{"id":197,"date":"2016-11-26T17:56:45","date_gmt":"2016-11-26T22:56:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/?p=197"},"modified":"2016-11-26T17:56:45","modified_gmt":"2016-11-26T22:56:45","slug":"brilliance-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/?p=197","title":{"rendered":"Brilliance (1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

So far, so good,<\/em> Andy thought, as he and Kelvin walked down the stairs into the cellar.<\/p>\n

Kelvin was happy that his mother was the only one home when they arrived. She hugged him tightly and hugged Andy, too, putting him immediately at ease. After a short catching up period, she told him that his room was available downstairs if he wanted. So they dragged their luggage downstairs.<\/p>\n

Kelvin opened the door and smelled Snuggle with an undertone of moldy concrete. Andy looked around the cramped room. The queen-sized boxed bed took up most of it. On one side was a dresser, and the other side a wardrobe. A black shaded light hung low over the bed. Books were piled on the nightstands, the dresser, and the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like I never left,\u201d Kelvin said, manhandling the luggage into an available corner of the room. \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice,\u201d Andy said. \u201cYour mom\u2019s really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelvin sat on the edge of the bed, on the wooden railing around it. \u201cI told you she would be.\u201d Then he fell backwards onto the bed. It moved.<\/p>\n

\u201cA waterbed?\u201d asked Andy, surprised.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrrr, it\u2019s cold! Let me turn the heat on.\u201d He struggled up and went to a nightstand, feeding a rope of an electrical cords, and finding a remote at the end. He turned a dial. \u201cIt\u2019ll be nice and warm by the time we get in it later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess I\u2019m sleeping with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour parents won\u2019t freak out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMom wouldn\u2019t have told us to come down here if you weren\u2019t going to sleep with me, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Andy nodded. Kelvin walked up to him, put his hands on his arms. \u201cWill you stop worrying?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not as smart as your family,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you were talking to your mom, I didn\u2019t know what to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were talking about stuff I was doing,\u201d said Kelvin. \u201cYou told her about the stuff you did, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot all of it,\u201d Andy muttered<\/p>\n

Kelvin kissed him lightly. \u201cC\u2019mon, let\u2019s go back upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelvin shut the door and led Andy back upstairs to the house. The cellar led out into a large parlor, full of cushiony couches and chairs, surrounded by bookcases, a baby grand piano set in the corner. He followed Kelvin back into the kitchen, which was to the right of where they stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeed anything, Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n

His mother wasn\u2019t in the kitchen. Kelvin looked out the bay window over the sink to see his mother harvesting the last bit of herbs in the matchbox-sized garden. Kelvin knew from experience that the garden would be choked with all sorts of flowers and herbs in the spring. Now it looked dying or dead, bare for the Boston winter. He plucked his coat from the back of the chair and beckoned Andy to come follow.<\/p>\n

They went outside, the air brisk and chilly. The light coats they had brought would not stand against a stiff wind chill. His mother was tall like Kelvin, long brown hair pulled back into a French braid that went all the way down her back. She wore a thick plaid chemise jacket, a sweatshirt beneath, jeans and work boots. She pulled up herbs by the roots and put them in a basket at her arm. \u201cNeed any help, Mom?\u201d asked Kelvin again.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I\u2019m just getting the last of this basil out. I\u2019ll need them for the tomato sauce.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo turkey?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course there\u2019s a turkey!\u201d She turned to face him, smiling. She glanced at Andy. \u201cWhat would Thanksgiving be without a turkey?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you going to use tomato sauce for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLasagna. I\u2019m making everything from scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven the cheese?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI made that last week. It\u2019s ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

His mother didn\u2019t have to work, not with his father teaching at MIT. She was an awesome, if eclectic, cook, trying assorted recipes on her kids over the past 30 years. Boring American food was served only on Thanksgiving, and she needed a recipe book for even that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs Mattie coming?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. He\u2019s bringing his newest wife and Layla.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s on wife number?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThree.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Juliet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoyfriend number fifty. I think this one\u2019s a keeper, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said that last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother walked up to Andy and, smiling, handed him the basket. \u201cCan you take this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go back in. Do you like hot cocoa, Andy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d he said again.<\/p>\n

