The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 07

A couple of hours later and three cars sat in the driveway outside of the William's house. Andrew's parents SUV, a black Geo Metro and a modest green Camry. Dave and Michelle were amazed when they had received the text from Andrew informing them that their son's study group had grown, and were pleased to see Andrew doing so well at this new school.

It usually took Andrew a month or two before he would start making friends. Here it was, a week in, and he already had a girlfriend and a diverse group of friends. They all chipped in and Andrew's parents were shocked as the last remaining tasks were completed within an hour. Seth had volunteered to fix a wiring problem in the shared bath, and to Dave and Andrew's great joy he had performed the task perfectly.

Michelle was in the kitchen, filling the house with a smell Andrew recognized immediately. He had no idea how they were all going to eat at their modestly sized table, but figured they would solve that problem when it came time.

Andrew reviewed Seth's assignment and realized that his friend had made a similar mistake that he had made on a previous assignment. Dr. Blake had worded a question so clumsily that there were at least two ways you could interpret it. He pulled out his copy of the assignment and saw that he had answered it based on the second interpretation, which explained to him why he had gotten it correct.

"You should be able to dispute this, man. Your interpretation is also correct. Dr. Blake has to recognize that."

"What, and tell him that his question is poorly written. I would rather lose the points than become the center of his attention." Seth tapped his mechanical pencil against his open book while studying the assignment. Andrew knew his friend was right.

"Man he is such a dick..."

Sara and Allison looked at Andrew and laughed. Having both experienced Dr. Blake's abusive form of teaching in the past, they couldn't help but agree. Allison turned her attention back on Sara while they continued working on their econ assignment. Andrew and Seth finished their math and physics homework quickly, which freed Andrew up to work on English until Sara was free to help him.

An hour later they were all packing up their school supplies and laughing while they joked about some of the teachers and students. Andrew placed his art project on the table and was setting up his soldering iron when Allison studied the device and asked, "This seems cool but why are you lining up these wires?"

The small cube of wires and LEDs looked like a jumbled mess of chaos. From most angles it looked discordant and hectic. When looked at from the front things became much more uniform and it was apparent that Andrew wanted the lights to line up in four columns. He was close to getting it working and was hoping to capitalize on this brief gap before dinner to finish wiring the last couple of LEDs into place.

"Well, I don't want the wires to show." Andrew watched Allison with concern as she studied his project closely.

"Yeah, I can see these pretty clearly there smart guy." She rolled her eyes as the words dropped from her mouth. Allison didn't notice, or care about the frustration on Andrew's face as he listened to her mocking tone.

"Well, I did what I could to line them up and minimize their profile." His eyes darted between the mass of wires and Allison who continued to move her head around the cube.

"Yeah, if you look at it right..." She knelt in front of it, before continuing, "Here... No wait..." She shifted a couple more times before finally settling and saying, "Right here. If you look at it from this exact spot then yeah, you see some vertical columns of lights."

She stood and studied the device while turning her head, the gears were turning behind her acute brown eyes.

"What?" Andrew blurted, annoyance evident in his loud huff as he waited for her to respond.

Allison looked at him with her typical bland expression while shaking her head. For the briefest moment the edge of her lip curled into a smile as she savored Andrew's frustration.

"For someone so smart, you sure are making this hard for yourself."

Andrew looked between her and the project trying to ascertain what she was talking about. He had put a lot of effort into hiding the wires, going so far as researching other ways to run power to them that would not show. All with no luck. Sara relaxed on the couch while Seth just watched, eager to see where this was going. Dave and Michelle were amazed at this bizarre exchange, surprised by how quickly Allison had managed to make their astute son so blindingly frustrated.

Allison shook her head and gave a wry smile as she said, "Why are you working so hard to hide these wires?"

Andrew was about to blurt a response when Allison cut him off. "Instead of trying to hide them, make them part of your design. This thing could be really cool to look at from all angles if you just twisted and used the wires to create a interesting pattern within this space."

They all considered her words, and Andrew knew she was right.

"I mean, what is the point of making this thing a cube if it only looks good from a single stationary point."

