A Love That's So Demanding

What's The Worst Thing I Could Say?

Frank sat in his room alone doing exactly what he had planned. He read comic books, played his guitar and he even took a nap. It was nothing out of the ordinary. It was a typical Saturday evening. He loved Saturdays. He could just lie around and do absolutely nothing.

        He earned the stares he got from his aunt and uncle, however, as he meandered lazily down the stairs and into the kitchen to find a snack. They always gave him the same stare on Saturdays. They thought they were too good for anything with their holy books and up turned noses, but Frank saw passed that. He saw what they really were, monsters in disguise.

        “Frank, honey, the Bakers are looking for a babysitter if you’re interested.” His aunt’s sickly sweet voice carried through the doorway to the living area. He rolled his eyes in response. This is where the tirade would begin. He knew his aunt or uncle couldn’t resist saying something to him. Whether it was an offer from a next door neighbor or a simple chore around the house, they always had an opportunity to shove in his direction. He simply muttered his ‘no’s’ or ‘not today’s’ like he had been doing for the past couple years. They then would proceed to scoff and continue their conversation on normal things like church and the proper way to scold unruly children.

        He quickly grabbed a bag of chips, taking the stairs two at a time in a hurry to reach the safety of his bedroom. He didn’t have time for chores or a to-do list. He was working on a song for the open mic night and he hoped his aunt would let him attend. He wanted to impress Gerard with a song of his own creation. Gerard had talked about singing a song he had written for the open mic night in a few weeks and that had inspired him to prepare something as well.

        He slumped lazily in his fuzzy mushroom chair with a notebook poised in his lap. He sighed, staring at the blank notebook paper as he tried to think of some beginning lyrics. He tried to think of something interesting, something deep that had strong meaning. What would Gerard write about? He was sure that Gerard’s lyrics would be quite intricate. Gerard, after all, was a deep person.

***

        As the day soon dwindled into night, Frank still hadn’t thought of even one sentence of lyrics. His mind had gone completely blank. He had spent the entire time day dreaming about Gerard and what he would sing. He was so curious.

        His aunt still hadn’t given up on him doing chores. She had come into his room at least four times since he had isolated himself earlier that day. He enjoyed his privacy and he didn’t get much of that at home. He wished he was back in New Jersey with his mom. He missed her so much. He missed watching movies with her in the living room at midnight and making breakfast for dinner. She was a fun mom. She was the kind of mom that didn’t judge you for what you did or what you wore. She had actually enjoyed his music. She always seemed so enthusiastic and happy every time he had invented a new riff on his guitar or written a new song. He missed that. Ever since he moved in with his stuffy aunt and uncle, his inspiration seemed to have faded away. He didn’t have Kasey anymore, so he didn’t feel the need to write love songs… Things were just different in Montana.

        He finally just closed his notebook, throwing it on top of his computer desk. Tonight just wasn’t his night for song writing. He lacked the inspiration he needed and his aunt’s constant nagging definitely wasn’t helping the cause. She never helped, all she did was judge him and sneer at him for his lack of cleanliness.

        He heard a knock at his door. “Frank?” His aunt’s high pitched voice rang through the oak door. He rolled his eyes, leaning his head back against his chair.

        “Yeah?” He said in a boring voice.

        She gently opened the door, stepping inside. Her nose turned up at the black clothes strewn across the floor. Here we go, she was going to lecture him. She didn’t, however. She walked closer.