Chapter 9
Chapter nine
September, Denver
“Tell me again why we're going to Sheila's?” Johnny grumbled.
Pilot answered without looking at Johnny, keeping his eyes on the road. “We were invited.”
“Everyone's going to be there, aren't they? Your parents? Colin?”
“Yes,” Pilot sighed, pulling the car to a stop at the sign on the road that turned down to Sheila's house.
She lived in the suburbs on the north side of town near Thornton.
Their subdivision was over crowded with ranch style houses of various sizes.
At least she lived on a cul-de-sac which gave her a bit more space and room for her kids to play, should she ever have any.
They'd been trying for a while with no luck.
They wouldn't bring that subject up at dinner.
“You know I love Sheila.” What he didn't say was how much he hated Colin and how bitter he was toward Pilot's folks. They'd been really shitty to both of them over the years, but they were family and maybe they were coming around. Not as well as Johnny's uncle, but it was still better than when he first came out. Sheila had promised they’d behave or he wouldn’t have consented to coming. It’d been a good long time since he’d talked to any of them besides Sheila, so maybe it was time for a change.
“It'll be all right.” Pilot turned his car down the cul-de-sac and parked in her driveway. “Come on. Let's get this over with.”
As they approached the front door, they could hear arguing inside.
Most of it from Colin. Pilot wanted to knock him out.
He couldn't tell what all was being said, but he caught faggot a few times.
He pushed the doorbell, as if he hadn't heard a thing and gave Johnny a weak smile.
Of course Johnny rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.
The door jerked open. Pilot's mom stood there. She was a stocky woman, but not fat. She had light brown hair that was sometimes a bit more red or a bit more blonde, depending on what color she wanted to dye it with that month. Her eyebrows pinched together. “Well, come in then.”
They followed her into the open living room/dining room combo area. When they'd bought the house, the kitchen had been closed off, but Sheila's husband, Jim, was handy and tore down the walls, installing a huge island in its place. Currently, Colin and Sheila were the only two at the bar.
Sheila had a glass of wine that she sat on the counter when they entered. “Hey guys!” She came around the island from the kitchen side and hugged them both. Colin leaned against the island and leered at them.
Sheila smacked Colin's arm. “Tell them.”
“No. Fuck you,” he growled.
They started in on each other, both voices rising over each other. Pilot had no idea what they were going on about until Sheila grabbed Colin's ear. “Tell him you'll pay extra. Now!”
“Fuck-fuck-fuck!”
“Tell him!”
Pilot's mom came around them and smacked Colin upside the back of his head. “Knock this shit off. I told you. You will not take advantage of Johnny. End of story.”
“Fine. I'll pay extra.”
Johnny snorted. “Thanks, ladies. But, I already knew he was paying extra.”
Pilot was pretty sure of that. Johnny always found a way to get what he wanted.
“You done with them then?” Colin snarled.
“Not yet. Come by next week.”
Sheila had gone back into the kitchen and filled two more wine glasses. “Good boy, make him wait.” She said as she handed one to Johnny. “Dad's in the lounge with Jim, if you want to watch the sports stuff.”
Colin took that opportunity to slink out, but Pilot and Johnny stayed in the kitchen.
Jim, was nice enough, but he wanted as little to do with his dad as possible.
Colin took after their dad in most ways.
They looked similar with thick dark hair, almost black, though his dad's had started to do that salt and pepper thing.
They both had wide set eyes, also dark brown and set on either side of noses that had been broken a time or two.
In Colin's case, due to his mouth. He didn't know about his dad, but it was one of the things that had made him afraid of his dad growing up.
That big offset nose in a gruff face that only ever seemed to have criticism for him.
Johnny, Sheila, and his mom chatted familiarly as Pilot sipped his wine.
All of them together like this was a rare occasion.
Pilot couldn't help but think how nice it was that Johnny seemed to fit in with them, at least a little.
More than he did himself. They generally treated Johnny like family, like one of them.
He wasn't going to get jealous that Johnny was more a part of the family than he was; he was going to be happy about it.
At least he told himself that, sipping on the wine.
Johnny had been hurt a lot in his life by family and lovers alike.
Finally, having some solid people around would be good for him.
Pilot considered both himself and his sister in those buckets, as well as Johnny's uncle.
He'd love to put more people in there with them, but he really couldn't see it happening.
At least not yet. Pilot had no idea how to find more dependable people for himself, let alone Johnny.
Eventually, Sheila put food on the table and sadly, Jim, Colin, and his dad were called in from the other room to join them.
Sitting around the table with his family wasn't the worst thing that could happen, though.