Andrew chuckled and smiled at the gaunt woman before him. "You are absolutely right. Damn, that is amazing." He walked around the device seeing the whole thing from a brand new perspective. The gaudy rigidity of the wiring seemed so flawed to him now, and he bubbled with joy as he began imagining a whole new way to run the wires.

He rushed over to Allison and wrapped her in an awkward hug. Her arms flailed as she looked around in annoyed surprise. Andrew's hug catching the sullen teen off guard, she struggled with how to respond.

Andrew pulled back and smiled at her confused expression. "Thank you so much, Alli. You are absolutely brilliant."

She rolled her eyes and shrugged before saying, "Yeah, sure. You're welcome squirt."

Sara laughed from across the room, and while everyone else chuckled. Many of them looked at her, surprised by her outburst.

"What? That was funny." Sara said with a confident smile. Andrew shook his head at her as she made eye contact with him and winked. He winked back before sitting down at the table and starting to melt the welds between all of the wires at the base of his device.

While Michelle finished dinner, Andrew worked at the table and everyone else talked in the living room. The conversation continued for a while until Seth's phone chirped for what must have been the fifth time since he got there. They all shook their heads and shared knowing glances; by this point they knew how protective Seth's mother was, and wondered what she could possibly want this time.

Andrew was in the process of re-packing his mostly disassembled project when he felt a grumble in his stomach and turned to Sara and his parents asking, "Hey, how do you guys feel about spaghetti and sausage for dinner this weekend?"

They all shared a smiling glance and began to nod together as Michelle said, "That sounds wonderful. Nice thought, Andrew."

Seth looked up from his phone with a wry look and said, "What a crazy coincidence. My mom made spaghetti tonight and was just asking if I wanted any when I got home."

He held the phone out for them all to see and Andrew was shocked as he saw the phrase "...Spaghetti and Sausage..." buried in the middle of the brief message. Andrew shared a suspicious glance with Sara who shared his unease at this coincidence.

"Yeah, that's crazy alright." Andrew stated for effect as everyone shook their heads and returned to what they were doing.

"Well, Seth. You're welcome to stay for Tuna Noodle Casserole. It's nothing special, but there's lots of it." Michelle's welcoming tone added to her invite.

"It's nothing special? Really mom? Dude, this Casserole is amazing. No friend of mine — hell, no man worth his salt — turns away a meal as delicious as this." Andrew clasped a hand on Seth's shoulder as he threw down his challenge.

Seth shook his head and grinned, "No pressure, aye? Fuck it, let's eat bitches!" The words escaped his lips before he could remember that there were two adults standing in the room. His eyes sought out Dave, and studied the large man with nervous anticipation.

The edge of Dave's mouth curled up in a subtle grin while Michelle laughed and said, "Listen, kid. You will have to say a fuck of a lot worse than that to offend the military personnel in this family."

Seth's shoulders slumped as he relaxed and took a deep breath. Everyone but Dave laughed at the young man's mistake, though they all appreciated the comfort which had allowed him to make it in the first place. They moved the chairs into the living room, providing the extra seating that they needed with the couch.

Everyone was served large bowls of rich and creamy casserole. Large pieces of tuna, chunks of ham, peas and several types of cheese had sacrificed themselves to make this dish. Every bite provided a new flavor combination that delighted the palate and warmed each and every person.

"Seriously, Michelle. How?" Was all that Sara could say as she closed her eyes and chewed while leaning against Andrew for much needed support. He could feel her joy through their bond, and knew she was not exaggerating her enjoyment of the dish in the slightest.

"Don't worry, dear. Andrew knows the recipe." Michelle said as she smiled at the young woman before taking a bite.

Sara looked up at her man and swallowed before stating, "I knew you were good for something."

They all laughed as she winked at Andrew's grinning face.

Dinner was wonderful, and Andrew was excited to see how well everyone got along. Even Allison seemed to be in a good mood as she remained out of most conversations but revelled in the enjoyment of those around her. Everyone ate at least two bowls, and as dinner wound down the conversation also seemed to dwindle. Everyone sat in a comfortable silence, just rubbing their bellies and staring at each other with happy grins.

