A/N: Just another quick update between things. Sorry about my
inconsistency of late, I just don't have the time to update as frequently
as I used to =( Anyway, here's another one.
xj11: I don't mean to be rude, but I'm not going to answer that question, it might spoil some the story for later on. . . =)
Oh and just a shout to everyone who has left a review =) I honestly appreciate the consistent support from all of you.
--Gordo--
The phone rang, startling no one. Lizzie gave him a quick glance before shooting off and leaving him to the inevitable.
"When did this happen?" his father asked, disturbing the silence. The audience of four parents sat there, waiting, as if they were truly interested in what he had to say.
"Oh you know," he said, "I just went with it". It was the almost perfect answer, short and simple, answering everything *but* the question at hand.
Sam and Jo looked at each other confusedly or with fear, Gordo couldn't tell. His parents on the hand sat quite still; his father stood behind his mother, hand on her shoulder.
"And- and have you guys been together. . .long?" Sam asked nervously.
Gordo looked up at the ceiling, pretending to think back, "oh yeah- I guess you could say that we've been 'together', as you put Mr. McGuire, for some time," he answered, toying with them and playing with his response. Being as vague as possible was the best option. It left the parents with some degree of intelligence on the situation, enough for them to feel safe, but not enough to answer their questions.
Sam and Jo glanced at each other, again, confusedly it seemed, "Gordo, we love you very much and we're really happy for you and Lizzie," Jo spoke hesitantly. She seemed truthful, but still unsure of her own response.
"Thanks," Gordo replied, smiling heartily, "you guys are taking this well. We didn't think this would go down too fantastically with you guys. We appreciate it. I mean, we spoke about this before, but Lizzie was all, 'no, we have to wait for the right time,' and whatnot".
Gordo's parents perused Lizzie's parents casually. They didn't seem too emotional about the situation. Being psychiatrists had removed an element of reaction, it seemed to Gordo at least, when dealing with emotional subjects.
Lizzie popped her head around the corner at just the right moment, "shall we go and get dinner?"
"No honey, we're all having a good chat in here for the moment," Gordo replied, thumbing over to the group of parents.
Lizzie stifled a laugh as she caught a glimpse of her parents, stunned like dead mullets in a fishmonger's market, then followed Gordo's lead, "gotcha darling, I'll just get things set up in the dining room and we should be all set".
Gordo grimaced at Sam and Jo, attempting to hide his own laughter, "yeah so, anymore questions from the press?"
Gordo's parents continued with their same undeviating response to the situation. Sam and Jo were close it seemed to Gordo, to heart attacks. They weren't extremely conservative people, Lizzie's parents, but the display of the so called couple, had blown them out of the water.
"Ready yet?" Lizzie yelled from the dining room.
"Yeah, we'll all be on through any moment!" Gordo answered Lizzie, then returned his attention to the parents, "she's such a sweet wife. . .oops- I mean, she'll be such a sweet wife," he purposely spluttered, smiling all the while at Sam and Jo's speechless reaction, "come on," he continued, "let's get on with dinner".
The parents sidled out the room with mixed expressions. Gordo's parents were unaffected by the exhibition of their son and now- seeming daughter-in- law. Sam and Jo remained silent, shuffling mindlessly into the dining room behind Gordo and his parents.
Lizzie sat on one side of the table, next to Gordo adjacent to Gordo's parents, while Sam and Jo took up opposite positions on either end of the table.
The meal had been prepared by Jo beforehand and Lizzie had dished out the fine collection of baked potatoes, roasted chicken and vegetables. It was one of Jo's very best, but she hadn't gotten over the shock of the last few moments to begin the banter of conversation with something about the meal.
Lizzie and Gordo sat in silence, smiling occasionally at each other in a flirtatious manner, further contributing to the dismay of Lizzie's parents.
Everyone began to eat in the stillness that had befallen the room. Occasionally, there were small engagements of casual chat concerning the passing of various forms of food, but nothing too serious.
As he sat there, Gordo reminisced about the time he had thought about what it would be like actually marrying Lizzie- when he was old enough of course, and what the ensuing plot of events would be, after the pair had announced their want to be wed. He knew the hard bit would only lie in Lizzie's parents.
His own parents would be elated for him and themselves to some extent; the task would revolve around the whole 'meet the parents' fiasco, that so many couples had and would endure, for all time. He knew Sam and Jo, fairly well, but not on the basis where taking their daughter away from them was easy as one, two, three.
"So you guys are probably going to that Summer Ball, right?" Jo piped up, shattering Gordo's train of thought.