Kelvin\u2019s mother patted his shoulder. \u201cA man of few words, I see.\u201d She led the way back into the kitchen. After divesting Andy of the basket, she got a hunk of chocolate and grated some into a cup. \u201cSo how did you two meet?\u201d<\/p>\n

They looked at each other. Kelvin said, \u201cWe were working together, and, well, we started seeing each other afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n

She suddenly perked her head up. \u201cI think your father\u2019s home, or it might be Mattie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andy let out a breath, glad that someone else was approaching the house. He heard a door close as Kelvin\u2019s mother went out of the kitchen. She left the milk and a pan on the stove, leaving the stove lit. Kelvin shut the stove off.<\/p>\n

Andy could see through the kitchen door to the TV room and then the foyer. The door burst open and a little girl in white leotards, a pink tutu with white stockings and ballet slippers came running in. She had blond pigtails on either side of her head. \u201cGrammy!\u201d she yelled, and ran into Kelvin\u2019s mom\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

She bent down and hugged the girl. \u201cLayla!\u201d She straightened and hugged a very tall blond man, tall enough that he had to duck into the room. \u201cMattie!\u201d<\/p>\n

Mattie had a round face like his brother, but was ungainly tall, with long legs, long arms and large hands. His hair was cut short, not very flattering. \u201cHi, mom. Who else is here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelvin got up. He stood next to Andy, who pushed away from the table. \u201cHey, Mattie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKelvin?\u201d Mattie pushed a little past the girl and his mother, and took two steps, crossing the room into the kitchen. He held out his hand and pulled Kelvin into a hug. \u201cHow the hell are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, good. This is my boyfriend, Andy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mattie pulled back from Kelvin, and looked at Andy. Andy felt even smaller than usual next to this giant. Mattie smiled at Andy and held out his hand. \u201cMatthew. Call me Mattie. Everyone in the family does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andy smiled. \u201cAndy.\u201d His hand was swallowed in the big man\u2019s paw.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrammy\u2019s got hot chocolate!\u201d<\/p>\n

Mattie turned to the little girl. \u201cLayla, this is Andy, Kelvin\u2019s boyfriend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Layla curtsied. Andy chuckled and bowed formally. \u201cI\u2019m a ballerina!\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know how to dance?\u201d Andy asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh huh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can play music and you can dance to it?\u201d<\/p>\n

She brightened. \u201cCan I, daddy? Can I?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mattie said, \u201cLet\u2019s get our stuff, first. C\u2019mon, we\u2019ve got some bags in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll help you,\u201d said Kelvin.<\/p>\n

Layla sat down at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Nancy?\u201d asked Kelvin\u2019s mom, turning to put some milk in the pan.<\/p>\n

\u201cNancy\u2019s going to stay home. She said she\u2019s not feeling good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelvin\u2019s mom frowned. \u201cI was hoping she was going to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad she didn\u2019t,\u201d said Layla. \u201cShe won\u2019t let me wear my ballerina clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelvin\u2019s mom rustled Layla\u2019s hair while Andy swallowed a chuckle. Layla turned to Andy. \u201cWhen can you play the music?\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelvin\u2019s mom rushed in. \u201cHoney, we\u2019re going to eat and then after, he and Juliet can play something for you to dance to in the music room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andy got apprehensive. That\u2019s what the piano was for. He\u2019d never played accompanying a piano.<\/p>\n

Mattie brought in an overnight bag and was talking to Kelvin on the way in. \u201cI think I saw dad,\u201d said Mattie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So far, so good, Andy thought, as he and Kelvin walked down the stairs into the cellar. Kelvin was happy that his mother was the only one home when they arrived. She hugged him tightly and hugged Andy, too, putting him immediately at ease. After a short catching up period,… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=197"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198,"href":"https:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197\/revisions\/198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grimaulkin.com\/800words\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}