Man to man talk incoming!
Chapter Twenty-One: Cigars and Sleds
"Sheldon, give me a hand, will you," Frank bellowed as Sheldon walked down the staircase. Seconds before in the kitchen, Amy told him that Frank needed help downstairs and that he should bring his coat and wear his gloves.
"What are we doing?" asked Sheldon as his foot landed at the last step.
Frank stood at the opened French doors, his hands on his hips. "Grilling."
He shook his head in shock. "In winter?"
"In winter, yes. Why not in winter?" Frank chuckled. "Here, help me move this grill."
"I just thought grilling is concurrent to summer," Sheldon grunted as he lifted the other end of the grill. The porch doesn't extend that much so they have to grill further into a small wooden platform with an awning extending a few feet away from the house.
Frank answered, also out of breath. "It is but there's no law in forbidding it in winter."
"Should I go get some wood fire? I-I never touched an axe but I thought I could figure it out. It's plain classical mechanics. Notably useful is Newton's second law which dictates that force is equal to mass multiplied by acceleration: F=ma." A certain shiver of his voice appeared like he was out of breath. In reality, he was terrified of what would happen if Frank wanted him to stay even further.
A few hours ago, they were alone waiting outside his house. At least, that was in a residential place. Now, he and Frank would be alone with no one around. Every man would be frightened about a wife's brother, especially when the said brother knew about their hasty marriage and seemed like he could throw a punch just for a hell of it.
"You could do that. However, black bears populate this part of the state, so just beware of black lumps on the ground. You might rouse it from their hibernation," Frank said in nonchalance, which in turn frightened him more.
Trying to mask the panic, Sheldon composed himself. "Ummm… I-I could bring a bear spray. And-and they are not that fast in winter, aren't they?" he chuckled fearfully. "I could outrun them. Is there an axe somewhere here?" He moved his head around in an attempt to search for a weapon. Also, he doesn't want his brother-in-law to witness his horrified face.
"Sheldon…" Frank called out. "There's no need to gather some wood. This is a gas grill."
He sighed. "Oh, that—is reassuring." Phew, that was a close call.
"Although, the fireplaces upstairs might need some firewood."
Uh-oh. "O-On it. Where is the axe?" Sheldon frantically moved his head to prove to Frank that he can be useful in this household. Bears be damned. I'm a physicist, I can smack down a bear in the swing of an axe.
Frank watched in amazement. "Sheldon, I was just kidding around," he revealed in a light manner. He was hoping to ease the feel of winter to his rookie Californian brother-in-law. What good way to scare him a little and boost his adrenaline. Everybody needs that kind of push in winter.
"Hmp. Alright," Sheldon still kept his head. Although, chills jolted up his neck caused by his bear imagination and the ensuing cool wind coming from the east. I could have brought down a scarf.
"Why are you being silent now? Did I frighten you with the bear thing? Oh, I'm so sorry, Sheldon. I usually do that when I have visitors, just to lighten the mood." Frank chuckled meekly. He retrieved a nondescript propane tank from inside and carried it with one hand, balancing it against his body weight.
Sheldon shook his head in realization, grabbing the handgrip on the other side to help Frank. "No, it's not the bear. Although, I was really lying that I could outrun them. It's just that . . . the thing we did at that viewing deck made me feel guilty. Amy said you were giving us the looks when we caught up to you at the cable car."
"The looks she was talking about was this." Frank nodded his head slowly, a sly smile creeping up his face, as he brought his thumbs up. The I-saw-what-you-did-there look. A classic gesture of every big brother. Even Georgie gave him that once when he was forced to tutor a girl for their class.
"Oh," he said in realization. "I-I thought you were angry."
Frank shook his head no as he attached the hose to the tank. Another sigh of relief.
"Another thing to be angry about: Amy and I got married on a whim and didn't tell anybody, except my mother and her mother."
Frank shrugged as he looked up. "So? I don't have a bone to pick with you. I don't see why I should hold a grudge."
"But—"
Frank stopped him, "Amy told me about this."
"She even wasn't done laying down the rules for when I meet you, but I know how to mingle with people properly," Frank said candidly. "Don't think so hard about how I'll treat you. I'm a grown man, Sheldon. And I have a family. I respect the people my family values. My sister values you. There is no other reason where you would frustrate me. Just don't injure, batter, bruise, lacerate, scar Amy. A lot of people love that woman."
"I could barely swing an axe, more so hurt Amy. And believe me when I say that I am one of those people who admire her."
The men exchanged knowing looks. Frank, a look of gratitude at the man in front of him, treating her sister like he would treat her. Sheldon, in awe at the unpretentious brother-in-law who had nothing but good things to say. Both hoped nothing will shift once they get to know each other.