"Yes, of course!" Lizzie bubbled, turning sharply to face her mother, "we've got to go looking for a dress and shoes and-"
Sam's face fell into his hands.
"Don't worry Mr. McGuire," Gordo comforted, "this is only a middle-school prom-type thing, the *real* wedding is gonna cost a WHOLE lot more," he finished, smiling and shovelling a piece of chicken into his mouth.
"Lizzie," Gordo's mother spoke up casually, breaking her reserved demeanour, "how were you two going to break all this to us?"
"Oh, I wanted to tell you guys, but Gordo was all, 'no, we have to wait for the right time,' and-"
Everyone looked up from their meals and starred at her for a moment. Gordo kicked Lizzie's leg from under the table, not hard, but in 'stop-what- you're-doing' way.
"I thought you were the one that was waiting for the right time. . ." Gordo's mother continued. Everybody continued to look long and hard at Lizzie, waiting for her response.
"No, that was Gordo," she continued, attempting to sound convinced of what she was saying. Gordo kicked her again, a little harder, rolling his eyes all the while.
Lizzie spun to face Gordo and glared at him, looking as if she had something to say to him, but held her tongue.
At that moment, Sam and Jo became gravely suspicious of what was going on, eyeing each other at opposite ends of the table and nodding slightly.
"What Lizzie *meant* was, that we- yeah we both decided that it was probably best that we wait for the right time," Gordo lied, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
"And have you guys been together long?" Jo asked, throwing out the bait.
"Oh no/yeah," Lizzie and Gordo answered simultaneously, responding respectively in alternate lies. The pair looked at each other and glowered, wide-eyed.
The parents looked at the pair with a mixture of success and intrigue, but said nothing.
"Would you please excuse Gordo and I?" Lizzie asked, to no one in particular.
"Go right ahead kids," Sam spoke, smiling a little across at Jo.
Lizzie grabbed Gordo's forearm, dragged him away from the table and left quickly from the sudden commotion. Gordo didn't resist.
For a moment nothing was said. The parents remained seated, occasionally exchanging glances.
"What about that, huh?" Sam asked when he was sure Lizzie and Gordo had departed.
Everyone focused on him, not following his drift.
"Their first fight," Sam continued, nodding and smiling proudly.
Jo threw a diner bun at Sam and sighed. The Gordon's began to chuckle.
xj11: I don't mean to be rude, but I'm not going to answer that question, it might spoil some the story for later on. . . =)
Oh and just a shout to everyone who has left a review =) I honestly appreciate the consistent support from all of you.
--Gordo--
The phone rang, startling no one. Lizzie gave him a quick glance before shooting off and leaving him to the inevitable.
"When did this happen?" his father asked, disturbing the silence. The audience of four parents sat there, waiting, as if they were truly interested in what he had to say.
"Oh you know," he said, "I just went with it". It was the almost perfect answer, short and simple, answering everything *but* the question at hand.
Sam and Jo looked at each other confusedly or with fear, Gordo couldn't tell. His parents on the hand sat quite still; his father stood behind his mother, hand on her shoulder.
"And- and have you guys been together. . .long?" Sam asked nervously.
Gordo looked up at the ceiling, pretending to think back, "oh yeah- I guess you could say that we've been 'together', as you put Mr. McGuire, for some time," he answered, toying with them and playing with his response. Being as vague as possible was the best option. It left the parents with some degree of intelligence on the situation, enough for them to feel safe, but not enough to answer their questions.
Sam and Jo glanced at each other, again, confusedly it seemed, "Gordo, we love you very much and we're really happy for you and Lizzie," Jo spoke hesitantly. She seemed truthful, but still unsure of her own response.
"Thanks," Gordo replied, smiling heartily, "you guys are taking this well. We didn't think this would go down too fantastically with you guys. We appreciate it. I mean, we spoke about this before, but Lizzie was all, 'no, we have to wait for the right time,' and whatnot".
Gordo's parents perused Lizzie's parents casually. They didn't seem too emotional about the situation. Being psychiatrists had removed an element of reaction, it seemed to Gordo at least, when dealing with emotional subjects.
Lizzie popped her head around the corner at just the right moment, "shall we go and get dinner?"
"No honey, we're all having a good chat in here for the moment," Gordo replied, thumbing over to the group of parents.
Lizzie stifled a laugh as she caught a glimpse of her parents, stunned like dead mullets in a fishmonger's market, then followed Gordo's lead, "gotcha darling, I'll just get things set up in the dining room and we should be all set".