Mostly, everyone quietly enjoyed the food.
Sheila and his mom could put on a nice spread when they got to cooking together and this meal was no exception with rich pot roast and veggies, homemade bread and his sister's deluxe mac and cheese.
The Syrah wine Sheila poured went well with the roast and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
His dad and Colin drank beer instead, but still seemed to enjoy the food.
As the meal wound down, conversation started to pick up, which Pilot always thought was dangerous in this company.
Where Colin was purposefully rude, his dad tended to be unknowingly uncouth.
Sheila and mom were loud and didn't take their crap, but like Jim and Pilot, Johnny generally tried to stay out of it.
Until Colin or Dad provoked Johnny, which was often.
Pilot couldn't keep track of his family's disposition from one moment to the next.
They loved Johnny with one breath and with the next they were at odds, but that was how they treated Pilot and Colin as well, so he shouldn't be surprised.
Only Sheila was immune to their mercurial nature.
“Pass the mac and cheese,” Colin demanded.
Sheila handed him the bowl, snarling back, “You're welcome.”
“Wha—?” he asked.
Mom and Sheila started in on him and his manners, while the other men in the room tried to quietly turn invisible. Until Colin growled out, “I'm not putting on extra for the faggot. Damn, it's just family here.”
Sheila's mouth dropped open, but had no sound coming out of it. Mom huffed, but also failed to respond. Pilot's eyebrows drew together as he stared a laser beam across the table at his stupid brother.
“Oh, Christ. Are we on about that again? Faggot this, faggot that. Give it a rest.” His dad growled the first words out of his mouth the entire evening.
“Seriously, why don't you two just do us a favor and get married already and we can stop acting like the boy's any different than the rest of us. Or at least like Sean...” His dad was always harassing Pilot and Johnny like that, as if they’d have to be a couple because they were gay.
Sheila finally came alive and piped in, “He's not different than any of us, anyway. He’s already part of this fucked up family. What the hell?”
While Pilot simultaneously growled, “Are you kidding me?”
Johnny's back slowly straightened, his shoulders squared.
Pilot looked at him, watching as his friend practically grew two inches just sitting there.
He was a gorgeous guy with his brown-blond hair stylishly pushed behind his ears and swooping off his forehead.
He wore his black Dolce and Gabbana frames that didn't look very different from a stylish pair of Ray-Bans to Pilot, and yes, they'd had that conversation.
The glasses sat on his lean nose, which was just a bit wider at the bridge and almost looked like it was meant to be that way just to keep his glasses on.
His cheekbones were so sharp, they'd cut a bitch.
He sucked his bottom lip in between his teeth and his face turned tomato red.
Pilot couldn't tell if the change in hue was due to embarrassment or anger, but Johnny was doing a great volcano impression, and Pilot felt it necessary to diffuse the situation before his best friend exploded.
“Shut up. Johnny and I are best friends. Not dating. Not ever. He's like a brother to me, so yeah, he's the same as everyone else. God damn. We’re both just people. Family. So, shut up already.”
Pilot's dad turned toward him. “You're very sensitive about it, Sean—Pilot.”
A long sigh escaped Pilot's lips. His dad catching himself on the name thing, surprised him. He usually didn't, and his words didn't sound sarcastic or teasing either. Pilot let a small smile creep over his lips. “Sorry. Thanks. But, if Colin would just learn how to be a human, too—”
“Fuck! Don't blame your queer-bate shit on me. I didn’t make you gay. Your faggot-ness is not appreciated--”
Johnny stood up, apparently unable to contain himself any longer, and let his lava flow.
“Colin. You piece of shit. It's not like you're really a homophobe or you wouldn't—oh, never mind.
My God! You just say whatever flits through your brain with no filter.
That doesn't excuse you. None of it does. I've never done a damned thing to you—”
“You turned my brother queer!”
Johnny started laughing hysterically. He dropped his napkin on top of his plate and grabbed his sides, he was laughing so hard. Sheila and mom smiled, ready to join in on a bit of humor rather than have the tense argument continue, but Pilot knew it wasn't over.
“Ah...shit, Colin,” Johnny gasped between bouts of laughter. “You say the stupidest shit. I'm not even going to bother...”
“Johnny?” Pilot asked, pushing his chair back.
Johnny reined his fit in enough to say, “Thanks, Sheila. The meal was delicious.” Then, he headed for the front door without another word.
“Colin, you're a dick,” Pilot growled. He really wished he could just un-holster his gun and unload a round right in the asshole’s face, but shooting family at dinner wouldn’t be tolerated by Sheila.