Chapter 6 - Home
I've been in the world 37 hours. I've seen pancakes and stairs and birds and windows and hundreds of cars and clouds and police and doctors and grandma and grandpa. But Ma says they don't live together in the hammock house anymore. Grandma lives there with her friend Leo now. And grandpa lives far away.
I've seen persons with different faces, bigness and spells all together. The world is like all TV planets at the same time. So I don't know which way to look and listen. There's doors and more doors and behind all the doors there's another inside and another outside and things happen happen happen, it never stops.
Plus, the world's always changing brightness and hotness. And there's invisible germs floating everywhere. When I was small, I only knew small things. But now I'm 5, I know everything.
They got to Jill and Leo's house, there was a big crowd outside. Jack had to cover his ears because of the noise, it was too much.
"We're walking out on this?" Beca asked.
"Come on sweetie, it's okay just pick him up." Jill said.
Beca did and they ran inside. She put him down as soon as they got inside and she checked on him.
It was April so it was starting to get hot out.
"Are you okay?" Beca asked Jack, kneeling down to his level.
Jack nodded.
"Is everything okay?" Jill asked Beca.
"Don't worry, they'll get bored quickly," the family lawyer said. "Keep your blinds and curtains closed and you should have privacy. We'll be outside if you need us."
"Okay, thank you," Jill said before talking to Beca. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Beca said before addressing Jack, "You wanna take your shoes off?"
Jack nodded.
They headed downstairs to the living room. Jack froze at the sight of stairs.
"Come on Jack, one step at a time."
Beca had to basically pick him up and help him down the few steps to the living room.
"Hello," Leo said coming out of the kitchen.
"Hi," Beca said.
"Welcome home, hon. I'm very, very happy to see you," Leo said with a smile.
"Thank you," Beca said.
"Jack, this is Leo. He's been grandma's friend since your mom was little," Jill said.
"Hey they sport," Leo said to Jack.
Jack turned around in his mother's arms so his back was facing Leo.
"Mom?" Beca asked.
"Yeah?" Jill asked.
"Have you talked to.. to the Bellas?" Beca asked. "I'm not gonna lie, I thought I'd see them first thing."
"I talked to them, but we thought you'd want to wait because of Jack. After all, he's little to no immunity," Jill said.
Beca nodded but she felt disappointed as she sat down on the couch with Jack.
"So what can I get you? Anyone hungry, we have everything," Leo said.
"People have been so kind," Jill said. "Jack, do you want anything to drink?"
Jack didn't answer.
"Jack, grandma asked you a question," Beca said.
Jack leaned in to his mother's side.
"Juice," he said.
"He'd like some juice please," Beca said. "And I'm good, thanks."
Beca looked at Jack.
"You know, when grandma asks you a question, you can answer her," Beca said. "You don't need to say everything to me."
"Ma," Jack said. "What are those?"
Jack pointed a bunch of toys that were in front of the fireplace. There were so many, he'd never seen anything like it.
"Oh those are gifts for you, from people that are very happy that we're home," Beca said. "Let's see them."
Beca and Jack sat in front of the toys and Beca grabbed a card that was on top. Weird, why would random people leave a card for Jack?
"This is from the Bellas," Beca said, her eyes filled with tears. "They're very happy that we're home and can't wait to see us."
"Who are they?" Jack asked.
"Remember Chloe?" Beca asked and Jack nodded. "She's a part of the Barden Bellas. Or at least was. They were an a cappella group that I was in. You know what a cappella is, little dude?"
Jack shook his head no.
"It's singing without any instruments," Beca said.
Her father came back, complaining about the lawyer and the trial. Beca knew this was just the beginning.
"Do you want a drink, Ethan?" Leo offered Ethan.
"Scotch on the rocks, or whatever you have," Ethan said.
"Sure," Leo said.
Jack turned to the window and stared out.
"Where's ice cream and the hammock?" he asked.
"I don't know where the hammock is," Beca said. "But we can have ice cream after dinner."
