Glad You're Here

Chapter 2: Dee

Tom drove a big, silver Toyota, which we all piled into. Mark called shotgun and I sat in the back next to a small, adorable, brown dog which almost peed itself with excitement at seeing Mark. I knew Mark liked animals, but I'd never seen him happier with an animal then he was the second he saw that dog. After we'd gotten situated in the car, the dog sat on his little bed and sniffed my hand. It took him almost the whole ride to warm up to me, but he was sitting on my lap by the time we got to Mark's old house. Mark and Tom talked to each other the whole drive and I didn't interrupt, knowing they hadn't seen each other in a long time. I just occupied myself with the dog and kept quiet.

The house was big, definitely bigger than Mark's apartment in LA, and white. The best word for it was "cute." We pulled in and Tom stopped the car. I checked my watch. 9:39.

"Is Mom here?" Mark asked casually.

"No, but Dee is." Tom replied, equally casually. Dee was Mark's step-mom, I knew, and he really, really loved her. Even so, I could tell he was a little disappointed that his biological mother wasn't here. Just then, the door opened and a big white dog tore from the house like a bullet. Mark got out quickly and was practically tackled by the giant mass of fur. Mark laughed as he patted the dog on the side and the dog licked his face in response. Seeing him so happy made me smile and relieved a sort of pressure and nerves that I didn't know I had.

"Mark!" someone, who I was assuming was Mark's stepmom Dee, shouted from the doorway as she made her way over too us, enveloping Mark in a hug to compete with the one the dog had just given him. The little brown dog jumped off of my lap with a bark and joined the frenzy, yipping and running around in circles until Tom scratched him behind his ears. They all looked so at home together that I just stayed in the car a little longer, not wanting to ruin the moment. There would be plenty of time for introductions later. I wanted this moment to be all about Mark and his family.

After the hugging had subsided a bit, Mark noticed me still in the car and gestured for me to come out.

"Dee, I'd like you to meet Caitlyn, my girlfriend. Caitlyn, this is my step-mom, Dee."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Fischbach." I said, extending a hand, but Dee pulled me into a hug instead, sort of like I had done to Tom earlier. I accepted the hug, taking an immediate liking to Dee. She had curly, light brown hair that looked almost red and she was shorter than Mark by a few inches but about the same height as me. She had big glasses covering her stunningly blue eyes.

"Please," she said after she had pulled out of the hug. "Just call me Dee." With a slightly crooked smile, she invited us in, and Tom, Mark, and I all carried in the bags, a task made slightly more difficult by the two dogs chasing each other around our legs. I just knew it was going to be a wonderful visit.

-----

After dropping off our bags in a guest room with two twin beds, we all sat on the brown leather coaches in the spacious living room and talked. I found out that Tom was the author of an online comic series. I also found out that Dee loved chicken dumplings with a passion, just like Mark did. Mark told everyone about his channel and how he'd just recently hit the 6,000,000 subscriber mark, and Mark managed to coax out of me how I sang and played guitar at various restaurants and coffee houses around LA.

I had a great time talking to them, and I knew Mark did too, but I realized that there was a slight sadness in him, something that was keeping him from truly being himself. At first I thought that maybe it was his mom not being here, but then I realized that it wasn't his mom. It was his dad. His dad that he'd been so close too as a kid. His dad who'd supported his love for games. His dad who'd died of cancer when he was in college. When he was at home in California and wasn't around his family, he wasn't reminded of that fact every day. Even so, I had learned of a few topics to avoid when I was around him. But here, with his family, he was happier than ever, but also sadder than he was back at home because he was reminded every minute he was with Dee and Tom that his dad wasn't there too. I noticed how Dee kept twisting her ring every few minutes and thought she must be thinking about him too. After I realized this, I tried to keep my mind off of it, but it was almost impossible. It was like being in the same room with a poster of a flower and trying not to look or think about it. You could do it, but every once in a while, your eyes would drift and you would see the flower (or, in this case, the ring) again. It was a relief when it was time for lunch.

Even before we left, I knew where we were going. Mark had told me a lot about Cincinnati, and he could barely get through a sentence without mentioning Cracker Barrel. So when we got into the car (Mark sitting in the back next to me this time and Dee riding shotgun) and Dee asked where we should go for lunch, Mark's immediate reaction was no surprise.

"Cracker Barrel!"

"Oh, I was thinking we could go to that new Chinese place just down the street. I've heard it's really nice, and they're well-known for their fortune cookies..." she stopped when she saw Mark's disappointed face.

"She's kidding. We're going to Cracker Barrel." Tom butted in and Mark immediately punched the air in triumph.

"Seriously, Dee. You scared me!"

"Why on earth would we go anywhere else?" Dee asked, smiling in a way that reminded me a lot of myself, before turning on the radio. A Journey song came on and Mark immediately began freaking out. I was worried he was having some kind of seizure before I realized he was dancing to the song.

"Mark," Tom said, watching his brother through the review mirror. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"Dear brother, have you forgotten my amazing dancing skills?" Mark said, and Dee laughed a bit louder and longer than the comment deserved. I guess she must have been really happy to see Mark again.

The drive was short and, soon enough, we were there. We all climbed out and Tom locked the car. Mark turned to me and said quietly, "Welcome to the best place in the world, Caitlyn."

"Disneyworld?!" I asked with mock enthusiasm.

"No seriously, this place is amazing. I probably spent most of my childhood in here. I may be a bit distracted by the memories and stuff, so excuse me if I'm not the super cool and amazing person that you're used to." I saw how serious he was, almost a bit embarrassed about sharing his childhood with me, and I kissed him on the cheek.

"Mark, you're always the super cool and amazing person that I'm used to." I said, and he smiled, giving me a quick kiss on the nose. Then we followed his family inside.

Lunch was wonderful, and I really understood what Mark meant when he said it was the best place in the world. The food was great, but being with Mark and his family was even better. Tom and Mark were like two peas in a pod, joking back and forth, while Dee and I would just look at each other and shake our heads or sigh.

"I'm so glad you're here, Caitlyn," she said, smiling at me as the boys fake-wrestled over the last chicken wing. "At least there's someone else to help me handle their shenanigans."