Gordo grimaced at Sam and Jo, attempting to hide his own laughter, "yeah so, anymore questions from the press?"
Gordo's parents continued with their same undeviating response to the situation. Sam and Jo were close it seemed to Gordo, to heart attacks. They weren't extremely conservative people, Lizzie's parents, but the display of the so called couple, had blown them out of the water.
"Ready yet?" Lizzie yelled from the dining room.
"Yeah, we'll all be on through any moment!" Gordo answered Lizzie, then returned his attention to the parents, "she's such a sweet wife. . .oops- I mean, she'll be such a sweet wife," he purposely spluttered, smiling all the while at Sam and Jo's speechless reaction, "come on," he continued, "let's get on with dinner".
The parents sidled out the room with mixed expressions. Gordo's parents were unaffected by the exhibition of their son and now- seeming daughter-in- law. Sam and Jo remained silent, shuffling mindlessly into the dining room behind Gordo and his parents.
Lizzie sat on one side of the table, next to Gordo adjacent to Gordo's parents, while Sam and Jo took up opposite positions on either end of the table.
The meal had been prepared by Jo beforehand and Lizzie had dished out the fine collection of baked potatoes, roasted chicken and vegetables. It was one of Jo's very best, but she hadn't gotten over the shock of the last few moments to begin the banter of conversation with something about the meal.
Lizzie and Gordo sat in silence, smiling occasionally at each other in a flirtatious manner, further contributing to the dismay of Lizzie's parents.
Everyone began to eat in the stillness that had befallen the room. Occasionally, there were small engagements of casual chat concerning the passing of various forms of food, but nothing too serious.
As he sat there, Gordo reminisced about the time he had thought about what it would be like actually marrying Lizzie- when he was old enough of course, and what the ensuing plot of events would be, after the pair had announced their want to be wed. He knew the hard bit would only lie in Lizzie's parents.
His own parents would be elated for him and themselves to some extent; the task would revolve around the whole 'meet the parents' fiasco, that so many couples had and would endure, for all time. He knew Sam and Jo, fairly well, but not on the basis where taking their daughter away from them was easy as one, two, three.
"So you guys are probably going to that Summer Ball, right?" Jo piped up, shattering Gordo's train of thought.
"Yes, of course!" Lizzie bubbled, turning sharply to face her mother, "we've got to go looking for a dress and shoes and-"
Sam's face fell into his hands.
"Don't worry Mr. McGuire," Gordo comforted, "this is only a middle-school prom-type thing, the *real* wedding is gonna cost a WHOLE lot more," he finished, smiling and shovelling a piece of chicken into his mouth.
"Lizzie," Gordo's mother spoke up casually, breaking her reserved demeanour, "how were you two going to break all this to us?"
"Oh, I wanted to tell you guys, but Gordo was all, 'no, we have to wait for the right time,' and-"
Everyone looked up from their meals and starred at her for a moment. Gordo kicked Lizzie's leg from under the table, not hard, but in 'stop-what- you're-doing' way.
"I thought you were the one that was waiting for the right time. . ." Gordo's mother continued. Everybody continued to look long and hard at Lizzie, waiting for her response.
"No, that was Gordo," she continued, attempting to sound convinced of what she was saying. Gordo kicked her again, a little harder, rolling his eyes all the while.
Lizzie spun to face Gordo and glared at him, looking as if she had something to say to him, but held her tongue.
At that moment, Sam and Jo became gravely suspicious of what was going on, eyeing each other at opposite ends of the table and nodding slightly.
"What Lizzie *meant* was, that we- yeah we both decided that it was probably best that we wait for the right time," Gordo lied, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
"And have you guys been together long?" Jo asked, throwing out the bait.
"Oh no/yeah," Lizzie and Gordo answered simultaneously, responding respectively in alternate lies. The pair looked at each other and glowered, wide-eyed.
The parents looked at the pair with a mixture of success and intrigue, but said nothing.
"Would you please excuse Gordo and I?" Lizzie asked, to no one in particular.
"Go right ahead kids," Sam spoke, smiling a little across at Jo.
Lizzie grabbed Gordo's forearm, dragged him away from the table and left quickly from the sudden commotion. Gordo didn't resist.
For a moment nothing was said. The parents remained seated, occasionally exchanging glances.
"What about that, huh?" Sam asked when he was sure Lizzie and Gordo had departed.
Everyone focused on him, not following his drift.
"Their first fight," Sam continued, nodding and smiling proudly.
Jo threw a diner bun at Sam and sighed. The Gordon's began to chuckle.