your boots beneath my bed | JENLISA

Chapter 12

the other woman - oh, the angst

Lisa draped her coat over the back of the plastic chair and dropped down into her seat, sliding Pop's BINGO card toward him on the table.

"You happy the animal crackers are back to normal?" she asked, looking at the plain, non-festive crackers in her cup.

Pop just grunted and started sorting the animals, passing the lions to Lisa.

"Did your Secret Santa person like the socks you got them?" Lisa asked, trying to actually start a conversation with her extremely silent grandfather.

Pop grunted noncommittally again.

"Cut the crap. What's wrong?" Lisa sighed.

"Nothing. I don't have crap. You have crap," Pop argued stubbornly, gathering some Bingo chips as Brenda started calling out numbers.

"What kind of crap do you think I have?" Lisa asked, leaning back in her chair and holding her elephant crackers hostage.

"Nothing," Pop grumbled, stealing the lions back since Lisa wouldn't give him the elephants.

"Jennie made you cookies," she sighed, picking up the bag of cookies off of the seat next to her and putting them on the table between them.

"They got nuts this time?" Pop asked, looking between Brenda and his BINGO card.

"Nope, I told her you didn't like the nuts last time," Lisa grumbled.

"Maybe I wanted nuts this time, cricket. A man can change his mind."

"Pop, I don't know what else to say. Is something wrong here? You want to come home? You're in a worse than grumpy mood and have been for the past three weeks."

Pop sighed and ran a hand over his stubble, turning to face Lisa. "I just worry about you is all."

"And I worry about you," Lisa countered, finally handing over the elephants from her cup.

"The eyes don't lie, cricket. I taught you that," Pop replied softly, exchanging the lions for the elephants.

"I know you did. Do you think mine are lying?"

"Not yours," Pop shook his head, giving Lisa a knowing look.

"You don't like Jennie," Lisa said point-blank.

"I like her just fine. Brilliant, kind, respectful. Nice woman," Pop replied with a shrug.

"Really? You've sent back all three bags of cookies she's made you with some made-up complaint," Lisa huffed.

"Finally got you to listen to me, didn't it?" Pop pointed out, pulling a cookie from the bag and taking a bite.

"So what's the problem? Because everything she bakes is amazing," Lisa asked.

"I'm not worried about her confectionary talents, cricket. The eyes don't lie, and you gotta listen to them," Pop said with a slightly warning edge to his voice.

"So, you think she's lying about something?" Lisa sighed, feeling like Pop was kind of losing it.

Pop could see the defensiveness and the confusion on Lisa's face. So, he backed off. He put his hands up and turned back to the BINGO card.

"I'm thinking about getting some baby chicks in the spring," Lisa said quietly, changing the subject. "A few of ours are getting pretty old."

"Melba should be able to help you out," Pop replied, placing a tile on his card.

"Maybe I could pick you up and take you with me to get them," Lisa offered, trying to get rid of the tension that was obviously between them now.

"If you'd like," Pop murmured.