Two weeks later Brian and Jackie were back in their apartment. It had taken the police one week to estimate that the intruders had been drug addictives on their search for money for their next shot.
Frank Corey had helped them a lot. He really knew to repair everything. He repaired the cupboards, the couch and some other damaged furniture and helped to remove all the broken things that could not be repaired by anybody.
Brian appreciated Frank’s help, but still had an uneasy feeling about him. Although he had known him for two weeks now and always having him around the apartment when Frank did not need to work in his firm, Brian was still calling him “Mr. Corey”.
On a Thursday evening after the daily repairing und cleaning up had been done, Jackie asked Brian to come and sit down on their repaired couch. Brian sat down wondering what his mother wanted to talk about. They talked a lot. But Jackie normally wouldn’t ask Brian to sat down and have a serious talk-thingy. They would talk wherever they were, whatever about, no matter the time. Brian loved that fact about his mom. He always had the feeling he could tell her everything.
“Brian, I want to ask you a question…” Jackie’s voice trailed of while she was watching Brian nestling with the new handmade seams Lucy had stitched to repair the ripped pads of their couch.
Brian look up at his mother, not wanting to give her the impression he was not listening.
“Brian…I…” again Jackie did not finish her sentence.
Brian suddenly felt uneasy. They could talk about everything. What was his mothers problem now? What could suddenly be so hard to tell or ask?
“Shot!” Brian grinned, feeling the need to ease up the tension.
“Do you like Frank?” Jackie had to smile at her sons attitude to know when to break a joke to cheer someone up, to ease a situation down. He always had a great feeling intuition about situations. Maybe more than he should at the age of eight. She sometimes got the feeling he understood too much.
“Mr Corey. He was kind to help us. Almost everything is back to normal.” Brian said full well knowing that this wasn’t the answer his mother was looking for.
“Brian…I mean…Do you like him?”
Brian searched in his mothers eyes for her intentions. Did she like him? As in woman like man? Was she maybe even in love with him? The truth was that Brian did not like Frank and that he did not know why this was the case. He’d helped them. He was kind. But still…
Maybe his mom really liked him. It seemed to be important for her to know if he liked Frank as well. That was his mother. Always thinking of others first. Mostly it was him whom she always but on top priority. But it was also Lucy she thought of firt before thinking about herself. Or the patients in her dental practice… That was his mom. He was really proud about her. Maybe this time, he should turn the situation around. But that would mean…
He knew that he had to answer now. Else his mother would know he really had do sort out if he liked Frank or not. So he decided, for the first time in this life, to lie to his mother.
“Yeah, I really think he is cool. I like him!” Brian never thought he could have done that. Lying to his mother. But as he again looked into her eyes he saw joy in them. She bought it. And she liked it.
“I would like to meet him. Tomorrow evening. Lucy would be staying with you. You two could play some games since the TV…” Jackie trailed off.
Their TV had been stolen and had not been replaced yet. They simply did not have the money to buy another one. Not yet.
“Yes, that great. Lucy’s always fun!” Brian grinned, this time really meaning what he said. He liked Lucy.
“So…you are okay with it?” Jackie reassured while looking deep into her sons beautiful deep blue eyes.
“I’m fine!”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Another chapter finished...
