Allegro con fuoco

XXXV

For the hundreth time in a few days Eddy's heart was pounding in his chest and it was hard to breathe. What Brett's mum was about to tell them decided everything. 
Everything. 
Brett's took his hand and he almost pulled it back in shock, before remembering. 
Oh my God. They were out. He could hold Brett's hand as much as he wanted to.
He tried not to start crying again as he looked up to Brett's mum. 
"How... how did it go, mama?" Brett said hoarsely. 
Brett's mum's eyes flew down to their intertwined hands, and she blinked. Something seemed to shine, in her eye, some hesitation, but there was also something else. Then she smiled. 
"It went... alright. I had to press, Brett. Which is not my habit. But I think she's calmer now. She was very upset, wondering what she had done wrong, wondering what people would say about her."
She waited for a moment as the two boys looked up at her, not really breathing. Then Eddy cleared his throat, because that little flame started to flicker in him again. Wait, what was this? 
Anger.
It was anger, rising up at him like lava inside a volcano. She was wondering what people would say about her? Really, that was all that mattered? He clenched his jaw and cleared his throat again before he would raise his voice. 
"Did she ask about me at all? Us?" he said quietly.
"Oh, Eddy." she said instantly as she stepped forward and sat down next to him on the bed, taking his other hand. "Don't think for a second she doesn't care about you or love you. We come from a different world, sweet boy, where opinions are different from here. I'm not saying they are right, but it's how we were brought up. I... I don't want to speak out of turn, but I think she'll be okay. She was okay with me calling her again tomorrow."
Eddy blinked against the tears as he stared at this lady who he'd known forever, and yet he had never heard her speak such a long sentence before. 
"You accepted us though." he said bitterly. "Clearly it's possible."
Brett's mum nodded once. 
"It wasn't easy, I will freely admit. But we've always loved you, Eddy, like a son. And I had Brett's father to talk it through with. He's always been the rational one."
She shrugged, as if that explained it all. Eddy took a deep breath as the lava inside of him was extinguised by a sadness for his mum. Despite everything. 
"She's all alone." he mumbled. Brett's mum knew all about that, of course, and she nodded. 
"I know, Eddy. But that is something she has to work out for herself. So, do you think you can eat some rice pudding?"
He glanced at Brett, to check that he was good. Brett gave him a soft smile, then got up and kissed his mum on her cheek. 
"Thank you, mum. This means so much, you have no idea. I love you."
"I love you too, son." she said as she led the way out of the bedroom and down the stairs. 

Eddy followed her into the kitchen, so much like the one in his mum's house, and sat down on the chair again. After a moment Brett's dad came back in and joined them. Heaps of pudding was put in the bowl in front of him and for a moment he grinned.
Say it with food, huh? Say it with sweet, sticky rice. He looked up at Brett's mum and smiled.

Even if his mum never came around he would still have a family here.