No Name | Completed

Chapter 64 - Dinner With Gerald

After a few hours of surfing, Jared dragged me back to the house for the dreaded dinner with Gerald. We entered the house to what sounded like singing and when we both rounded the corner, it was safe to say I wanted to melt into oblivion.

Gerald and Mom were swaying back and forth, his hands riding low on her hips and he was singing into her ear. She was giggling. Like a school girl.

Jared elbowed me to snap me out of my obvious look of disgust, but his own expression didn't scream excitement. He cleared his throat sending the two sprawling apart like teenagers caught making out on the front porch.

"Oh god," I groaned under my breath.

"Welcome!" Gerald bellowed, throwing his hands out wide with a pudgy grin on his face. Mom was blushing, her hands behind her back like a child.

Kill me.

Jared and I grimaced at each other and quickly grabbed a seat at the kitchen table, the sound of silverware clinking against the table and Mom maneuvering pans around the stovetop filling the awkward silence.

"How was the surfing?" Gerald asked as he took a seat next to me, forcing Jared to kick me underneath the table to make me stifle my obvious look of horror.

"The surf was alright, Gerald!" Jared quickly replied, his eyes staring a hole into the side of my head.

Mom sat a casserole dish in the center of the table and took a seat next to Jared, resting the pot holders next to the dish.

"Jared honey, isn't it funny how you and Gerald have such similar names?" Mom grinned like a mad woman. Well, she obviously was mad. Simply bonkers. She went from our Father to...to this.

"Let's call him Jersey, solves that," I murmured under my breath. Jared kneed me. "Ow!"

I shot him a glare and huffed in frustration. Jared shoved the serving spoon into my hand and grinned back at Mom and Gerald.

"Excuse her Gerald, it's that time of the month if you know what I mean," Jared shrugged. My jaw snapped shut as I shook my head and Gerald coughed uncomfortably.

"What's up with you two?" Mom asked.

"Nothing," we both grumbled.

"Did she lose a surf contest with you?" Gerald wondered.

"Um, no." I sent Gerald a hard gaze before he caved and stared at his plate.

Something in my heart shifted at the look of hurt in his eyes even if it was my intention. Suddenly, I could feel my own Father's compassionate disappointment in my treatment toward Gerald.

I stared at the unusual pair in front of me, feeling Jared's gaze on me from my right and I sighed.

Really, I shouldn't feel guilty. Why should I have to accept a new father figure in our life? Especially so soon after his death? It simply wasn't fair and I felt I had every right to be unhappy with them. I felt my Mom was betraying my dead father. How could she? She called my Dad her soulmate.

This was a concession to that lie. How could they have been soulmates if she was able to be with Gerald? Either she was a liar or a traitor. My anger reignited, I glanced away from them and forked some casserole into my mouth.

Mom audibly swallowed as she filled her plate.

"Alice, honey, are you all packed to head back?" She placed the salad tongs back into the bowl and passed it to Gerald.

"Yep," I murmured with a full mouth.

"Did you need any help with—"

"Nope."