A Surprise Party?
Chapter Ten
"So how do you even know this guy?" I finally break the awkward silence.
"Um... Well, I had this girlfriend in high school." I gasp dramatically. Gerard laughs. "Yeah, I know." he says with a stupid grin on his face. "Anyway, I had this girlfriend and she wanted me to come down here to North Carolina for a family reunion. This guy, Joseph his name is, is her great-uncle and we hit it off pretty well. Us and some of her other family had stayed here for a few days when we came 'cause the place is so huge. That was before he went all crazy." he made sure to put quotations around that word with his hands. I don't know what to say.
"Don't worry, he's cool." he sounds more like he's trying to convince himself than me.
"Let's just go." I groan. Before we can pile out a long rectangle of light is strew across the fornt yard. It's all kinda grown up and needs a mowing, but I guess you could call it a yard.
A tall figure with a limp hobbles across the porch. He's got a shot gun.
"Who's out there?" a older man's scratchy and worn out voice calls.
"Gerard! Do something!" I hiss over at him. Slowly he opens the car door and climbs out. The man points the gun at him. Gerard puts his hand up in front of him to show him he means no harm.
"It's Gerard Way." It takes the man a moment to process that, but sure enough as soon as he does,
"Gerard! Gerard Way? No way!" he chuckles. Gerard relief laughs.
"Yeah." Gerard says in fond remembrance.
"I just saw you on the evenin' news!" The man says excitedly, his voice is till aged and rough though. He slowly limps down the dry porch steps, he comes to Gerard and clamps his hands on his shoulders in a fatherly way. "You did great kid!" Oh God. Gerard laughs. "You got that other kid with you? Frank Lero, is that his name?" Gerard laughs again.
"Frank Iero, and yeah he's in there. Frankie! Get out here!" I climb out awkwardly and come to the man. It's really cold tonight. I can see our breath. "Frankie, this is Joseph. Joseph, this is Frankie." The man nods.
"So you're the guy." He says to me, shaking my hand. I have to laugh at that, and I relax a bit.
"The guy?" I ask. He laughs too. Then silence.
"Well come in, come in. I just put a pot on." Joseph breaks it. Gerard turns and opens the car door to let Ray out. Joseph takes in Ray. The 'fro.
"And who's this?" he asks stiffly.
"Oh, he's just our new hostage. He's a phenomenal getaway driver."
"I see." Joseph relaxes.
Once we're in the house I can take in Joseph's appearance in it's entirety. He's tall and thin and across his left cheek there's a long fading scar. But beyond all his wrinkles you can see that he was once a very handsome man. A square jaw, shapely (now limp) lips, and eyes as blue as the sky. His white hair is in need of a trimming for his age. He's gotta be 70, and most guy's that age hair doesn't curl down around the nape of the neck. A grey wool golf hat perches on his head. There's a few holes in it it's so worn. He's wearing a threadbare navy blue corduroy jacket, various military metals and badges pinned on the front pockets. Dirty Carhartt pants hang round his long legs, made with tan duck material. Black scuffed combat boots hide his long feet.
He's worn out and a just little dirty.
He shows us from the parlor through the living room and to the kitchen, and you can say the same about the house. Every chair, every end table and every plank of wood on the floor seemed threadbare, parched, or in need of a good sweeping. I like it though.
In the kitchen there's a large pot of stew on the stove.
"I only make this much to last me a few days." he informs us. He motions us to sit down around the dark table. We do and he pours us coffee.
"So how's life been treating you, Joseph?" Gerard asks him as soon as he sits down with his own cup.
"Ah," he sighs. "same old. Don't talk to the family much anymore, I'm sure you heard about that though." Gerard nods. Joseph looks between Gerard and me, he seems to be ignoring the hostage.
"So you broke it off with Josie then, I presume." Gerard chuckles.
"I haven't talked to Josie in years." Joseph nods. I take a sip of the coffee.
"So.... bank robbing now, huh?" Joseph says casually like he's briefly mentioning the weather. Gerard, Ray and I have to burst out laughing.
