Listen Before You Go

Chapter 2: A Hot Hobo?

Frank never really remembers getting tired enough to fall asleep, he just kinda, wakes up, the next day, barely rested and wanting to go back to sleep.

He rubbed the grogginess from his eyes and sat up, staring straight ahead at his closet door to dissociate like he does every morning. But smelling coffee already percolating from the kitchen downstairs pulled him out of his head early. No one should be awake, it's nearly 6:00am, and his parents are never out of bed until almost 9:00am every morning unless it's the holidays.

He heard the clanking of pots and pans and then rolled his eyes.

His mother was expecting company tonight, that Way kid and his family, so he can marry Lindsey or some shit. So, of course she's up at the ass crack of dawn to prepare a meal that shouldn't be served for another 12 fucking hours.

He looked down at himself, still wearing yesterday's jeans and T-shirt. He decided he didn't care, and took his phone from the bedside table to text his cousin, asking her when she was arriving. When she didn't reply right away, he groaned loudly and tossed his phone to the foot of his bed and dragged himself downstairs towards coffee.

"Mom, why are you awake?" He asked, taking a cup from the cabinet. "We aren't expecting anyone until almost 6:30 tonight."

"This roast has to cook for six hours, Frank. I'm leaving no room for mistakes."

Why a disgusting slab of beef is worth waiting 6 hours, Frank didn't know. He watched his mother glide around the kitchen mixing and adjusting things. The kitchen would smell wonderful soon. Frank was as much a vegetarian as his mother would let him be, but holy God, if the kitchen didn't smell like a busy restaurant on Saturday nights. Linda Iero was an amazing chef, though she'd never say it herself. She prefers to greet compliments as humbly -fake as it may be sometimes- as possible.

Frank snuck a splash of heavy whipping cream into his coffee as Linda worked. He normally enjoyed drinking his coffee plain black, but he'd be damned if he said he didn't like a shit-ton of  cream and sugar every once in a while.

"I need you to go over to the Ways this afternoon and invite them over." Linda said, vigorously mixing the concoction in the bowl on the table.

She didn't already do that? "What if they can't come? Mom- Lindsey already cleared her day."

"I know they'll say yes, and it's just next door, so it won't be that hard. Tonight needs to go by flawlessly, I can't have your mood ruining things."

He sighed and flopped into the chair at the table beside him. "Why do I have to do it?"

"Because it's hard to say no to a nice young man like yourself." She spat 'nice' like she had to remind him of his own character. "You can be nice if you try."

"I'm nice." Frank muttered. "To people who deserve it."

"And you're rude to everyone else."

Frank considered mocking offense and saying "Me?! Rude? Never." but decided against it and settled for something that wouldn't get him yelled at.

"I'll go around 11:00 I guess."

"Thank you, Frank. Now, stop pretending I can't see you stealing my cream and go do some chores."

Frank glared at her and stood to go back to his room to drink his coffee and scribble into a small college-ruled notebook. He texted back and forth with Lindsey about when she'd get to his house. After agreeing on 4:00, they played messenger games together until she had to go.