Chapter 8) Kill All The Chicken Nuggets
.-.-.
New, nerve-wrecking, and boring, would be Frank's thoughts on the opening. It was pretty simple. People came in, glanced at him, got welcomed by Gerard, and then walked around to examine the art. After a half hour or so, they would quietly make their way to the exit. Ransom and Mikey stayed in Gerard's office with Annie, coloring and building with blocks.
By 11:00pm the Gerard was saying goodbye to the final guests and walking them to their cab. Frank pretended not to notice and kept on playing. He ran out of songs to play awhile ago and was just randomly strumming chords when Gerard walked back in and pulled a stool over to sit beside him.
"What?" Frank asks, blushing slightly when he feels Gerard watching him.
"Play something, anything." He smiles.
"Err...ok." Frank murmurs, playing a neat little riff that comes to mind.
"Can we come out now, Geward? I wanna watch Fwankie play." Mikey calls out, poking his head around the door of the office.
"Sure, come sit with us." Gerard tells him. The two boys run over to sit on the floor in front of Frank.
"I'm going to head home now, if that's alright." Annie says, emerging from the office with her purse over her shoulder.
"Of course. Thanks for helping out, tonight." He tells her. She smiles and gives a quick wave before heading outside to look for her car.
"Am I too late?"
Four heads jerk around to stare at the man in the doorway.
"Mr. Toro?" Gerard asks confusedly.
"I invited him." Frank says, motioning for him to walk over and join the little jamboree. "No you're right on time. And I see you brought a guitar?" Frank asks him.
"Yea. I was on my way home from an acoustic show and thought I'd drop in." He says shyly, sitting down beside Mikey and taking his guitar out.
"Pway something with daddy, Mr. Roro." Ransom whines, bouncing up and down impatiently. Frank groans and continues playing the expensive instrument.
"Just call me Ray, guys, and sure, I'd love to play with your dad." Ray says happily, settling the guitar on his leg and beginning a riff similar to Frank's.
"SING, GEE! SING!" Mikey yells, tapping on Gerard's leg.
"Mikey...I don't wanna sing, ok?" Gerard mumbles, swatting the little hand away.
"PWEASE?" Mikey begs, giving his best puppy dog face.
"Fine. Umm..."
"Just make some random shit up." Frank whispers so only Gerard can hear.
"Cause we allllll wanna party when the opening ends..." Gee starts quietly.
"No we don't. No we dooon't" Frank adds, causing the little ones to giggle.
"And we alllll get together when we bury our friends..." Gerard sings next, glaring at Frank.
"La la la, la la laaa" Ray adds in a girly voice.
"Its been four bitter hours that I've been seeing your face."
"It's been fun. It's been fuuuunnnn."
"And we'll allll walk away and then start stuffing our face." Gerard finishes with a smirk.
"I think that's our cue to go get something to eat." Frank laughs.
"CHICKEN NUGGETS!" Ransom and Mikey yell, standing up to jump around.
"Vegetarian." Frank responds in a sing-song voice.
"Chicken nuggets sound good." Ray says.
"Let's go back to our place and we can make sandwiches." Gerard offers, which results in another chorus of 'chicken nuggets or die'.
.-.-.
They end up in a corner booth at McDonald's. Gerard with his sandwich, and Ray, Mikey, and Ransom with their happy meals. Frank had had to take a cigarette break when his mom suddenly called. The Ransom and Mikey talk quietly with one another, their minds in another universe where evil doesn't exist.
I wish I could live in that universe. Gerard thinks, letting out a sigh.
Frank walks back inside and returns to his seat beside Gerard, burying his face in his hands.
"I take it she wasn't calling to see how you were doing?" He whispers to Frank.
"She was mad as hell in the beginning, but then I explained that I had taken Ransom to work with me. That's when she calmed down and actually paid attention to what was coming out of my mouth. She's still filing for custody, but she says if I keep cleaning up my act then I can have Ransom on the weekends. I have to meet with her and her attorney on Monday. It's not fuckin' fair, dude." Frank sighs. What Gerard does next makes Frank's body relax and his breathing slow.
He laces their hands together underneath the table.
Frank doesn't lift his head, he just gives the other mans hand a firm squeeze before releasing it and pulling his hand away. "Ransom, it's time to go, buddy. I need to get you back to Nana's." He says, sliding out of the booth and standing up.
Oh shit, I screwed up this time. Gerard thinks, looking at the table and running his hands through his hair nervously.
"But I wanna stay with you, daddy." Ransom whines as Frank lifts him into his arms.
"I know, little man. I want that too, but it's just not gonna happen tonight, ok?" Frank whispers, brushing the hair out of his sons face. He nods and lies his head down on Frank's shoulder. "Thanks for dinner, and for the job." He says to Gerard, nodding stiffly.
"It was noth..." Gerard starts, but Frank interrupts him.
"I'll probably see you on Monday, Ray. It was nice meeting you. Bye Mikey." Frank says quickly, turning his back and making his way to the exit.
Gerard sits there in silence for a couple seconds before making his decision.
"Hey, can you watch Mikey for a second? I forgot to tell Frank something." He says, wiping his mouth off and standing up to follow Frank.
"Yea, sure. Take your time." Ray replies, shooing him away. Gerard practically runs out to the parking lot and after Frank who's walking down the sidewalk with Ransom in his arms, sleeping soundly.
"FRANK! WAIT UP!" He shouts, jogging to catch up to him.
"Gerard?" Frank questions, stopping and turning around to see older man standing in front of him.
"About what happened in there. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable, or if I crossed a line." He says while panting.
"It's fine. You just caught me off guard." Frank says quietly.
"Well, I'm sorry either way and I was just wondering..."
"Gee, I really have to get to the bus stop before we miss it." He tells him.
"I'll drive you both, just give me a second, ok?" He asks.
"Ok, shoot." Frank tells him, watching Gerard switch his weight from one foot to another.
"I was just wondering if you would um...go to dinner with me sometime? Like maybe dinner and a movie at my place? I'm a good cook." He says, smiling nervously.
"Yea, I'm sure Ransom would love that." He nods, smiling back.
"I actually meant just me and you. Like a date, maybe tomorrow night?" Gerard asks him.
"Look... Gerard." Frank sighs, moving Ransom to his other arm when his right hand starts to fall asleep. "I actually just started seeing someone" He says finally, letting out a breath of relief.
Kill me now, God. "Oh it's c..cool. Yea, it's cool. I totally understand. I'll um...s..see you later then." Gerard stutters.
"Yea, see ya. Thanks again for the job." Frank says, turning and continuing his walk to the bus stop.
As soon as Gerard starts his walk back to McDonald's his eyes start to sting. I'm such an idiot, a retard, a Gee-tard. How could I think...how could I hope, that he would go out with a guy like me? Such an idiot... He probably has a beautiful girlfriend. One that can be a mom to Ransom and not some dumb, screwed up art guy.