Family moments

Caroline was finishing cooking dinner. She had made fish and chips with mushy peas, a very English recipe and one of James’s favorites. She looked out the kitchen window and saw the wind move the leaves on the trees, the street looked pretty quiet. She thought about the fact that her husband will leave to his new assignment in two days and she was going to be left alone with Claudine and Robert. She wished James could just get another job, one that could allow him to spend more time with his family, just like the job at the bank he had when they got married. Like any mother and wife, she wanted the best for her family. She knew Claudine was growing up and she was starting to resent the absence of her father, but there was no way it could affected her the way it had affected Robert. After all Claudine was a girl and her mother could be there to help her with anything she needed, but what Caroline lamented the most was how the relationship between Robert and James had weakened and almost ended, it was almost as if Robert would have been left to face the world on his own.

The sound of the guitar notes coming out of Robert’s room snapped Caroline out of her thoughts; she turned the stove off and went upstairs to listen closely to such a beautiful melody he was playing. She opened his door and saw him seated on his bed looking out the window with the guitar on his hands. He stopped as he saw her.

“Hey mum”. He smiled at her.

Unlike other days she noticed a slight trace of joy on his face.  There was nothing that could make her feel better than to know that her family was happy.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you honey but it sounds so beautiful, what song is it?” .She said walking closer and sitting on the edge of the bed.

“It’s a song I’ve been working on since a year ago; I’m rehearsing it because I signed to audition on Monday to be in the school band”.

“Really? Would you let me hear it again?”. Caroline asked him.

Robert looked down and placed his fingers on the guitar strings started to play the same song again. He closed his eyes as if the sound of the notes were coming from deep inside him. His mother was astonished of how talented he was, about how could someone who had suffered so much emotionally could write and play such a beautiful music. She smiled at him as he was playing and even a little tear escaped her eyes.

He opened up his eyes as he finished playing and looked at her.

“Mum are you crying?”. He asked concerned.

“A little, but is because this sounds so beautiful, you are very talented sweetheart, I know you can accomplish anything you want”.

“You really think that?”.

“Of course, you are very smart and so strong, you shouldn’t worry about the challenges life gives you, because you know what?, you will kick them in the butt”. Caroline said chuckling.

“I love you mum”. Robert said placing his guitar to the side and reaching to hug her and kiss her on the forehead.

“Why you kiss me on the forehead, you make me feel like a granny”. Caroline joked.

Robert smiled, got down from bed and walked to his closet to put the guitar back on his case. He felt some tears wanted to come out of his eyes from the touching words his mother had tell him, but he hated to show his feelings, so he simply turned around and wiped them out of his eyes.

“Mum I’m hungry”. Little Claudine said to her as she was standing at the door.

“Dinner is ready honey; would you go call your dad please? He is on the garage”. Caroline told her.

“Yes mommy”. Claudine said running downstairs.

Robert closed his closet door and turned to his mother. She looked at him as she stands up from the bed.

“Dinner is ready, we should go downstairs”.

“I’m gonna go wash my hands; I’ll be down in a minute mum”.

Caroline walked out of the room and went to the kitchen.

They were all reunited like a beautiful family having dinner on a Saturday night. They were all quiet as they were enjoying the delicious fish and chips. But after eating, Claudine was the first one to break the silence.

“At what time do you leave tomorrow daddy?”. She asked.

“But I will have to take a flight to England first to do some paperwork in person”.

“Good for you I wish I could fly there right now”. Robert said sarcastically.

“Please don’t start again Robert; you are old enough to be complaining about silly things”. James answered him. He could not bear the idea of his son being a plaintive; he wanted him to have a stronger attitude just like the one he had acquired during his military training.

“It’s going to be all right this place is not that bad, just give it some time and I’m sure you will find something you can like in here”. Caroline stepped into the conversation trying to change the subject.

“Yeah Robert is not so bad, like our neighbors they’re really nice”. Claudine said.

“Oh yes I almost forgot to tell you, our  neighbor next door came this morning and she invited us to have dinner at her house tomorrow night”. Caroline told James.

“Really? Well that’s weird”. James replied. He was surprised that someone they haven’t even spoke to had invited them to their house.

“She seems very nice; she just wants to welcome us to the neighborhood I guess”. Caroline said.

“She has a daughter and she has a cat, is adorable”. Claudine added.

“Who, the daughter or the cat?” James joked with Claudine.

Robert chuckled at the joke.

“Have you talked to her?”. James asked.

“She goes to the same school as me, she seems nice, but I haven’t talked so much with her”. He said.

He did not feel like telling them about the times he had talked to her and how rude he had been to her, like when  she had come to their house, or when they found her cat, and he was surely not about to tell them of their little encounter at the park that very morning.

“You should befriend her, I mean she lives next to us and she goes to the same school as you. Maybe she could even show you the city and introduce you to her friends”. Caroline said to Robert.

He smiled as she was speaking. Even when he liked the idea of befriend such a beautiful girl, he knew he had made her feel uncomfortable the three times they have talked. So the idea of being friends with her was not as easy as it seemed.

“I don’t think I want to be friends with girls’ mom, that’s kind of lame”. Robert replied.

His answer shocked his mother. “Why lame?”.  More than ask, Caroline talked as if she was demanding a fair answer from him.

The more they talked about any Nerissa-related conversation, the more nervous he got. Grabbing a napkin and folding it with his hands, Robert thought of an answer for his mother, he knew Nerissa could never be lame or a waste of time, but his pride still kept him from accept the way she made him feel.

“I just mean that I won’t be hanging out at school with a bunch of girls”. Robert finally answered.

“Well but that doesn’t mean that a girl’s friendship is lame. Try making guy friends then”. Caroline replied.

“I’m just fine like this mom, and besides what is the point of making friends if I’m gonna have to leave them in two years?”. Robert answered getting up from the table.

He’d just take any opportunity to reproach his parents about moving from Brentwood.

 James slapped the table with his palm. “That’s enough Robert”.- He said rising his voice and firmly looking at him, at the time Robert held his gaze on him as well while closing his hands to a fist.

Claudine had gotten so scared that she stood up from her chair and ran to hug her mother. “That’s all right honey”. Caroline told her scared daughter while she was caressing her hair. Robert turned to look at his mother and noticed the sad and scared look on her eyes, and then he looked at Claudine who was looking at him with fear.

“I’m sorry mum”. He said before leaving.