Like Buttons On A Shirt

Chapter 9

*After a few seconds of hesitation she sighed and pointed over her shoulder to where a small sofa was standing next to a desk. 
"Come on, sit down," she said. 
We both sat down on the soft material. 

And then she began to talk.*

"Gerard and I met during the first year of highschool.", Melanie explained, "At that time, we were both pretty lonely. We had trouble fitting in and we sure had a tragic backstory to fit perfectly into the outcast stereotype. We both had our own problems"
I nodded, wanting her to know that she could keep talking and that I knew what she was talking about. I myself wasn't an outcast, but I wasn't really popular either.

"We soon became friends. Well... sort of. At school we kept each other company but we didn't hang out after school. It was nice to have somebody to talk to during the lunch breaks and Gerard was a really sweet guy and a great listener. He always wanted me to tell him about what's going on in my life and about me in general but he didn't like talking about himself at all. That was okay for me because I had enough to say for the both of us", Melanie hesitated for a moment. It seemed like she was thinking about the old times, totally lost in her own thoughts.

It took a few moments for her to snap out of it.
"Oh no, I drifted off. Sorry.", she apologised. I told her, that everything was okay.
"So anyways, what I wanted to tell you about is, that, because we weren't the most popular people, there was a bit of bullying going on. Okay, it was really bad at that time. I got away with a bit of name calling but Gerard really had a rough time in highschool.
They were unbelievably rude to him. All those kids would laugh at whatever he had to say and would even get... physical sometimes"

Melanie hesitated again. She didn't have to day what those kids had done to Gerard. I went to a public school and very well knew what most victims had to go through. Though I was lucky and never was one of them.

"Oh...", I said, "that explains a lot"
Melanie nodded.
"Its hard for him to trust people. All the friends he ever had were either in for his money or for laughs.
And after a while he completely cut off everybody. He even refused to talk to me.
I don't know what happened next but one day he just stopped coming to school altogether and later I found out that he dropped out and turned to homeschooling instead. I have to say that it wasn't the worst idea considering what he had to go through at our school."

"But... I mean... i cant imagine what it's like going through this type of bullying and i know it can traumatise you for life but... hes 25 now and all of that is far in the past. I dont see how this would explain why hes so rude to everybody nowadays."
Melanie shrugged and crossed her legs.
"We cant feel what he is feeling. And we cant have a look into his head but all I know is that everything that happened in school left a mark. A pretty deep one too, apparently."

I sighed and let my eyes go over the walls of this room.
"Whose room is this?", I asked after a while.
"The youngest Way Son, Michael, sleeps in here when he's in town. It's his house too."
"When did Michael leave?"
"About a year ago I think", Melanie said, "it was a hard day for Gerard. His brother was the only one who seemed to get to him. They two have always been inseparable. It was a shock for everybody when we found out that he had accepted a scholarship at a university in Europe."
"France, right?" I remembered hearing about that. I just didnt know who I heard it from anymore.
"Yeah exactly. Nobody knew that he was even looking at Universities outside of the states."

I nodded again and for a while nobody said anything. I probably should have left and let Melanie do her work but I didnt want to go back to Gerard just yet. Something about him was just... unsettling.
He was like a sad movie.
It got to you in a very personal way and stays in your head even after watching it.

"Do you like working here?"

"I love it", Melanie said and the way her eyes lit up when she said it told me that she was telling the truth. "It pays well and gives me a place to stay. If it wasnt for the Ways I would be homeless right now. Also I've met so many amazing people here and made great friends. And that alone is worth all the trouble Gerard puts all of us through. He can be... very mean sometimes"

"I noticed", I said laughing nervously, "I still don't know if I am the right person for this job. I dont even think Gerard needs someone to take care of him. He has mental problems and not a physical disability. He should be fine by himself..."

"You think so?", Melanie asked, "you made him eat breakfast today. None of the others even tried to make him to that. They just accepted that he wants to starve himself or something. And it's not like he needs someone to feed him or help him get dressed. He just needs someone to help him find back into his life, you know? To me it seems like he's lost in a very dark place and doesn't know how to get out. I'm not gonna lie... this job will not be easy. If Gerard doesn't like you or what you're doing - he will show you. But I have a good feeling when it comes to you"

"Why is that?"

"Because you're different than the others"

I let out an annoyed groan.
"You're like the fourth person to say that to me and I still don't know what that is supposed to mean!"

Melanie giggled and explained: "well... if you'd known the others you'd know what everybody is talking about. They were all professional caretakers. Had a ton of degrees in their pockets but no idea what to do with them. They treated him like a fucking child and if you ask me that is not a way to help a depressed 25-year-old.
You on the other hand...
You treat him like a person and I think he likes that"

"It doesn't seem like he likes me that much...", I admitted.

"Give him some more time to get to know you", Melanie said and suddenly got up.
"I think I should get back to work again"

"Yeah probably...", I murmured and got up too.
"Thank you for answering my questions. I'm still trying to figure out how to make all of this work. Even though I dont think I could help him"

"Well... do you want to help him?", Melanie asked and grabbed a towel from one of the cabinets next to the door.

"Sure I mean... I don't really know him but of course I dont want him to keep living like this.

"That's enough for now. Believe me, once you get to know him better you will see the potential that is in him"

"If he even let's me get this far! I just hope we can at least get a long..."
I sighed and walked up to the door.
"I should probably check up on him again... see you later Melanie!"

"See you at dinner, Frank!"
Melanie called after me as I left Michael's room.
Great... at least now I knew something about the grumpy man.

Though I had the feeling that there was much more to him than Melanie told me.