Allison left soon after dinner was complete, bidding her farewells to a group that was saddened at losing her company. Sara and Dave took care of the dishes, leaving Andrew to show Seth his computer. The cable was being activated early the next week, so Andrew hadn't had much use for his computer and had never bothered setting it up until this point. He thought Seth might enjoy the sheer processing power of his cutting edge rig, so he decided now was the time to get it up and running.

While Andrew worked on wiring his computer, Seth studied his bookshelf.

"Damn, son. You do have an eclectic taste in books."

Andrew looked out from under his desk, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you really surprised?"

They both laughed as Seth responded, "I guess not."

Andrew continued bundling the cables for his computer in a neat and meticulous way. His OCD demanding that things were laid out just so.

"Holy shit, I haven't played RPG's in years." Seth's voice went up a couple of octaves as he pulled one of the many well used books and began flipping through the pages. He admired the plentiful notes and annotations that Andrew had added throughout the book.

"Yeah, I had a decent group in Arizona." Andrew thought back on his old friends and was surprised that he didn't feel the usual sense of loss that accompanied one of these moves. His old friends rested in his past, a welcome memory that he didn't feel the need to revisit.

"Shit... We should try and start up a campaign." Seth shut the book and replaced it on the shelf as his eager excitement rose. He sought out the Game Master's Guide and pulled out the book while he studied Andrew for a reaction.

"That would be great. Do you think Marcus would be interested?" Andrew was getting sucked into the idea of starting a new group, and made a mistake in his latest bundle of cables, forcing him to start over.

"Hell's to the yeah he will. Do you think Sara would want to play?"

Andrew laughed and looked out from under his desk, "No. I will ask, but my gut says she would be bored to death. There was a freshman I met that seemed kind of cool. He would probably bring a great energy if he wants to join. Are you thinking about GMing?"

"I could. Never really tried before. I'm more the storm in and bust some shit up sort of player, so I guess that's why my brother's crew never wanted me to GM."

"Wow, you never mentioned your brother before."

"Yeah, he graduated a couple of years ago. Went off to college and kinda vanished. Cool dude." Seth flipped through a few pages before settling on something interesting.

"Well, if you prefer to play I would be happy to GM. It's what I usually do anyways. It's easiest to be a rules lawyer when you are also the Game Master."

They both laughed and Seth replaced the GM's Guide on the shelf. "Sounds like a plan."

The two friends were able to iron out a few details, settling on finalizing things next week after talking with people and figuring out schedules. Just in time for Andrew to finish hooking up his computer's cooling system.

Seth was running through a few level's of a first person shooter while Andrew went into the living room. He found his father resting on the couch, his duffle bag full of training gear sitting on the floor at his feet. Dave's face held subtle clues to the eager excitement that percolated just behind his eyes.

"Hey, baby." Sara's happy voice called to him from the dining table. "We were just talking and your parents are cool with us borrowing their car tomorrow so we can check out those cars in Portland."

"Wow, really. That's awesome!" Andrew grinned between the two woman at the table while trying to decide which car he hoped they would get.

"It's sweet of you to take Sara to look at cars." Michelle was happy about this day trip the young couple had planned, and she was eager to have another day alone with her husband.

"Was your mom able to free up her schedule for lunch? It would be great if I could officially meet her."

Sara looked at her glass of water and studied it for a moment before responding, "Yeah, she postponed a meeting so that we could meet up for lunch."

The nervousness from Sara felt foreign to everyone in the room. Michelle wanted to ask Sara about it, but knew that the brazen young woman would share if she wanted to. Andrew walked over and pulled her against him, where she nestled her face against his midsection while he cupped her cheek and rubbed her back. Dave and Michelle were again amazed by the ease with which this young couple seemed to flow through their shared life.

Andrew kissed her forehead before asking, "So, are we training or what?"

Dave was happy by how eager his son had become about these practice sessions. Physical exercise was never one of Andrew's hobbies, but something about the Pacific Northwest seemed to have awakened something within their child.

There was a brisk breeze that blew through the clearing around their house, but that did not stop the excited group as they paired off outside. If anything, the cool air added a sense of anticipation as each pair faced off against their partner.