"Uh... yup." Gerard manages. Joseph laughs too. Then he goes to check the stew.
"So you guys need a place to bunk then?" He asks.
"If it wouldn't be too much to ask." Gerard says politely.
"Of course not. I'm flattered you came all this way. You robbed the bank in Joch? That's quite a long way from here. I heard all about it on the news."
"What exactly did they say about us?" Gerard asks curiously.
"Oh, you know. The usual mumbo jumbo. It boiled down to you, wait, you held up your own surprise party! Gerard! You held up your own birthday?" He says laughing. Gerard smirks.
"I did."
"Dude." Ray interjects, he must not of heard about us, unlike Jane. Joseph tries to ignore Ray. Though I don't know why, he's the only reason we're even here.
"And that you took a hostage, Frank, and held up a place in New Jersey. You were on the run a few days until you did that place in Joch, where it was confirmed that Frank isn't really a hostage."
"I was at first." I say. "But then Gerard sucked me in." I say. Gerard laughs.
"That's right. I corrupted little Frankie." he says chuckling. Joseph smirks. He gets up to check the stew, deciding that it's done, and dishing up four bowls. He sets the bowls in front of us and I realize just how starving I am. I try to contain myself as Joseph and Gerard continue to chat. I wonder about the huge scare on Joseph's face. It'd be weird to just ask
him. I'll ask Gerard lat-
"I didn't even know you had been drafted!" Joseph pulls me out of my thoughts. "Gerard, we need to keep in contact, I shouldn't be hearing about these things on the news." Gerard laughs softly.
"Yeah. I don't really care for talking about it." he says, resting his hands in his lap. Joseph nods, knowingly. I chance it.
"Were you in any wars?" I ask. He nods.
"Yup. I was in The Great War." So he was in World War One.
"So is that how you got," I motion to my own cheek, still to shy to say it.
"My scar?" I nod. "Yup." he nods again.
"So Frank," He says to me. "tell me about yourself."
"Um... Well, I had this girlfriend in high school." I gasp dramatically. Gerard laughs. "Yeah, I know." he says with a stupid grin on his face. "Anyway, I had this girlfriend and she wanted me to come down here to North Carolina for a family reunion. This guy, Joseph his name is, is her great-uncle and we hit it off pretty well. Us and some of her other family had stayed here for a few days when we came 'cause the place is so huge. That was before he went all crazy." he made sure to put quotations around that word with his hands. I don't know what to say.
"Don't worry, he's cool." he sounds more like he's trying to convince himself than me.
"Let's just go." I groan. Before we can pile out a long rectangle of light is strew across the fornt yard. It's all kinda grown up and needs a mowing, but I guess you could call it a yard.
A tall figure with a limp hobbles across the porch. He's got a shot gun.
"Who's out there?" a older man's scratchy and worn out voice calls.
"Gerard! Do something!" I hiss over at him. Slowly he opens the car door and climbs out. The man points the gun at him. Gerard puts his hand up in front of him to show him he means no harm.
"It's Gerard Way." It takes the man a moment to process that, but sure enough as soon as he does,
"Gerard! Gerard Way? No way!" he chuckles. Gerard relief laughs.
"Yeah." Gerard says in fond remembrance.
"I just saw you on the evenin' news!" The man says excitedly, his voice is till aged and rough though. He slowly limps down the dry porch steps, he comes to Gerard and clamps his hands on his shoulders in a fatherly way. "You did great kid!" Oh God. Gerard laughs. "You got that other kid with you? Frank Lero, is that his name?" Gerard laughs again.
"Frank Iero, and yeah he's in there. Frankie! Get out here!" I climb out awkwardly and come to the man. It's really cold tonight. I can see our breath. "Frankie, this is Joseph. Joseph, this is Frankie." The man nods.
"So you're the guy." He says to me, shaking my hand. I have to laugh at that, and I relax a bit.
"The guy?" I ask. He laughs too. Then silence.