"What are we cooking?" Sheldon asked as he observed Frank tinker with the knobs of both the grill and the tank.
"We have steak, sausages, some chicken kebab, and we're gonna roast some vegetables," Frank replied, all too excited about the food. "We'll heat this grill first. It's been sitting here in the cold for quite some time."
Frank brought his attention back to the observing Sheldon and said, "For the meantime, let's go up and get what we're cooking."
They went back up to the main floor, where everything settled. Amy and Dee, with the help of Sunny, managed to prepare trays of uncooked food for them to cook.
They returned back down and then outside, first bringing the vegetables.
"Do you have a big appetite? I'm sure you and I will be the ones eating the leftovers." Frank peeked inside the two aluminum foil pack, laying it seam up on the grill.
"Not a fan of leftovers, but I have yet to try leftovers a few minutes after dinner. Usually, the leftovers I frequent are those of which stayed in the fridge overnight."
Frank clicked his tongue and shook his head. "You're a very eloquent man, huh?"
"Well, I appreciate that. I'm informed that you are as well. Dee told me that you're a professor," Sheldon returned the favor as they each dragged one cherry red chair that was stacked on the porch. They dragged along a folding table and plopped it in the snow-covered ground.
"Indeed, I am. I just recently got promoted to associate professor at UNH's main campus. Been with them for 6 years now," Frank replied, laying down the remaining vegetables on the side of the grill.
"I've been with Caltech for 20 years now. Four years were spent in graduate school and the other as a faculty."
Frank tittered as he sat down on his chair. "There's no competition, Sheldon. We get it, you're a genius."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was not bragging, I thought we were talking about employment so I pitched in."
His brother-in-law turned to him in seriousness. "That was a joke, Sheldon."
Sheldon nodded "I didn't realize that. Thank you for clearing that up. I apologize."
"Amy said that you rarely apologize to anyone. More often than not, she said that you kinda hate apologizing because—and I quote—`I am always right'."
"But you're my wife's brother, which means that I am obliged to treat you well, which means that apologizing is not a choice. And besides, I don't know you that much for me to take a risk of being contemptuous. One minute, you'll ask me to accompany you to grill like were some ol' pal, and next one, you'll body slam me to the snow, and when I regain my consciousness, my torso is flaming because you had laid me down to the grill and tortured me." Sheldon breathed heavily, envisioning the Ancient Roman torture device that he and Dee were talking about hours ago.
"Wow, your imagination is wild, no? Are you sure you haven't consumed any edibles in the past hour?"
Frank grabbed an aluminum growler force into the snow. Where did that come from? Sheldon thought at the clever camouflage of the aluminum against the white ground. A golden tap ran the vertical of its body, stopping by the neck and extending outward.
"The only drug this man consumes is knowledge. And once my neighbor made me drink coffee so that we can finish a thousand hair berets overnight for the East Rutherford's LGBT Alliance Luau that my roommate stupidly allowed as a One Day rush delivery." He watched as Frank turned the tap on and liquid started pouring down into a glass. "What is this?" Sheldon asked as he gazed upon golden, fizzy concoction in a surprisingly slender and tapered glass.
"Try it. That's craft beer." Frank took a sip from his brimming glass, foam accumulating on his beard. "You know what? You and Amy are like twins, you never run out of stories."
Sheldon stared at his half-filled glass. "Amy recently told me that the reason for her not telling me that she has a brother was because of my penchant for always talking about myself. She said that she couldn't tell her stories because she doesn't want to interrupt me when I tell my stories." He took a meager sip, testing its mouthfeel by stirring it in his taste buds, and jerked his head "Ooh, that tastes different."
"Local brewery in Concord. Thought it might interest you. I know you rarely drink, so half a glass it is." He raised his glass. "You better let her tell her stories now. I bet you've talked her ears too much she might ask for a divorce."
"Oh God, I hope not."
"Why not?"
"Are you insane? I wouldn't break up with Amy. And divorce is a process I couldn't stomach. I just hope you haven't talked Dee's ears off too much that she might divorce you," he said flailing his arm. His genuine side seeping out: proud and unfiltered.
"Well, it's easier for us. She can just walk away and leave me behind," Frank nonchalantly said, pushing his back against the chair.
"What are you talking about?" Sheldon faced him, baffled. "You're not married, are you?"
"No. But your tone is kinda accusatory. You're making me guilty for not marrying her."
"Why didn't you marry her? Isn't that every woman's dream? To get married to the love of their life while their family and friends are gathered to celebrate their union."
