The Way In Which Things Work

Chapter Five: Cigarette Smoke

We arrive at Danny's house about 30 minutes later. I wanted dessert so we stopped at a Mcdonald's on the way back to get ice cream. Danny is one of the only people I know who lives in a house. All the other people I'm friends with or close enough with to discuss living situations, live in apartments. Sometimes it's nice to play pretend and think that me and Danny are here together in our own house, 10 years in the future. There's so much space that sometimes I think there's too much. I wonder if when he's here alone that he gets lonely. I doubt it. He's rarely home unless I'm here with him, he spends most of his time out. His mother is the sweetest woman you'll ever meet, it's not likely that she even possesses a mean bone in her body. He doesn't have a dad, like me. I think it's one of the reasons we related so well to each other when we first met. His dad passed away from a work incident a few years ago and the life insurance taken out on him was so massive that his mother doesn't need to work. Sometimes when I imagine his mom at home, cleaning or cooking or perhaps lounging around until she finds something else to do. I'm jealous of her type of lifestyle, how easy she seems to have it. Money really does make everything easier.

He pulls his car into the two-car garage and leads me inside. When we walk inside from the garage, his mom is laying on the couch, asleep with the television still on. It's only about 10 p.m. when I glance at the clock. Danny cares for his mom, I believe she's the only other person he loves besides me. He leans over her and shakes her gently to wake her, "Jeff?" She mutters as she stirs around. I can see Danny flinch away from the mention of his father's name.

"No mom, it's just me. It's Daniel," he says to his mom with a certain sadness to his voice that only appears when his dad is mentioned.

She stirs a few more times before stretching her arms out above her head and groaning quietly. "Hello sweetheart. What are you doing home so early? It's only," she takes a moment to look at her phone's clock, "10:15?"

"I brought company," he smiles at me and I come out from behind the counter from where I was standing and out into her view. Her already bright smile grows even more when she sees me, often times she's more of a mother to me than my own is.

She embraces me tightly and the hug is quick but meaningful. "I haven't seen you since last week! I hope you're doing well. Do you want anything to eat? I can whip something up real quick..." She drowns out as she rushes into the kitchen to attempt to make me food. Once I tell her about our rather large meal we had for dinner she relaxes and puts away the pans she threw onto the countertop. Lily wipes her hand across her slightly wrinkled forehead and hugs me once more. "Oh, I just missed you so much! You're staying the night aren't you? We could all maybe go to breakfast in the morning, my treat."

"Lily, you know I'd love to go to breakfast but I have to pick up Graham at Arlene's in the morning to take him to school. So, I'll have to pass. But definitely another time" She tells me that it's alright and that she'll try to be up before I leave in the morning. Lily announces she's going to bed to the both of us and bids us a farewell while walking down the hallway to her bedroom.

Once she's gone Danny turns to me, "Sometimes I think she likes you WAY more than she likes me." I playfully slap his chest and he snatches it in his hand and pulls me up the stairs to his room. Upon entering, I notice his room looks like it hasn't been in touched in days. The bed is perfectly made, almost identical to the way I made it the last time I was here. His room is neat, too neat for him to have been here recently. All his clothes are in their respective drawers and his closet is still organized. The shelves are tidy and put together and his curtains are even drawn open around the hooks. It's odd but I don't say anything about it.

I ask him once more to help me with my dress. "Can you wait to get naked until I at least close the curtains? Are you trying to give everyone a show through the window?" He laughs at his own poor attempt at a joke. Even if it was a joke, he makes a quick move to draw them together and tie them closed.