Lights, Cameras, Outsiders!

Chapter 81

LCO 81

"Look, it's my mom," Matt said, pointing to the cluster of brunettes, smiling and waving. I dragged both of our carry on bags as he pulled the luggage.

"Hey, Ma! How you doin'?" Matt said, giving her a gentle hug. She squeezed him and he yelped.

"Oh, I forgot. Hi, Essie," she came and gave me a hug after I put the bags down.

"Hi, Mrs. Dillon."

"No, you can call Mary Ellen," she said with a smile.

"Good to have you back," his dad shook both of our hands.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Let me see the ring," his mom said. I held out my hand and she grabbed it.

"Oh, it's gorgeous! Oh my gosh, Matthew! You're spoiling her," his mother laughed and kissed his cheek for a long time.

"Was he respectful when he asked you?" His dad said solemnly.

"Yes, sir."

"And I heard he had your father's blessing," his mother said.

"Yes, we went down to Miami to see my parents on a surprise visit and my father loved him," I said. His dad picked up out bags off the floor and we all started walking.

"Why'd you go down there to see your parents?" His mom asked.

"Uh, my mother isn't very...social with me and apparently they just had a baby, and I went to go see him and

My family."

"They just had a baby? How old are they?"

"Uh. Old. Very old." She laughed.

"Well how'd you find out you had a baby...?"

"Brother. Uh. My brother got in a fight with them and didn't have a place to live so he called me up and asked if my aunt had any extra room and he let it slip."

"Does he have a place to live now?" "Uh, I don't know. I don't know where he is or how to contact him," I said. Matt stuck his hand under my palm and wrapped his fingers around mine.

"So, how have you been doing?" His mom said to Matt.

"Oh y'know. I've been better."

"Physically you mean."

"Yes, physically, Ma. I was shot."

"Yes we heard. Your mother was frantic for days," his dad said.

"No Ma, I'm fine. I'm alright. Beautiful here's been keeping me company," Matt said.

"She taking good care of you?" His mom asked.

"Yes, Ma, I've told you this a million times."

"Are you really going to marry this guy?" His dad said to me.

"Yes, sir," I said with a smile.

"Good luck. He's a wild one. When he was in school, girls would be all over him. And then he quit,"'his dad said with a disapproving glare.

"Well Dad, I had to grow up pretty fast," Matt said.

"Sure. You never cared about school. That's why you dropped out," his dad said.

"Okay, can we not do this in the middle of the airport please?" Matt said.

"Okay. Fine."

"Let's just all go to the apartment and have a nice dinner."

***************

"Does it hurt?" I said, touching around Matt's stitches.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Aw, crap. That hurts," Matt snapped. I drew back.

"You didnt take aspirin," I said.

"No, I didn't. We were on an airplane!" He said.

"And now you're hungry."

"I'm not hungry. I want you to stop touching the hole in my stomach."

"Abdomen."

"What?"

"The hole in your abdomen."

"Okay, whatever. Stop touching it!" He snapped.

"You are hungry because you get like this."

"Like what, Essie?"

"Cranky. You're grumpy when you're hungry and you don't even know."

"Yes I do, and I'm irritated because you're touching my wound!" He snapped.

"Forget it, Matt. Get aspirin out of the luggage, and take a nap," I said, getting up.

"Fine! I will," he sneered, laying down on the couch and pulling the blanket over him. I walked to the kitchen when his parents were and laid my head in my hands.

"That's what marriage with him is gonna be like," his dad said. His mom continued to stir whatever was boiling in the pots.

"Yeah well...if it's just little fights like these to keep us going then I'm okay with it."

"Why?"

"I'd rather have little fights everyday than extreme gigantic fights once a week and that hurts us."

"Why are you okay with any fight?"

"I'm not. I just know in the end, one of us will make it up to the other," I said.

"But in this case, you're right, Essie. He does get cranky when he's hungry," his mom said from the stove.

"I know that...But I'm not gonna be in his face about it. Once he eats he'll be fine," I said.

"Here, I'll bring this to him," his dad pulled out a bag of chips.

"No, Paul! Dinners about to be served!" His mom said.

His dad groaned and put it back.

"See, the little fights," I said.

**********

"Is this seat taken?" I said to Matt at the dinner table as everyone else was setting it. He moved the napkin there without looking at me. I sat down.

"Are you still mad at me for whatever reason?" I said. He just stared at me.

"I don't know, I just think it's kind of rude to argue with your boyfriend and them go bitch about it to their own parents," he said and looked back at the dinner table.

"Are you kidding me?! I walked back into the kitchen and your dad said, 'That's what marriage is like.' And I said,-"

"I know, I heard the conversation."

"What is your issue today? God, eat a piece of damn bread so you're not so irritated. Pissing everybody off..."

"I'm pissing everyone off?! You wouldn't get your hands off me when I kept saying get off , get-"

"I'm not pissing anyone off. You're cranky because you haven't eaten since breakfast!"

"I am hungry but that's not why I'm pissed off."

"So you're not mad, you're pissed?"

"Yes! You're not listening to me, you haven't been considerate today, and you don't even want to know what happened at the airport with Susie."

"What happened? What happened at the airport?"

"All I'm sayin' is that I almost lost my job. And the freakin premiere of Tex was cancelled because I got shot, which you weren't too great gettin' that out."

"Are you kiddi-"

"Dinner is served!" His mom made a bowl of peas on the table with a smile.

"We'll discuss this later," I muttered.

"Don't bother."