"Well come in, come in. I just put a pot on." Joseph breaks it. Gerard turns and opens the car door to let Ray out. Joseph takes in Ray. The 'fro.
"And who's this?" he asks stiffly.
"Oh, he's just our new hostage. He's a phenomenal getaway driver."
"I see." Joseph relaxes.
Once we're in the house I can take in Joseph's appearance in it's entirety. He's tall and thin and across his left cheek there's a long fading scar. But beyond all his wrinkles you can see that he was once a very handsome man. A square jaw, shapely (now limp) lips, and eyes as blue as the sky. His white hair is in need of a trimming for his age. He's gotta be 70, and most guy's that age hair doesn't curl down around the nape of the neck. A grey wool golf hat perches on his head. There's a few holes in it it's so worn. He's wearing a threadbare navy blue corduroy jacket, various military metals and badges pinned on the front pockets. Dirty Carhartt pants hang round his long legs, made with tan duck material. Black scuffed combat boots hide his long feet.
He's worn out and a just little dirty.
He shows us from the parlor through the living room and to the kitchen, and you can say the same about the house. Every chair, every end table and every plank of wood on the floor seemed threadbare, parched, or in need of a good sweeping. I like it though.
In the kitchen there's a large pot of stew on the stove.
"I only make this much to last me a few days." he informs us. He motions us to sit down around the dark table. We do and he pours us coffee.
"So how's life been treating you, Joseph?" Gerard asks him as soon as he sits down with his own cup.
"Ah," he sighs. "same old. Don't talk to the family much anymore, I'm sure you heard about that though." Gerard nods. Joseph looks between Gerard and me, he seems to be ignoring the hostage.
"So you broke it off with Josie then, I presume." Gerard chuckles.
"I haven't talked to Josie in years." Joseph nods. I take a sip of the coffee.
"So.... bank robbing now, huh?" Joseph says casually like he's briefly mentioning the weather. Gerard, Ray and I have to burst out laughing.
"Uh... yup." Gerard manages. Joseph laughs too. Then he goes to check the stew.
"So you guys need a place to bunk then?" He asks.
"If it wouldn't be too much to ask." Gerard says politely.
"Of course not. I'm flattered you came all this way. You robbed the bank in Joch? That's quite a long way from here. I heard all about it on the news."
"What exactly did they say about us?" Gerard asks curiously.
"Oh, you know. The usual mumbo jumbo. It boiled down to you, wait, you held up your own surprise party! Gerard! You held up your own birthday?" He says laughing. Gerard smirks.
"I did."
"Dude." Ray interjects, he must not of heard about us, unlike Jane. Joseph tries to ignore Ray. Though I don't know why, he's the only reason we're even here.
"And that you took a hostage, Frank, and held up a place in New Jersey. You were on the run a few days until you did that place in Joch, where it was confirmed that Frank isn't really a hostage."
"I was at first." I say. "But then Gerard sucked me in." I say. Gerard laughs.
"That's right. I corrupted little Frankie." he says chuckling. Joseph smirks. He gets up to check the stew, deciding that it's done, and dishing up four bowls. He sets the bowls in front of us and I realize just how starving I am. I try to contain myself as Joseph and Gerard continue to chat. I wonder about the huge scare on Joseph's face. It'd be weird to just ask
him. I'll ask Gerard lat-
"I didn't even know you had been drafted!" Joseph pulls me out of my thoughts. "Gerard, we need to keep in contact, I shouldn't be hearing about these things on the news." Gerard laughs softly.
"Yeah. I don't really care for talking about it." he says, resting his hands in his lap. Joseph nods, knowingly. I chance it.
"Were you in any wars?" I ask. He nods.
"Yup. I was in The Great War." So he was in World War One.
"So is that how you got," I motion to my own cheek, still to shy to say it.
"My scar?" I nod. "Yup." he nods again.
"So Frank," He says to me. "tell me about yourself."
I stayed up till 4 am reading this and I have absolutely no regrets <3
10/29/15