk nonsense.

"I'm telling ya', fungi aka mushrooms are the best living nature that god put on this earth."

Laura rolled her eyes and said: "You say that about everything. Stop being a geek. You're embarrassing me!"

I laughed at their goofy dynamic. I wished that I had that with my brother.

"Sis, listen to me. If two trees have fungus on them, the trees can talk to each other. The fungus is used as a way of communicating! Isn't that insane-"

"I said: stop being a geek!" Laura shouted as she smacked his head.

He rubbed the place where she hit. "Auch! That really hurt. Do you want me to die from brain damage?!"

"Oh, stop your whining and shut the fuck up!"

She looked at me and then at Neil. "I have a serious question!"

"Okay?" I replied in confusion.

"When-"

Her brother pushed a piece of fried chicken in her mouth and shouted: "Are you two really married!!??"

Laura smacked him on the head before saying: "Stop it for Buddha's sake!! Please show him the rings!"

Neil and I lifted our left hands.

"Shit!" J shouted.

"Shut it!"

I don't know how they can live together.

Neil wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. Laura and J were still shouting at each other about him being too talkative and the chicken.