Frank gave him that look. "Pfft . . . you're no good either. You and Amy never told us or anyone, for that matter, that you got married. Even Dad didn't bother to tell me. I got to confront her right when she arrived here in New Hampshire. Saw her wearing some rings that awfully looked like the real deal."
Shedon shrugged. "Well, sorry. That was a hasty decision. Did Amy tell you why we got married?"
"She did, and I with that, there is a reason for me to punch you in the face." Exactly at that moment, Frank swiftly put his glass on the table separating them and stood up from his chair.
Sheldon jolted, almost ready to throw the glass at Frank to defend himself. "Amy!" he shouted, looking cautiously at the man. Instead, Frank approached the grill, much to his relief.
"Relax, Sheldon. One thing to know about me: I make a lot of jokes and I forgive people. You're forgiven," Frank said, moving around the mushrooms and broccolini on the low fire. "But why would you and Amy do that? Just to get rid of a contract you made when you were a teen? And Amy fell for that bullshit?"
Extracting a wooden box from his inside jacket, Frank slipped open the cap and pulled out a stick. No, not a stick, it looked like a hotdog, if a hotdog was dark brown, and there is a thin band wrapped three-quarters into its body with writings on it. From the smell, Sheldon could clearly identify what it was. Men of his family gathered around with it during occasions, revering it more than they revere their wives.
He gazed at Frank and at the thing on his palm. "Umm, Frank… I—don't smoke," said Sheldon, attempting to give the cigar back to Frank.
Frank shrugged and swatted his hands to tell Sheldon that he should keep it. "That's alright. I was just offering. No pressure, though."
Taking his glove off, he ran his finger on the cigar's body, rubbing his forefinger and thumb together as soot accumulated. After a while of staring at it, he pocketed it. "I wouldn't say that she fell for it. We sort of agreed that we'll do it together. Her mom's pestering her about starting a family, and my mom's pestering me to just forget the contract and move on with my life. I couldn't just abandon that; it was a notarized agreement between parties, and I don't want to go to jail."
Frank inhaled and puffed out the smoke. "Here's a suggestion: you could have courted Amy to be your girlfriend. If she said yes, you can wait for a couple of years, and then you can propose to her."
"The contract was long overdue. I'm turning 35 on February, the contract says that I must be married before 30."
"But why though? Out of all the women in California, you chose to target my sister," Frank said as he walked past Sheldon, retrieving a circular receptacle made of heavy glass. Glass clinked against the aluminum table as Frank rested his cigar on one of the ashtray's elongated divots, embers sluggishly dropping to the glass.
Sheldon pursed his lips as he felt the tension from Frank's words and action. "I can sense that you're annoyed."
"I'm frustrated that she didn't tell me. I'm just frustrated that this happened so fast. Did you get her pregnant?"
"Clearly, you haven't seen a pregnant lady before. Amy doesn't look pregnant," Sheldon defended.
"Well, I watched my first-born grow while I was still in college. I watched Sunny grow in her mom's belly. And Dee's pregnant and soon enough, she'll be showing. I think I know how a pregnant woman looks," Frank replied bitingly, before sighing. "I shouldn't have said that. I guess I'll make it up to Dee later. I know you hate secret-keeping. Don't worry, Amy already knows. You don't have to keep it a secret."
Sheldon nodded in thought. "Congratulations, but I did not get Amy pregnant. We just kissed." No, it wasn't. "Just a kiss . . . or maybe two. I don't know, I've lost track."
"Woah, just a kiss? Really? You better be quick, brother, there's a lot of cute graduate students down there in Dartmouth, they might get ahead of you," Frank warned, prolonging the puff of smoke in the air.
Sheldon shook his head. "I didn't consider that. And I don't like it."
Frank sighed. "I used to be protective of Amy; I still am, but she'd flourished into a fine woman, and I think she deserves a man who will treat her like she's a queen."
He held his head high to prove something. "I can be that man."
"I know you can. She told me you love her, did you mean that or was it some stunt?"
"Of course, I love her. I traveled here just to tell her that. Although, I couldn't even get a second." Sheldon swatted his hand. "It's fine, she let me stay here in New Hampshire."
"Remember, step up your game. Dartmouth grad boys. Shall I say, very promising gents? Now I know Amy is not that kind of girl, but seriously boys are just horndogs, aren't they?"
"Just like you. You had a child in college?" Sheldon sneered, taking a sip from his glass.
"Ouch, that hit right here." Frank clutched his chest as he winced in fake pain. "Yeah, my firstborn with my first love. We've separated but we're amicable now. We made it work: I would visit them in Philly at least once a month. But now, Piper's all grown up. The folks and Amy, accompanied her to Stanford when she moved in late-August."