With the weight of her gloves Andrew found Michelle's punches easy to spot and even easier to avoid. What his mother lacked in speed she made up for with skill. Her combinations were deadly, and every time he slipped an attack she would be right there on him, pressing her advantage. He blocked many of her strikes, which reinforced his need to brace himself properly as his mother's punches almost knocked him over with each hit.

His mother, with the eight ounce training gloves, felt almost no need to hold back as she took practiced and well aimed shots at his body. Andrew took many hits, but dodged or blocked many more than she thought he would have. His two hour practice session with Sara the night before had provided him with more experience than they knew about.

Sara and Dave's training session was much the same as the night before, except that Sara seemed more confident in her skills and found it easier to predict Dave's attack patterns. Her body was already internalizing the small signs that foretold what her opponent was about to do. As she began trying to press those advantages it became apparent to her that Dave too was aware of her insight, and he began using that to confuse her.

He would shift a shoulder, and as she dodged for a cross, he would tag her with a sudden weak jab to the chin. As she reeled from that surprise Sara would feel a soft but definitive hit to her midsection. Looking up in shock she would see Dave fading away with a spartan glare, sizing up his opponent and never once underestimating her.

By the end of the hour Andrew was beyond exhausted. His vision was pulsing and his heart pounded in his ears. Sara and Dave were again soaked but otherwise seemed to be doing well. Michelle was like Dave, strong and well trained. Whatever fatigue she had experienced was soon forgotten as her athletic body compensated. Andrew began to realize just how much the glade had done to stymie his fatigue, and revitalize his body.

Dave again set out the sparring equipment to air out in the living room while everyone got large glasses of water. Andrew found Seth enraptured in his game, struggling against a boss while his tongue poked out of his mouth in concentration. Andrew laughed while he drank and listened to the intense sounds of combat bleeding out from the headphones.

Sara dashed into the bathroom, and while Seth's battle with the boss raged on the sound of the shower permeated through the shut door. The massive creature finally fell, broken and beaten, and Seth exclaimed loudly, "Eat it, bitch!" and shot both of his arms into the air in triumph.

Andrew shook his head and laughed. Seth saved the game and pulled off the headphones, grinning at his friend and saying, "Sorry, man. I get kind of excited."

After taking a long pull from his glass of water Andrew responded, "No worries man, that boss is a pain. You did that really well."

Seth seemed to notice the sweat running down Andrew's flushed face and raised an eyebrow as he asked, "You OK? Did I miss something? Were you attacked by ninja's again?"

Andrew chuckled and responded, "Nothing like that, we were just doing a little sparring outside for the last hour."

"Shit!" Seth pulled out his phone and checked the time. "Dude, thanks for having me over, but I got to get home. I told my folks I would be back a while ago."

"No problem, man. I think these homework sessions will be a nightly thing, and you are welcome to come anytime."

Seth was rushing to the living room as he responded, "That would be badass." He grabbed his school bag and thanked Andrew's folks before saying, "Seeya Monday then." and rushing out the door.

Andrew and his parents settled into the living room, relaxing into their usual places.

"I should have the entertainment center hooked up this weekend, and the cable guys are coming Tuesday to activate our service. I can't believe how much you all did this week." The appreciation and awe in Andrew's voice was palpable as he looked around the pristine walls. The house still smelled of paint, but they all knew that smell would not last too long.

Dave and Michelle shared a flirtatious glance and were also impressed by how much they were able to complete. They both felt somehow younger, more vitalized and energetic. Their amorous distractions aside they had managed to put a lot of work into the house, and their efforts showed. The stove and fireplace were the only two things in the house which did not run on electricity now. Andrew had tried to convince them to switch out the wood burning stove, but Michelle had put her foot down, that was the one thing she absolutely wanted to keep.

Andrew still didn't understand that decision, but he did enjoy the smell of the fire and enjoyed watching the happy look on his mother's face as she worked the stove with care. He was reminded of what it must have been like watching a blacksmith working their forge. Constantly checking their fire, making sure the heat was just right and distributed perfectly.