Chapter Three – Family
I SAT NEXT TO them on the couch awkwardly and waved with a tiny smile.
"Hey Mom, hi Joe," I muttered.
"I'm sorry about earlier Samantha. I was very rude. I was just surprised to see you," Joe said, with a sheepish smile on his face.
"I completely understand." I nodded. "Would you like to meet my... Friends?" I asked.
He froze, but then gave a stiff nod. Mom smiled slightly and nodded for me to get them. The tension in the air was so thick; you could cut it with a spoon. No knives required.
"Jack! Zack! Come here please!" I called. They should hear me. Their hearing is better than mine.
Jack came down the stairs and Zack came up the basement ones. Jack looked his normal self—as if I didn't whack him in the head with mine. I tried not to make eye contact with him because I was still angry with what happened earlier. It was uncalled for and he needs to suffer for it.
Zack walked in with an unsure expression on his face. Joe stood up carefully with almost trembling hands. You could tell he didn't believe my mom.
"This is Zack. And this is Jack," I introduced.
"Err, nice to meet you... I'm Joe," he muttered; not shaking hands. I understood though considering they were strangers.
"Show him I'm not crazy Sam," mom whispered.
I tried not to start laughing. She really wanted to prove him wrong. How could I show him? Would Zack care? My eyes drifted towards Zack as I almost waited for his approval. He wasn’t really looking at me, but at Joe.
"You can show him how you showed your mom last time..." Jack breathed in my ear; making me jump at his closeness.
I winced at the memory and suddenly a thought came to mind.
"Sure." I smiled at him like I had before when we were in my room..
Jack seemed surprised. I was surprised myself when he didn’t realize the mischievous smile I had. But then he suddenly questioned my statement.
I leaned in so confidently and kissed Zack for a second; feeling his warm lips on my—almost forgetting the audience. He always smiled when I did, but I was watching his eyes.
Nothing? Aw. I wondered why. But I didn't say anything. Well because that failed utterly, I had another idea. I gave a hard kick to Jack's leg. He groaned and fell down. Okay, I felt a little sorry for him.
He looked up at them this eyes shifting from a light green, to a red. Joe gasped, but was frozen where he was.
"Jeez. Did you have to kick me?" Jack grunted, standing up next to me.
"Um... Zack? Why don't you go ahead and start cooking?" I told him.
He nodded then headed through the kitchen door. My face was red from embarrassment of my sudden violent moment. Jack stood there next to me still. His stance was almost threatening. Was he worried that Joe might do something? I gave him a look.
"I'm going to see how Cassie is doing," he murmured and then patted me on the back and went down in the basement.
"Zack is a great cook. I hope you don't mind him cooking…" I was uncomfortable then.
Was that a smart thing to show what they are? As Twiads? Maybe that was a bad idea. I headed down in the basement to see Cassie. I needed something to hold.
When I entered the room, I saw Jack bouncing Cassie on his leg. He was sitting in a chair in the corner. I watched him play with her; talking to her sweetly. Then I walked in to see him from a closer view.
"Hey... sorry about earlier..." I looked into his eyes to show that I was serious.
"Which time? Head butt or kick?" he asked in a teasing tone.
"Both…" I admitted.
He put Cassie down in her crib gently. She fell asleep within seconds with her arm around her blue teddy. I headed into the bathroom. When I went to close the door, a foot stopped it. Jack pushed open the door and closed it behind him.
"Out!" I commanded.
"You should stay here.”
"Aw. Not this again!" I closed the toilet lid and sat down.
"Zack agrees with me. Maybe we should leave you here with your mom."
"No! You will not!" I nearly shouted.
He shook his head frustrated. My breathing was heavier the angrier I got. Why couldn’t he just accept that I was going?
"I have Henry's number. I can go with him," I muttered.
His eyes flashed to mine in an almost threatening way. I scowled at him.
"How did you get his number?"
"He gave it to me in case this happened."