Oh, Sheldon realized, that must be the reason why Amy went away just as soon she finished with Caltech. He remembered that unfortunate weekend. One of the things that he must have listened to. He really should be talking to her more.
Sheldon turned to the man getting on with his second glass of beer. "How's Amy like growing up?"
A smile crept up Frank's face, recalling how their childhood was nothing but the best. "Smart as a whip, quiet if you wouldn't talk to her, but always, very thoughtful and remarkably sweet."
I would love to meet young Amy, Sheldon thought. Thinking of a better way to do that, he sought, "Do you have any photos of her growing up?" though expecting nothing.
"As a matter of fact, I do. Here, I always keep this in my wallet." Frank retrieved his wallet from his back pocket and carefully held a beat-up, faded photograph of both of them. They were both pretty young. Frank wore a two-toned polo shirt partnered with high-waist short shorts, and Amy wore a light pinafore dress, sleeves with ruffles, clutching a stuffed toy, probably the Boo Bear toy she was talking about. Her hair was in the lighter shade of brown in pigtails.
As Sheldon appreciated the photo, Frank pulled out his phone and handed it to him. "And here, an album when Amy's young. I always had that on my phone in case Amy brings home a guy and asks for her photos."
The only thing he could do was softly mouth words as he swiped through old photos. There was a photo of a party, presumably Amy's birthday because she was in front of a cake and wearing a party hat. All of Amy's graduation photos were there, the early ones still faded: royal blue on her elementary school, bright yellow for her middle school (which he was informed that Amy was a 7th grader who tagged along with the 8th graders because she skipped 8th grade), and her green toga with gold hood in high school.
The following three amused him tenfold. Amy and Frank hugging together as she wore a pure black gown and cap ensemble and clutching something. Amy with her Harvard gown, a red hood on a black dress, and her cap, surrounded by her family. And Amy with her doctoral graduation, regalia of black on crimson, a young stature of great brilliance. Just seeing how she bloomed into a woman, her intelligence seeping from every photo, as well as her influence on him.
Some random photos were thrown into the mix. Travel photos with Frank, some with Dee, photos of Amy in Norway, that one time she spent a semester, family photos in California.
"Am I seeing tears?" Frank muttered as he peeked at his brother-in-law, amused at how Sheldon was displaying himself.
Without even noticing it, Sheldon peered down at the screen, two blobs were disrupting the image. He gruffly wiped his face with his sleeve, following a decent swipe of the wrist on the surface of the phone.
"Wow, she's beautiful," Sheldon declared amid his sniffing.
"No doubt about it."
"How come men weren't fawning over her? She looks stunning. She still is!"
Right then and there, heavy footfalls were heard on the staircase. The girls trudged down with another tray of meat—three cuts of ribeye, six skewers of chicken kebab, and three enormous sausages—and 2 plates for the cooked food. The interruption put a halt on Sheldon's impending breakdown. Just seeing Amy all suit up for a winter afternoon put a warm touch on his chest. Seeing young Amy from the photos and seeing her now, it excited unbridled emotions that proved that indeed what he's feeling towards Amy was real.
Amy kept his gaze as they went past them, but then she smiled when they reached the crest of the porch. Unbeknownst to him, Sunny and Amy were both carrying sleds. The little girl laid down on her stomach and let gravity pull her down that slope and toward the clearing. It was a quick run, but Sunny's laughter resonated, even making her father laugh.
"That's our tradition every winter. Ever since Sunny was born 5 years ago, we would let her ride a sled. A flatter terrain when she was younger and we would pull the sled around. But now look at her, she's braving a rather incredible slope," Frank said in awe as he took the vegetables off heat.
"Well, back to my sister. Amy never got infatuated in those nineties boy band kind of stuff. Despite the fact that it was most teens were into, not one ounce was it from Amy. But she still had artists that she liked. She's more obsessed with the current scientific gossip, which probably includes male and female scientists alike."
Frank got the vegetables off the fire and covered the unoccupied tray with aluminum foil. He then put the sausages and chicken on the grill.
"Amy and I are inseparable. I think she loves me more than dad and her mother. Once, she and her mother got in an argument, and she barged into my room and asked me if I could accompany her. I was 17 back then and Dad had this vintage cafe racer motorcycle that he would sometimes let me use. Let's just say we reached Carmel-by-the-Sea and went home at 9 p.m."
Frank laughed at their antics. "Well, guess who got grounded? I took the blame so that Amy wouldn't worry about anything. Although, she got worried when I got grounded, but really, it's no big deal 'cause school year's ending and I've got nothing much to do."
In great wonder, Sheldon vacated his chair and stood near the grill. "Tell me more."
