change of pace

surprise

chapter nine

There hasn't been a close family dinner in this house for a while. Every night, I used to help Mom make meals and set up the table and Dad would come home from work and we would listen to records and eat. Once she died, everything that was normal in our lives stopped. Dad started working nights now because it was paying the most, and there were no more family dinners. Now on Sunday nights, one of us just cooks something like mac and cheese and take it to our rooms to eat it. There's been so much silence in this house for too long. I hope tonight changes it.

We decided to make spaghetti and meatballs with Mom's recipe. Dad helped me with the meatballs, seasoning them perfectly. I started the sauce and used butter to make it more creamy. He played our vinyl collection for the first time in forever. Elvis Presley filled the house and both of us smiled.

"You know, this man was your Mom's favorite. Hell, if she could've she would've married him." Dad laughed. We haven't really talked about Mom, ever.

We ended up dancing around the kitchen and laughing hysterically. He was a horrible dancer, but that only made it so much better. Subtle mentions of Mom while we did so made his eyes twinkle a little bit. I like to think she was there laughing with us the whole time.

A knock came at the door during our dance session. I ran with my Mom's pink gingham apron still tied around my waist to go answer it. Once opening the door, I found Eddie in black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket. I examined his outfit in awe. He took a bow at me.

"Well, what do we have here?" I say checking him out.
"I know, stunning, right?" he jokes before stepping inside. "Almost as stunning as that apron."
"Ah! You must be Eddie!" Dad makes his way over to us.
"Yes, sir!" Eddie says outstretching his hand, "Eddie Munson." which my dad then pulls him in for a hug. I see the fear in Eddie's eyes as he looks over at me giggling.
"Come in, son. Hope you like spaghetti." Dad makes his way back over to the kitchen.

We follow to the kitchen and Eddie helps me place the fresh made pasta into a large bowl to bring to the table. Dad sets up the table with plates and utensils watching us and smiling. He turns the knobs on the turntable down and flips the record over to hear the rest of the album.

"Mr. Lawson, this is so good!" Eddie says woofing his spaghetti.
"Call me Rick. And thank Jessie, she did most of the work." he says smirking while chewing his food.
"No, you helped." I say smiling cutting up my meatball.
"So, Eddie, you apart of that club Jessie's in?"
"I'm actually the founder, and Jessie's been a great new addition." he smirks over to me.
"Well, I hope you're keepin' my girl safe." Dad says taking a sip of his beer.
"Always." Eddie smiles at my dad.

Dad looks down at his finished plate and then back up at us.

"Well, you two, looks like I'm gettin' ready to hit the hay. Goodnight honey. And goodnight to you, Eddie." he says putting his plate in the sink.
"Goodnight, Dad. Love you."
"Goodnight, Mr. Laws- Rick." Eddie quickly corrects himself. We watch my Dad make his way over to his room.
"Holy shit, he's so cool." Eddie still stares at the hallway.
"At least he actually liked you."
"Y-You think he liked me?" he smiles like a little girl covering his face.
"Come on, help me clean." I say wacking him in the head playfully.

He helps carry in the bowl and put the leftovers in a Tupperware container. I grab the remaining dinnerware from the table and take it to the sink to wash the dishes, which Eddie helps by drying them and frantically searching for where they belong in the cabinets and drawers.

"You wanna go for a ride?" Eddie says after we finish cleaning.
"Where to?"
"A surprise." he smiles at me. I nod.