Hold Me Close & Don't Let Me Fall ✓

Chapter 6

It was finally here, Mary's first day of school. We had her up bright and early and I had set out the dress I wanted her to wear. "Hey! Hey, come on. Let's move!" I hear Frank yell to her as I'm getting lunches ready in the kitchen.

"No!" came the yell from behind our closed bedroom door.

"Let me see." He asks.

"No!" I hear Mary yell again. I chuckle as I go to stand by Frank.

"Let me try." I whisper. "Come on Mary. Frank made you a special breakfast." I say calmly through the door.

"Frank can't cook." I try not to laugh at that, mostly succeeding. Frank rolls his eyes at me.

"I'll get you back for laughing at me after she goes to school." He whispers in my ear. I let out a low moan before he takes over.

"Hey, Mary, open up!" he says again, knocking on the door. The door finally opens and she emerges in the pretty red dress I had bought special for today. "You look beautiful." he says. She rolls her eyes and in that moment it was like Diane was back with us.

"I look like a Disney character." she says, storming into the kitchen, leaving Frank and I standing by the bedroom door.

"It's fine. She's just in one of her moods. Don't getting all Mr. Grumpy-pants on me." I say, kissing him. He sighs and rolls his eyes at the both of us. We walk back to the kitchen and she's sitting at her spot at the table in front of a bowl of cereal. I chuckle and go back to making lunches.

"Where's the 'special'?" she asks.

"Mary, what have I told you about that attitude?" I remind her.

"The what?" Frank asks.

"Georgia said you made me a special breakfast." He turns the box around to face her, revealing the Special K logo.

"I know you didn't just roll your eyes at him, now did you Mary? You keep it up and they'll get stuck that way." I say, my eyes fixed on the sandwich that I was preparing.

"I'll never understand how you always know that. You weren't even looking. And it's impossible for my eyes to get stuck like that."

"Wanna test that theory?" I ask. She groans before starting the same argument we've been having all summer.

"Please don't make me go. You both can keep homeschooling me."

"We've taught you everything we know." Frank says as he helps me put away the sandwich stuff as I bag up their lunches.

"But I don't wanna go."

"Well I don't wanna go to work, but I do. Same with Frank." I tell her as I start getting the coffee pot going.

"You don't go to work. You go to a bar and serve beers to day drinkers and Frank fixes boats on a dock." She says.

"Ok, one: That's the last time you and Roberta discuss what we do to bring in money that pays for your books and toys and things; and two: it's a poor example but you're still going." I tell her.

"But... But what about Fred?"

"What about Fred?" Frank asks.

"You won't take care of him. Neither of you like cats."

"We don't like two-eyed cats. Fred, as you know, is monocular." Frank responds.

"Who's gonna throw him his ping-pong ball?"

"Fred's gonna be fine. No more arguments, ok? We've discussed this ad nauseum."

I laugh silently as I watch her face scrunch up as she tries to figure out what it means. "What's ad nauseum?" she asks.

"Oh, you don't know? Well, looks like someone needs school." I say. The look she gives us would be enough to send us to an early grave, if it had the actual power to kill.

We walk her across the complex to where the bus is pulling up to the stop. "This is gonna be fun. You're gonna meet kids today you can borrow money from the rest of your life." Frank says.

"Come on." I say, giving her a gentle push towards the bus. She gets on and looks so tiny standing there.

"You're gonna be great. Just, I don't know. Try being a kid." Frank says.

"You might even have fun." I add right before the driver closes the door. We stood and watch the bus drive away before turning and heading back to the apartment, pausing only momentarily when we hear Roberta knocking on her window. "This isn't gonna be fun. I think I'd rather be Mary right now." I say.

"You and me both." We laugh a little before walking hand-in-hand back to our place, ignoring her as she calls our names.

We let ourselves in and Frank locks the door. "You know damn well that's not gonna stop her." I say before picking up my coffee mug and taking a drink from it. He smirks at me before buttering the toast he made us for breakfast, handing me my piece as Roberta unlocks the door and lets herself in. "Mornin' Roberta." I say as Frank pours her a cup of coffee.

She ignores my greeting. "There's still time for y'all to undo this nonsense. Go get in your car and go get that child."

"Are you technically allowed to use those keys whenever you want?" Frank asks, ignoring her. I chuckle from my spot at the table, rubbing Fred as he jumps up to inspect my mug.

"How can you stand there, acting all calm and everything, Frank, and make light of this? Now go get her back before it's too late."

"She has to get out in the world. She has no friends her own age." I say. "No social skills."

"She doesn't know how to be a kid, no matter how much we get her to try." Frank adds. "Two nights ago, she told us that even if Germany bails out the euro, there could still be a worldwide depression. Georgia looked like her head was gonna explode and I was staring at the ceiling for 3 hours."

"I'm so worried." Roberta says, tears in her eyes.

Frank looks over at me and sees I'm almost in tears too. "Come on you guys. If you start crying, I'm gonna have to pretend to start crying." he says. I threw one of Fred's ping-pong balls at Frank's head, clocking him in the ear.

"Hey," he says, "You know, there's something you could be overlookin'. This could work out."

"Maybe." Roberta says. "But if anybody takes that baby away, I'll smother both of you in your sleep." She says before turning to leave. "Mornin' Fred." He flicks his tail from his lounging spot on the table.

Frank turns to me, reaching out for my hand. I give it to him and squeeze his. "You still think we're doing the right thing?" he asks me.

I stand up and pull him into a hug. "I do." I say though it's muffled by his chest.

"Me too." he says.

...

I was at Ferg's later and it was a relatively slow morning, just the usual crowd with Ferg himself working the grill in the back. It was right after the lunch rush and my phone went off. "Seriously Georgia?" Ferg asks, pointing to the sign that says no phones.

"Shit! It's Mary's school." I panic. He nods for me to take it. "Georgia Adler... Uh huh... Uh huh... Oh god! Yeah I'll be right there." I say before hanging up. "Ferg, I need you to call in Sunny to cover for me. Tell him I'll take his Friday night."

"What happened?" he says, sticking his head out the order window.

"Mary decided to yell at the principal on her first day."

"Well shit! Yeah, you're good. Just make sure you're here Friday night." I nod before throwing my apron under the bar and grabbing my phone.

I run outside and Frank's already waiting for me at his truck. I don't say anything as I shut the door and he takes off.