Table 9

19: The talk

All you could hear was the clashing of cutlery among the China plates, everything else was deathly silent...
Mr and Mrs Iero had prepared a lovely pasta bake - Frank's favourite - that they made on almost all occasions when they had guests. You could way it was their signature dish (only because they couldn't make anything different...).

Conversation lacked at the dinner table; no one hardly said a thing, and to be honest that made Frank a little uneasy as he knew what was coming...

"So Frank," his father began, breaking the silence that Frank oddly found comforting as he knew that if it was silent, intense awkwardness could be avoided, "Why did you decide to move out?"

Frank's heart sunk as he realised the time had come. Frank really didn't want to talk about this as he didn't know what to say, and also he 100% didn't want a massive tear-jerking scene. Frank knew that if they get deep into this subject that his mom would cry, I mean she already cried on the phone earlier that morning, he didn't want her to cry again.

"I-I erm." Frank began, stuttering a little as he tried to come up with an appropriate and acceptable response. But in all honesty, Frank didn't know what to say at all!
"Because I love Gerard." Frank finished, almost in a whisper.

Gerard turned to his blushing boyfriend and smiled, his heart still fluttered when Frank said he loved him, and it meant a lot that he would announce that in front of his parents - even if they were accepting of homosexuality.

"But you've moved out so soon!" Stacey piped up after taking a sip of her wine.

"Mom, it wasn't too soon!" Frank corrected. "Its just you've been gone for months!"

"Don't start that again!" Andrew commanded, annoyed.

Immediately, Frank shut up; he hated it when his father was angry. But it was true! They have been gone for a long time! So how can they say that all of this was too sudden?

"Frank you're making life decisions way too quickly!" His father stated loudly, his voice scaring Charlie a little, and even Gerard. "You're moving in with a man who has a kid for gods sake!"

That was it.

Gerard, without warning, stood up from his seat and slammed his hands down on the table, causing glasses and plates to clutter. Charlie didn't really react to this scene, she sat there with a blank expression on her face as she stared up at her father. Actually, she acted as if she expected this was going to happen. The other four at the table - Kourtney, Andrew, Stacey and of course Frank - shared a completely different look: shock. All throughout the day Gerard had been quiet, but now things have gotten serious. Like Frank, Gerard was expecting this argument to occur, but he didn't think he would react like this. Gerard didn't want to be put down by Frank's father.

"Just because I have a daughter doesn't mean Frank shouldn't be living with me!" Gerard stated staring at the table, snarling slightly. His eyes were covered by the thick locks of red hair, all that was visible was his mouth, and quite frankly his appearance at that moment scared Frank. Never in the time he's known Gerard has he ever reacted this way to something.

"I love Frank, and he loves me!" Gerard added, looking up to make eye contact with Stacey and Andrew. "This has nothing to do with my daughter, and I'd appreciate it if you would stop trying to put me down!"

Stacey was frozen, her blonde hair falling over her face and her mouth slightly agape. Her eyes we're widened and so were her husbands. None of them was expecting that...

"Gerard," Andrew began sternly, standing up also. "I wasn't trying to put you down. It's just you're a lot older than Frank and he is just a kid! He's not ready for parenting for gods sake!"