He huffed and headed out of the bathroom. I closed the door and used the bathroom—taking my sweet time washing my hands. Then I headed out of the bathroom. But suddenly something hit me hard on the side. I was tackled onto the bed.
Jack pinned me down. Really? Three times in one day?
"What the heck Jack!" I shouted in a whisper.
"You didn't defend yourself. See. Not ready to go," he whispered in my ear.
"Of course I wasn't expecting this. I'm on earth coming out of the freakin’ bathroom!"
He rolled his eyes at me. I wanted to spit. I knew I couldn't do the head thing. I might cause a concussion. Don’t want that...
"What is wrong with you?" I demanded as I tried to wiggle from his grasp.
His eyebrows pushed together in confusion. I just watched his eyes as he looked over my face as if he were looking for a fault in my expression.
"Third time tackling me…?" I explained.
"The first time was just for fun. The second was for a talk. And this time was a test."
I managed to get my right leg out without him noticing. I moved it and then hit him in the back. He seemed startled. I got my hands free and hit him in a pressure point in his neck. Then I rolled so I was on top—pinning him down.
He chuckled and used his legs without me knowing. He grabbed my neck from behind me. I tumbled backwards off the bed and stood up.
"Nice try." He smiled.
"Jerk!" I hissed and darted from the room as quietly as I could without disturbing Cassie.
I went into the living room where mom was sitting watching TV. She smiled when she was me. I sat next to her and sighed.
"Where's George Clooney?" I asked, referring to Joe.
She laughed and then sighed. "He went to get dessert... and clear his head."
"I'm sorry."
"It’s not your fault. I think he's just shocked that I was right Sammy." She patted my leg.
Zack came out and seemed unsure whether to sit with us or not. I motioned for him to.
"The roast, potatoes and carrots are in the oven," he announced quietly.
He sat next to me on the couch. Mom was eyeing him cautiously. I patted her hand and her and I started talking about the old days. Zack seemed to settle in his seat a little more as we chatted.
She laughed. "Remember the first day of cheerleading? When Hannah was so nervous she accidentally went into the men's changing room instead of the girl's?"
I laughed and turned to Zack. He was smiling at me. I wanted to include him in the conversation.
"Hannah is one of my best friends and she gets nervous super easily. She forced me to try out for cheerleading. But I only did it for what? A month?" I asked mom.
"Oh yeah, you quit as soon as she felt okay with cheerleading. You hated it." She shook her head.
"What did she do after that?" Zack asked my mom. I smiled internally when he asked her.
She froze. Then I smiled at her. She seemed a little more at ease.
"She did soccer and broke her leg the first week; but got right back on that field. She was one of the best there were," she told him proudly.
I smiled embarrassed.
"Where is Jack?' he asked.
"Down in the basement...” I muttered. Zack looked at me confused. But before he could ask, a buzzer went off in the kitchen. He leaped up to go take the roast out.
The front door opened a minute later and Joe walked in; a fake smile on his face. At least he was trying.
He carried a bag full of Ben & Jerry's ice cream; enough for each of us to have two. I tried not to laugh. He headed into the kitchen.
Poor guy. I thought as he walked out a few minutes later and sat next to mom.
"So.. Um.. Joe. What kind of doctor are you?" I asked politely.
"I'm a cancer doctor." He seemed pleased by my asking him a normal question.
"Do you like it?"
"It has its ups and downs. Saving a life… Losing one."
"Have you had any other jobs before that?"
That started a whole story. Joe used to work as a blacksmith, till the place burned down ironically (Ha, ha. Get it? Ironically?) And he had money saved from that and went to medical school.
He lived with ten other guys and played in a band.
"So have you been married before? I hope that's not being rude…" I worried.
He laughed. "Yes I was married before. I have a daughter and a son. My daughter is your age. Her name is Liz and my son is a few years older. His name is Danny. He's going to Harvard right now." He seemed proud.
Wow. I have a step-brother and sister? Weird. I bet they lived with their mom mostly.
I have two twin half-brothers. My dad remarried a few years after the divorce. It wasn't a big thing. My parents are still good friends. They talk every month or so.