"What's this?" He asked his mother, grabbing a weird looking toy from between the back of the couch and the window.
"That's a doggie toy," Beca said. "Do you have a dog?"
"Oh that's Leo's dog's, Seamus," Jill said.
"He's with my brother, living the country life," Leo said with a smile.
"The doctor said to avoid pets until your immunity's back up," Jill said, handing Jack his juice.
Beca nodded.
"Mom, where's Chloe?" She asked. The question she's been dying to ask since she got out.
"The same thing as the Bellas, honey, we thought you might want to wait because of Jack," Jill said.
"But mom I wanna see Chloe," Beca said.
"Okay, I see, we'll talk to her," Jill promised. "So, is there anything you'd like to do?"
"I wanna see Chloe," Beca said.
"That will be arranged," Jill said. "For now?"
"I wanna see my room," Beca said.
Jill took Beca and Jack up to Beca's old room and Beca sighed as she looked at it. She missed it so much, more than that stinky dorm at Barden. What was she going to do about Barden?
"This was your mom's old room, Jack," Jill said to Jack.
"I missed this," Beca said, going inside, grabbing her stuff.
"So maybe tomorrow we can cut that hair, what do you say Jack?" Jill asked.
Jack shook his mother's arm and whispered something in her ear.
"True, dude," Beca said. "He says this is where his strong is."
Beca smiled at her mom and Jill chuckled and nodded.
"Well, I'll leave you two to it," Jill said. "I'll call you when dinner is ready."
"Okay," Beca said, sitting down with her old album. She didn't like taking pictures but Chloe did and she took a lot of them. "Oh my God, Chloe."
"That's Chloe?" Jack asked.
"Yeah," Beca said. "She's even more beautiful than I remembered."
Jack said nothing.
"Recognize me?" She showed him a picture of her and Chloe.
"That's you?" He asked. "No way!"
"Yeah, that's me!" Beca said. "That was in college, right after our first date."
Jack remained quiet.
"See? That's my a cappella group. That's Stacie Conrad and Aubrey Posen, that's Chloe's best friend, and Fat Amy-"
"You called her fat?" Jack asked.
"Yeah she asked us to," Beca said. "They're so much fun. Hopefully you'll meet them."
"Why are they fun?" Jack asked.
"Because they are, they're so sweet and nice," Beca said. "I want to see them, I'm dying to see them."
"Beca? Jack? Dinner is ready," Leo said from the stairs.
"Come on, Jack," Beca said, putting the pictures down.
oO0Oo
After dinner, everyone was eating apple pie made by Jill, except for Jack. He was staring at everyone and not eating his dessert.
"It's really good, Jill," Ethan said.
"Thank you," Jill said with a smile.
"Why aren't you eating, Jack? It's apple pie, you like apples," Beca said.
"How about some ice cream?" Jill offered.
"Want some ice cream instead?" Beca asked and Jack nodded.
Jill gave him some before sitting down to enjoy her apple pie.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"Now you can say it louder than that," Beca said.
"Thank you," he said a little bit louder.
Jill and Leo chuckled.
"Thank you for being polite," Beca said before smiling at her mother.
"You know, I think I'm gonna turn in, it's been a long day," Ethan said, wiping his mouth and getting up.
"Is everything okay dad?" Beca asked.
"Yeah," he said.
"Dad, you still haven't said a word to Jack," Beca said. "Don't think I haven't noticed."
"Beca," Jill said.
Ethan said nothing.
"Look at him, dad," Beca said.
Ethan was reluctant but he looked at Jack.
"I'm sorry, Jack," he said. "I'm sorry Beca, I'm still not used to the idea of you having his kid,"
"He's nobody's but mine, dad," Beca said. "You know that."
"I know. Anyway, I'll turn in. Goodnight everybody," Ethan said before leaving.
I know a lot of you were expecting Chloe but ya gotta be patient ;) but it'll be worth it, don't worry