"Did she tell you that Boo Bear thing?"
"Yeah. You know what, when she moved into my apartment, she strutted with her gigantic harp and did so like she owned the place. Eventually. we had to help her move the other things because she needed to rest after hauling the harp," Sheldon bragged, amused that she was still like she used to be when she was a child.
"See, that woman is a badass!"
"I suppose she is," he responded dreamily. "Anything interesting?"
Frank clicked his tongue. "Did you know that Amy and I attended community college?"
"To . . . what?"
Frank sneered. "To study, silly. Amy and I both got associate's degrees in a community college in Santa Barbara. Well, I got it a few months after graduating from high school, and Amy got hers a few days before graduating from high school. Funny story, her degree was for formalities' sake. That girl took so many classes that they gave her three associates in the sciences and a certificate in Computer Science. All the while, she's still a high school student!"
His eyes widen at the new information, jaw almost dropping. "That's impressive! I think she might have beaten me. I always tell my friends that I do have the most degrees out of the group."
"It is. And I always knew that she was going to Harvard. I vowed that I would also be there in Massachusetts. She was 15, and I know how college kids work. I got in at Tufts and stayed there until I graduated when she was a sophomore."
"Did you meet the mother of your first child there?" Not that he wanted to meddle in someone else's life, he found Frank's stories interesting, not only Amy's upbringing but also his own life.
"Yeah, an education major at Tufts. We were together for a year and a half. And right when we graduated and subsequently broke up, she told me that she was pregnant."
Sheldon frowned upon the predicament. He never would have imagined being stuck in that situation. He knew he would make an immature decision. "Were you afraid that you're going to be a father, much so, a father right after you got separated? That's too much responsibility, Frank."
Frank flashed a timid smile. "Everyone is afraid, Sheldon," he started as he became wistful. "Even those people who are ready for a child still question their capabilities. Abortion crossed my mind, but I always think that my parents didn't abort me, so why would I do that to my child. We tried getting back again after my daughter's birth, but that didn't work out."
It got Sheldon thinking. If he listened to people more often, he'd learn more about them than they'd learned about him. Seeing that what they'll learn from Sheldon are riddled with scientific jargon, it might be the reason people dread when he talks.
"When did you meet Dee?"
"It's a long story, Sheldon, but our paths crossed in Cornell when I was in the fifth year of my doctorate."
"How did you two meet?"
"Hero." Frank turned to him briefly and reminisced. "She told you she's a vet, right?"
He nodded, shrieks heard from the background as the three were enjoying themselves.
"Well, one cold December night, I was on my way to buy my provisions for the week. I looked down at the shrubs where I parked my motorcycle and saw 2 circular glows wedged into it. I peeked and, right there, this tiny, little cat was curled into the icy dirt, squeaking weakly. I looked around to see if the mama cat was there or if he had any siblings but to no avail. I rushed him into my apartment and warmed him up for 1 hour straight."
"And then you brought the cat to the clinic?"
"Yes, I rode my motorcycle while the kitten was secured inside my jacket. The people at Cornell's animal hospital were shocked when I showed up with my helmet and pulled out something from my jacket. They thought I was robbing them or something, but all I had in there was baby Hero. I noticed Dee right away. Thought she was pretty. But I didn't notice her truly the next morning when I had to pick up Hero."
The men shared a laugh at the almost mishap.
"That's pretty interesting. How does that feel? Meeting someone and having that connection with them?" Sheldon asked as he was handed the tongs, and Frank gesturing that he grill the steaks.
"Well, it's not really a connection at first. It took me 2 months just to ask her to have coffee with me. But during those 2 months, Hero and I would always visit the clinic and she was always there, always smiling, always ready to give Hero his shots. The last part wasn't sweet, but I knew I would like to meet her personally because of her kindness toward Hero." Frank instructed, "Make one of them well done. Dee and I will be sharing, so decide what temperature you'd want for your steak."
"How come you and Amy seemed like the polar opposite? You ride motorcycles, you want to have girlfriends, you got someone pregnant at a very young age, you're in the liberal arts..." Sheldon listed as he turned the steak 90 degrees.
"We are different from each other, but Amy and I, we were brought up together. We know each other's likes and dislikes. We know each other's weaknesses. We know each other more than we know our parents," Frank answered lovingly. "I compromise because she's younger than me. But I've noticed—and this is interesting—she does compromise, too. Even though she's young—I moved into college when she was 12—she knew how to connect with me. It's true what they say: girls mature earlier than boys."
Frank continued, looking out in the distance. "But Amy, I think, was born a lady."
A few more chapters left! Thanks for the reviews, guests and users alike!