Zack came out and motioned to me.
"I'll be right back," I told them and went into the kitchen.
"Would you help me set the table?" he asked.
"Sure... Mm. Smells good," I commented.
"Thank you." He kissed me on the cheek.
He helps me out so much. I kissed him on the cheek then headed through another door in the kitchen that led into a fancy dining room. I put nice plates down and napkins and forks.
"It’s time to eat!" I called through the door.
Mom and Joe came in. I walked to the basement to get Cassie and Jack.
"Food is ready…" I told him.
"Good. Starving." He smiled. I reached for Cassie. But Jack grabbed her first.
"I'll carry her," he told me. I looked at him questioningly and then smiled.
We went upstairs. I grabbed the little highchair for her to sit in.
Joe was sitting at the end, with mom on his left. And I sat next to Joe on the other side.
Jack put Cassie between me and Joe. He smiled at her. I didn't know he knew there was a baby here. He was so startled when he first came home.
Cassie was sweet and didn't make a sound. Zack sat next to me. And Jack sat on the other end. Mom seemed more comfortable with the chair being empty beside her.
Everyone started passing the food around. I grabbed the carrots and potatoes and smashed them in a bowl for Cassie; adding a little milk to cool it down.
I felt like I was being stared at. I looked up. Everyone was looking at me.
"What?" I asked. Zack and Jack looked back at the food and worked on putting it on their plates. Joe smiled at me then put it some carrots on his plate. Mom smiled at me.
"You take care of her so well," she told me.
Hearing that from my mom is like hearing you're the most beautiful person in the world. She used to get onto me for not taking care of Memo right, when I was just minutes late of feeding her.
"Thanks mom…" I smiled and started feeding Cassie.
Cassie seemed to be feeding herself pretty well. I started eating. Then I heard someone clear their throat.
"This is very good... Um, err Zack,” mom complimented in almost a choke.
"Thank you." He smiled kindly.
"Thank you for cooking, it’s delicious," Joe muttered. This was a big step for them. I knew Zack would win them over with his amazing cooking.
We ate in silence while enjoying the amazing food. And then after everyone including Cassie finished. We got up.
"Joe and I will clean up. You three pick out a movie," mom said.
"No. Jack and I will clean," Zack told them.
She smiled and nodded. She and Joe headed into the living room. I walked with them, holding Cassie.
They sat down on the loveseat. Mom held her arms out for Cassie. I handed her to her and then sat on the couch.
She and Joe played with her. I had to smile. It was an adorable site. Cassie seemed so happy to be sitting there—though they were just strangers to her. She must somehow know that they wouldn’t harm her.
"So... How did you two meet?" I asked as I tried to strike up a conversation.
They both laughed.
"We met about a year ago?" Joe asked.
"Yes. And it was love at first site…" Mom laughed.
"She came in the hospital when I was on clinic duty with a burned hand from a cooking incident. So I wrapped her hand up and gave her pills. Then, being the charming man I am, I asked her out to dinner. She was so beautiful… Still is." He laughed.
I smiled. They were obviously in love.
"I had used my looks to lure him to cook for me," she teased.
"Well it worked!" He chuckled loudly and pulled her closer.
"We finished cleaning up," Jack said as he came in with a tray of the ice creams Joe had bought.
Zack came in with spoons and sat to my right. Jack sat the tray on the coffee table and sat next to me on my left. Joe got up and put a movie in. an action adventure movie. I watched the fighting scenes. I should remember this.
Each of us grabbed a different container of ice cream. I grabbed Phish food and smiled when I remembered the day my Cassie was born. Jack grabbed chunky monkey. And Zack grabbed Cherry Garcia. Mom fed her strawberry cheesecake ice cream to Cassie.
Jack and Zack would sneak a bite from mine. As revenge I took some of theirs too. I leaned on Jack and put my legs on Zack's lap.
The movie finished, along with seven containers of ice cream. I have no idea how we ate seven…
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